Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
I've really enjoyed reading Diary of a Wimpy kid so far. It is hilarious and the character, Greg, has such a strong voice and personality throughout the book. I also think this book is very engaging and relatable. I find that I can connect some of my own experiences from middle school (and high school) to what Greg goes through in school, with friends and at home.
One of the things that stood out to me in the first half of this book was the transition Greg and Rowley, his best friend, go through as they move from elementary school to middle school. The major shift I see for Greg is that he doesn't want to be considered a little kid anymore. Greg and his classmates mention wanting to be more popular so he can talk to girls, which was never a focus of his in elementary school. He even gets annoyed at Rowley because he didn't act 'cool' and said "Want to come over to my house and plaayyy?" rather than hangout in front of other kids at school (18). Greg also doesn't find enduring, sentimental nicknames fun anymore and he wants to push the rules at home. For example, he took one of Rodrick's, his older brothers, parental warning CDs even though he knew he would get in trouble if (when) he got caught.
However, I think Greg also shows that he is still not necessarily wanting to be an adult yet either. An example is when he was wanting to go trick-or-treating, something he enjoyed doing when he was younger. He also shows his immaturity in his decision making, I don't think he realizes how his actions affect others. He doesn't make the smartest decisions when he faces an obstacle. When he tried to run for treasurer he focused on discouraging his opponent with criticism and rude comments rather than focusing on his end goal and working hard. He also got his "Gramma's" house covered in toilet paper and rather then offering to help clean up he said "Gramma is retired, so she probably didn't have anything planned for today anyway" (76).
I really like this book and I think Greg is showing a lot of normal characteristics and traits of a young student transitioning into middle school. I am interested to see where this book goes and if there is anymore character development, growth or relationships that occur.
One of the things that stood out to me in the first half of this book was the transition Greg and Rowley, his best friend, go through as they move from elementary school to middle school. The major shift I see for Greg is that he doesn't want to be considered a little kid anymore. Greg and his classmates mention wanting to be more popular so he can talk to girls, which was never a focus of his in elementary school. He even gets annoyed at Rowley because he didn't act 'cool' and said "Want to come over to my house and plaayyy?" rather than hangout in front of other kids at school (18). Greg also doesn't find enduring, sentimental nicknames fun anymore and he wants to push the rules at home. For example, he took one of Rodrick's, his older brothers, parental warning CDs even though he knew he would get in trouble if (when) he got caught.However, I think Greg also shows that he is still not necessarily wanting to be an adult yet either. An example is when he was wanting to go trick-or-treating, something he enjoyed doing when he was younger. He also shows his immaturity in his decision making, I don't think he realizes how his actions affect others. He doesn't make the smartest decisions when he faces an obstacle. When he tried to run for treasurer he focused on discouraging his opponent with criticism and rude comments rather than focusing on his end goal and working hard. He also got his "Gramma's" house covered in toilet paper and rather then offering to help clean up he said "Gramma is retired, so she probably didn't have anything planned for today anyway" (76).
I really like this book and I think Greg is showing a lot of normal characteristics and traits of a young student transitioning into middle school. I am interested to see where this book goes and if there is anymore character development, growth or relationships that occur.
I really like how you made the connections with the relationships that Greg has with his peers. I also liked how you were able to connect your own feelings about middle school, and what Greg is going through as well at an awful age. I believe you made a lot of the same connections that I made about Greg, and going through the most awkward stage of development in life which is middle school. Did you also connect to the relationships that Greg has with his family members?
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