Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Last Straw was one of those books I received at an industry book event, not something that I actually knew about beforehand and sought out. Sometimes, though, when this happens, you find a gem of a book that you would not have read otherwise. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of those books that had me cracking up in some spots. Now, for the adult, this was a perfect bathroom book. Do not get it twisted: I get some quality reading time in on the toilet; it does not reflect the quality of the book itself.
Let’s face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg’s father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other “manly” endeavors. Of course, Greg is easily able to sidestep his father’s efforts to change him. But when Greg’s dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up . . . or get shipped out.
One of my favorite situations in the book, is where Greg talks about how Shel Silverstein had an effect on his growing up experience:
But Shel Silverstein looks more like a burglar or a pirate than a guy who should be writing books for kids.
Dad must have known that picture kind of freaked me out, because one night after I got out of bed, Dad said – If you get out of bed again tonight you’ll probably run into Shel Silverstein in the hallway
Greg does some pretty wimpy things in the book that his father sees him doing. We have Greg wearing his mother’s bathrobe that his father catches him in, the debacle with playing soccer goalie, Greg being buried in the laundry that includes his Mom’s underwear, and the camping trip underwear incident. They are all humorous, and as a father myself I know I would be a bit confused by them, but it seems that Greg’s father is kind of a jerk. It always seems he just gives his son a look and never really talks to him. Does he think his son is too girly, or is really just wimpy, or does it span beyond that? Now, from the comedy front it does make it funny, but, damn, if you have a Dad like that, you are in for it. Or maybe I am just reading too much into it. I do not think that children would actually come to that conclusion, and from the adult aspect it does not matter if they do.
Besides just looking like a fool in front of his father and this father’s boss, Greg has all sorts of other adventures. We get to meet Greg’s two brothers, who both bring their own set of troubles for our main character. Rodrick, who is the older brother, beats on him a lot as well as pulling off some pranks at Greg’s expense. Classic older brother; Jeff Kinney does a good job of not letting Rodrick overshadow Greg’s adventures. Then we have Manny, the younger brother, who Greg thinks gets away with everything he did not, and Greg is probably right. I can see this even in my own kids; the younger boy does get away with a lot more. Jeff Kinney does a friggin’ awesome job at creating realistic characters and family members, which is why the humor is so well received. It is something that you can see happening in your own family. I could see how boys reading this book would really relate to Greg, as well.
The reader, though, knows that Greg is just a normal boy who just gets caught in compromising situations and that he is really a big time girl-chaser making all sorts of schemes to get a date with Holly. I think these are some of my favorite Greg moments, because I can relate to them so well. Every kid pines for a girl in school, and all the crazy things you tell yourself you will do to get her, usually never happens. I hope the next book has a lot more girl-chasing moments.
And what the hell is up with Greg’s friend Rowley? The kid is a complete dork, but it seems that this is the best Greg can get when it comes to friends. Rowley is also super oblivious to the stuff going on around him. He has a sleepover with little kids from his karate class; what sane kid does that?
The word around the reviewing grapevine is that the first two Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are a bit stronger. If that is the case, then I am really excited to get someone to send them to me for review, as I was pretty satisfied with book three. Screw all the haters that are telling Kinney to stop writing about Greg; I think he has a bunch more adventures to tell us. I wish Jeff Kinney would take Greg all the way through high school with his diaries. The book is a good pick up for the 9- to 12-year-old, which is what the suggested reading level is, but really anyone will find Diary of a Wimpy Kid series pretty funny. My wife did not like it as much as I did, but I think being a dude makes you appreciate Greg’s plight a bit more, which makes the humor a bit more relevant. I think what this book does for the kids, though, is make reading fun, and that is a big accomplishment from Jeff Kinney and is probably why this guy is a New York Times Bestseller. Anytime you can get kids reading is a good thing. All the characters in the book are believable, and I think a lot of kids and even adults who normally are not hard core readers will pick up this book for the enjoyment factor it brings.
While I agree that these are funny books, I’m actually pretty worried about it as something that shapes the character of children. The central problem is that Kinney has us laughing at—and so wanting more of, and implicitly approving of—the mean things Heffley says and does, and his self-serving attitudes. The question is, should tweens—whose moral character is in relatively early stages of formation—be laughing at these things? My worry here is that the book just reinforces, and subtly leads us to approve of, a certain self-centered negativity that ought to be purged of pre-teens, not anchored all the more deeply via repeated and pleasurable reinforcement.
Okay, okay, I hear the objections already: “Isn’t this just puritanical paranoia? What’s wrong with a little frivolous fun? Couldn’t the book just be like junk food, i.e., okay once in while but not as one’s steady diet?” Reply: there is nothing wrong with frivolous fun. The problem is, reading books like this isn’t frivolous fun. Think of it this way: as a parent, would you like your son to be best friends with Greg Heffley? My answer is clearly, “No.” Why? Because our friends influence who we become, the choices we make, the attitudes we take—in short, our character—and I do not want my kids to have Heffley’s character. And I don’t think it is a reach to say that the characters in books we enjoy become our friends for a season—and perhaps for a long and influential season if the book is one in a series. (Hence the disanalogy with junk food: if you buy this book for your kids, they will “eat” it all the time.) Indeed, I know people who have become more emotionally attached to fictional characters than they are to the real people in their lives. So, while it is funny, I think we also need to consider whether it is good for children.
Final objection: “This book can help non-readers—particularly boys—to become readers.” While I agree that non-readers may well read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the question is, what exactly does that accomplish? I’m skeptical that such a book is going to help any child graduate to literature that is actually worth reading. By my lights, this book is no better than a funny but corrosive TV show in that respect (though it is considerably more creative than most TV shows). If we want to help non-readers to become readers—an extremely worthwhile goal—we need to do better than Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.
Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.Okay “Aaron” you made some pretty good points but I have to say I don’t entirely agree. See this argument is a lot like parenting issues. If you give a child candy they’re just going to keep eating it. I allow me children some sweets so its become nothing special to have a cake in the house. I wind up throwing a lot of sweets away since my kids don’t really feel like it’s something that’s going away. Yet when other kids come over that aren’t allowed to have any junk food they over-indulge since they never get it. I bet some day when the move out on their own they’ll have lots of sweets since, as a child they weren’t allowed any. I feel you should let a child read a “silly” book because if you don’t, before you know it they will be searching inappropriate things online to get the satisfaction of a good laugh. Also, I’m sure children know that the things Greg do in this book are wrong. They author even goes as far as to say “Do everything opposite of Greg and you’ll be alright,”. They see the consequences of his actions and they realize that’s not the way to act. I grew up trying to be opposite of my friend who always gossiped and was extremely bossy. I wound up winning three citizenship awards.The only reason it helps non-readers is because of the pictures. It’s the same as any other book just adding little doodles. They make it un-detailed enough so kids have to imagine what Greg Heffley and his friends really look like. In this way it’s training them to be able to imagine the scenes and eventully they won’t need any pictures.