Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

This is the first in a series of cartoon novels about Greg Heffley, a pretty standard middle-schooler who tries to avoid trouble & teasing in his daily life. He’s a likeable enough character, and the cartoons throughout are fun. Greg is pretty sneaky and does some semi-mean things without getting caught - but in the end he learns to be nicer to his dorky best friend, so I guess that counts for something. I think it would be a fun “holiday” read for most kids, and probably best fit for reluctant readers.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

The second in the Wimpy Kid series highlights Greg’s struggles with his older brother Rodrick. Rodrick, a drummer in a rock/metal band, gives Greg & their parents trouble from start to finish with only a few reprieves along the way. I kept waiting for there to be a moment when Greg is really nice to someone, or he does the right thing when no one is looking, or even when he works hard on a school project for once - but he never really comes through in that sense. There’s a lot of buzz around these books in my classroom right now, and I can see how the humor, pictures, and descriptions of Greg’s failures all contribute to the popularity. Do kids take any notice that the constant minor mischief (he never does anything really bad) is basically never redeemed by goodness? I have to think it doesn’t even register with the reader, or if it does, it has little impact. I guess I’ll know if my students start buying history papers off their older brothers or convincing their classmates to pretend that one student is actually invisible…

The Project Begins!

In true teacher style, here’s my skeleton to start this blog.

AIM: To review & share reviews of young adult literature for use (or non-use) in the classroom.

PROCEDURES: Read book. Post thoughts. Repeat.

ASSESSMENT: Ask fellow teachers if reviews are helpful.

HOMEWORK: Start readin’ those books!