diary of a wimpy kid book 1 book review

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney | Book Review

Book Review of  Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Children’s Book Review

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Written and Illustrated by Jeff Kinney

Ages 7+ | 224 Pages

Publisher: Amulet Books (2007) | ISBN-13: 9781419741852

What to Expect: Graphic Novel, Middle School, Diary Entries, and Humor

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an exceptionally captivating tale of a young protagonist’s journey that began with tiny daily entries on a website and later expanded into the renowned book series we know and love. It’s a storytelling saga that gave rise to a do-it-yourself book and a film feature.

The main character, Greg Heffley, speaks to all ages, delivering a witty reading experience. Readers accompany the young character as he traverses the highs and lows of his first year in middle school, and the manner in which author-illustrator Jeff Kinney captures his adventures in a comic book style with humor and wit is impressive. The book is full of funny scenes, antics, mistakes, and missteps that are sure to make readers burst out laughing. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is not solely focused on Greg’s quest for popularity but also touches on a wide variety of experiences—providing valuable lessons on the complexities of school life that many young readers can relate to. It is a complete package that combines relatable humor with insightful lessons, making it an easy-to-read yet thoroughly enjoyable book—perfect for any graphic novel lover!

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About the author-illustrator.

Jeff Kinney  is an author of children’s books including  Diary of a Wimpy Kid  book series. Jeff was born in College Park, Maryland, in 1971 where he created a comic strip called “Igdoof.”He also created the children’s website ‘Poptropica’.

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Bianca Schulze reviewed  Diary of a Wimpy Kid . Discover more books like  Diary of a Wimpy Kid  by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Graphic Novel , Middle School , Diary of a Wimpy Kid , and Humor .

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Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

I love this book and have seen the movie as well. I liked how funny this book was and the comic book vibes it sent out.

I love this book and have seen and read all of them . It is very funny and a similar to my kindergarten story of my life

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Good Books for Catholic Kids

Guiding Catholic families towards the True, the Good, and the Beautiful

Review of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

The basic problem is that the protagonist, Greg Heffley, is a lying video game addict who manipulates his friends, disrespects his parents, and doesn’t show personal growth to speak of in the story. I’ll break that down with details for you.

Greg is a liar. He lies to his parents, his teachers, his friends, and his peers. He’s not just any liar: he’s a skilled, sneaky one. For example, when his dad tells him to go play outside, Greg goes to a friend’s house and plays video games. Then he soaks himself in a sprinkler so it looks like he’s been running around working up a sweat, thereby deceiving his dad. On another occasion, Greg deceives his friend’s parents by sneaking in a forbidden violent video game in the case of an educational one.

Let’s talk about the video games. Greg lives for his video games, and he prefers violent ones. He describes car-racing as too babyish, and resents his friend’s contentment with such boring games. The more violent the game, the cooler for Greg. When Christmas comes, he sulks about not getting the particularly violent video game he wants and is ungrateful for all his other presents.

Greg has a rather sweet, slightly immature best friend, Rowley, whom he manipulates and bullies. He beats up Rowley using all the same moves his own brother used to beat him up. He makes fun of Rowley’s simpler tastes in video games and humor. On one occasion, he convinces Rowley to ride a big wheel down a hill repeatedly while Greg throws a football at his head to try to knock him off. This is the great friendship in the book, and I actually found it truly sad to read.

Greg has a abysmal view of adults in general. He considers them dumb and easily tricked. Unfortunately, in this story the adults  are  rather dumb and easily tricked. He repeatedly gets around video game grounding by sneaking off to game at his friend Rowley’s house. He tricks Rowley’s parents by sneaking in video games they have expressly forbidden in their home. Greg’s teachers are also sometimes taken in by his lies.

The ending of the book is supposed to provide a shade of redemption in one area of Greg’s life at least: he finally does something kind for Rowley. But here’s the problem: the kind act is telling a lie to get Rowley out of an embarrassing predicament. At this point, I was asking, really, Jeff Kinney? That’s the best redemptive moment you can come up with?

There are miscellaneous other problematic areas of the book. One that really bothered me was a scenario where Greg’s older brother left a bikini pictures magazine laying out and Greg’s littler brother took it to show and tell. This is supposed to be hilarious; it’s most certainly not what I want my 8-12 year old laughing about.

