Tara Morgan – Something Something Diary of a Wimpy Kid

For my series book, I am reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. The reason why I chose this book was because I had previously read it as a middle schooler; the book’s debut was in 2007, the year I began going to Marsh Jr. High School. I remember finding the book very relatable as a preteen because I could connect with Greg’s angsty-ness and his apathy towards his school life. I remember proudly handing down my Diary of a Wimpy Kid collection to my brother after I grew to be “too mature” for the series in eleventh grade. My brother then went on to devour the series up until the latest installment circa 2015: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School.

Now as I re-read this book as an adult, I am cringing and laughing at the same jokes I cringed and laughed at eight years ago. It has been somewhat nostalgic for me to revisit the very series that I read so vivaciously throughout my middle and early high school careers. I am finding so much amusement in understanding the jokes that went over my head as a preteen, such as Greg’s grandpa’s online dating life and Rodrick’s teenaged shenanigans.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid was “written” by a fictional boy named Greg Heffley, and it recounts happenings from his daily life as a middle schooler. In the first chapter, Greg explains that he is only keeping a diary because he wants a written manuscript of his childhood for when he becomes rich and famous—definitely NOT because his mom got him a diary from the store so that he could have a place to write down his feelings. He describes his school life to us in this introduction as well; we learn how Greg feels about the other kids in his class—especially the school’s weird kid named Fregley (with whom Greg was lumped by the “morons” that go to his school) and his friend named Rowley. We then meet Greg’s family: Rodrick, his teenaged older brother, Manny, his small and spoiled baby brother, and his parents.

In my opinion, what makes this book so easily accessible to people of all ages is its universal sense of humor; everyone remembers feeling strange and misunderstood as they progress through the awkward stages of their life (*cough*middleschool*cough*), and almost everyone enjoys a joke or two about puberty.

As Miller points out in her book Reading in the Wild, the reason why people continue to read books rather than abandoning them is because they are engaged by the material, they agree with the author’s points, and they can relate to the protagonist of the story. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was a resounding success that generated nine sequels and a movie because of its ability to evoke a laugh and to engage its reader with captivating stories about growing up.