11 thoughts on “ Review of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” ”

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I watched my now 8-year old grandson go from reading the type of books you recommend to reading Captain Underpants and now the Wimpy Kid books, both of which are provided each week by his school library. I abhor those books that contribute nothing toward his growth as God would have it. I spent an hour searching for anyone to agree with my judgement, but only found accolades. And I learned there are 14 of the Wimpy Kid books! After shutting down my computer, it suddenly occurred to me to ask for a Catholic review and I found your website. Thank you. I am going to pass it on to my son, the father of said boy, who has never been a reluctant reader, but now he’s reading junk!

I’m so glad you found this review helpful! These books definitely have a way of spoiling a child’s ability to appreciate wholesome, classic books. I think most parents have no idea the messages these books are conveying. I hope your grandson rediscovers his love for good books!

These books are horrible! My sister-in-law keeps buying them for my son, and my husband won’t agree to just ask her to stop. The worst part? Our son eats up the piggish, amoral, irreverent humor. They are a true reflection of what our society is coming to, and they glorify the opposite of all the values I am trying to teach. 😦

That’s a tough situation! I agree they are simply horrible books. I hope you can find a way to get them out of your home!

Thank you for this review! I saw the author of the Diary of A Whimpy Kid series, on EWTN news and it sounded like it was a fun but good Catholic series. I went out and bought the whole series for my 9 year old grandson. I am very upset with myself. I am very close to my grandson. He loves the series. At least now I know I need to have a conversation about them with him. Thank God, He led me here.

oh my goodness! i never realized how terrible these books are. my 17 year old is so into these books but now i will have to stop buying them. i will remove them from the household as i don’t want my child to be learning about manipulative liars. thanks brittany.

This is an invaluable review. Thank you!

My children were reading those books when younger, I wish I had read the before, but, oh, how much you rely on what the school recommends! It’s completely opposite to how I brought them up… So sad. I wonder what the author was like when younger and what brought him to write the series…

Thank you for this review. I had a feeling these books were not for the type of reading I want for my son, but your review just confirms it. THANK YOU!

Thank you for your review. I was going to buy books from this series for my 2nd grade classroom because I knew they were popular with 2nd graders and reluctant readers. Now I know to spend my money elsewhere. I’ll look through your site to see what you’d recommend.

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DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: BOOK 1 Review

Hank kelley.

• January 18, 2023

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DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: BOOK 1

By Jeff Kinney 

• Original Graphic Novel 
• Publisher : Amulet Books 
• Release : 4/1/2007
• Softcover : 224 pages
• Dimensions : 5.8″ x 8.3″
• Reading Age : 8 – 12+ years
• Lexile Score: 950L
• MSRP: $14.99

It All Started Here

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of my favorite book series. I researched that when Jeff Kinney was young, he was inspired by the books of Judy Blume (Freckle Juice), Beverly Clearly (The Mouse and the Motorcycle), and J.R.R Tolkien (who created the Lord of the Rings books).

The first book starts out with a middle school kid named Greg. He is having a hard time with school, friends, and even family. To start with Greg wasn’t a very good friend. I think he could treat people better. What I like about Diary of a Wimpy Kid is that it is funny. My favorite scene is when Greg touches the cheese because it shows us to put friends first and the importance of friendship. I like how the art style because it looks like its from a cartoon or animation. I really like Greg because he is a lot like me. He likes comics and video games. He seems to get in a lot of trouble.

Check out my short YouTube Video here:

Check out the official trailer for the new diary of a wimpy kid cartoon on disney+:, check out this interview with jeff kinney from his youtube channel:, in conclusion:.

This is the book that started it all and is one of my favorites. I give it 9.5 out of 10. The only books I like more in the series are Meltdown, Deep End, and the Getaway. I like the small hardcover format of the books and that the corners aren’t sharp. $8 is a good price if you can find it. Normal price is $14.99.

I like to read, draw. and play video games. My mom is my favorite person. I love my cat. I want a dog. I "almost" kissed a girl once.

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Book Summary and Reviews of Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

by Jeff Kinney

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• Genre: Literary Fiction
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About this book

Book summary.

Boys don’t keep diaries—or do they? The launch of an exciting and innovatively illustrated new series narrated by an unforgettable kid every family can relate to It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary. In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley’s star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend’s newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion. Author/illustrator Jeff Kinney recalls the growing pains of school life and introduces a new kind of hero who epitomizes the challenges of being a kid. As Greg says in his diary, “Just don’t expect me to be all ‘Dear Diary’ this and ‘Dear Diary’ that.” Luckily for us, what Greg Heffley says he won’t do and what he actually does are two very different things. Since its launch in May 2004 on Funbrain.com, the Web version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been viewed by 20 million unique online readers. This year, it is averaging 70,000 readers a day.

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Reader reviews.

"Starred Review. Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class. Ages 8-13." - Publishers Weekly. "Readers can expect lots of middle school humor and exaggeration. Kinney manages to inject enough humor in the simple drawings to make them an integral element in the book." - VOYA. "The first of three installments, it is an excellent choice for reluctant readers, but more experienced readers will also find much to enjoy and relate to in one seventh grader's view of the everyday trials and tribulations of middle school." - School Library Journal. "The simple line drawings perfectly capture archetypes of growing up, such as a preschool-age little brother, out-of-touch teachers, and an assortment of class nerds. Lots of fun throughout." - Booklist.

Author Information

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Jeff Kinney Author Biography

Jeff Kinney is an online game developer, designer, the creator of Poptropica.com, and the #1 New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of the wildly popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Born in Maryland in the 1970s, Jeff spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. As a young reader, Jeff was inspired by the books of Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Piers Anthony, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Jeff attended the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. It was there that he ran a comic strip called "lgdoof" in the campus newspaper and knew that he wanted to be become a newspaper strip cartoonist. Although Jeff started writing down ideas for Diary of a Wimpy Kid in 1998, it wasn't until spring of 2007 that his book was published — and quickly ...

... Full Biography Link to Jeff Kinney's Website

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Kid reviews of, diary of a wimpy kid, book 1.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 94 Reviews
• Kids Say 312 Reviews

Based on 312 kid reviews

Kid Reviews

My thoughts..., report this review, guys let's be real, great books, read the reviews before getting doawk books, complaining parents., "kids will be kids," they said..

This title has:

• Educational value
• Great messages

Cool book, but Greg is low key kinda dumb

Very good bookk.

• Great role models

It's funny and ok.

Read this, please.

• Too much violence
• Too much sex
• Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

it teaches about life

What to read next.

Funny Books for Kids

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

A novel in cartoons, from the diary of a wimpy kid series , vol. 1.

by Jeff Kinney & illustrated by Jeff Kinney ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2007

Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers.

First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year.

Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half. 

Pub Date: April 1, 2007

ISBN: 0-8109-9313-9

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Jeff Kinney ; illustrated by Jeff Kinney

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PERSPECTIVES

SEEN & HEARD

RETURN TO SENDER

by Julia Alvarez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 13, 2009

Though it lacks nuance, still a must-read.

Tyler is the son of generations of Vermont dairy farmers.

Mari is the Mexican-born daughter of undocumented migrant laborers whose mother has vanished in a perilous border crossing. When Tyler’s father is disabled in an accident, the only way the family can afford to keep the farm is by hiring Mari’s family. As Tyler and Mari’s friendship grows, the normal tensions of middle-school boy-girl friendships are complicated by philosophical and political truths. Tyler wonders how he can be a patriot while his family breaks the law. Mari worries about her vanished mother and lives in fear that she will be separated from her American-born sisters if la migra comes. Unashamedly didactic, Alvarez’s novel effectively complicates simple equivalencies between what’s illegal and what’s wrong. Mari’s experience is harrowing, with implied atrocities and immigration raids, but equally full of good people doing the best they can. The two children find hope despite the unhappily realistic conclusions to their troubles, in a story which sees the best in humanity alongside grim realities.

Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-375-85838-3

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2008

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TUCK EVERLASTING

by Natalie Babbitt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1975

However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...

At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever. 

Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it. 

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975

ISBN: 0312369816

Page Count: 164

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975

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