Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This article is about the original book. For the book series, see Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). For the film, see Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film). For other uses, see Diary of a Wimpy Kid (disambiguation).

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Cover of the first edition of the book
Author Jeff Kinney
Original title Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Illustrator Jeff Kinney
Cover artist Jeff Kinney and Chad W. Beckerman
Country United States
Language English
Series Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Genre Comedy, Young adult fiction
Publisher Amulet Books[1]
Publication date
 April 1, 2007[2]
Media type Print (paperback, hardcover)
Pages 221
ISBN 978-0-14-330383-1 [1]
Followed by Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a satirical realistic fiction comedy novel for young adults written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his struggles to fit in as he begins middle school.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid first appeared on FunBrain in 2004, where it was read 20 million times.[1] The abridged hardcover adaptation was released on April 1, 2007. The book was named New York Times bestseller among other awards and praise. A film of the same name was released on March 19, 2010. The sequel to the film is Rodrick Rules, followed by Dog Days.

Plot

As Greg Heffley is getting ready for middle school, he is teased by his teenage brother named Rodrick because his mom bought him his supplies for school. He has a little brother, a toddler named Manny, who is "spoiled rotten" because he gets everything he wants and also gets away with everything he does wrong. His father, named Frank Heffley, does not encourage Greg's way of life - playing video games all day - rather than going outside and playing sports.

During the first day of school, Greg is immediately rejected and is forced to sit with another outcast named Fregley, from whom Greg tries to keep "a safe distance". He is initially unsure whether classmate Rowley Jefferson will be able to fit in. He tries to change Rowley, who Greg considers immature. Greg and Rowley decide to take part in wrestling at school, although Greg quits after losing a match against Fregley. On Halloween, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating, but are challenged by teens who spray Greg and Rowley with a water-filled fire extinguisher. Greg tries to threaten them by saying-"We're calling the cops", but the teenagers start to chase them. The two friends escape and go to Greg's grandmother's house until the teens leave.

After getting few presents for Christmas, Greg decides to play a game with Rowley in which Rowley must ride a bike while Greg tries to knock him off. On one of Greg's tries, the ball gets under the front wheel, which causes Rowley to fall off and break his arm. When Rowley goes to school with a plaster cast, the girls take care of him (carrying his books, feeding him food) which makes Greg jealous. After Rowley's arm heals, he and Greg decide to enroll in the safety patrol program in which they walk younger kids to their homes.

One day, as Greg is walking the kids by himself he chases the young children after scaring them with a stick with worms on it. A neighbour contacts the school and tells them about Greg's unusual behavior. The principal suspects Rowley, as Greg was wearing Rowley's jacket. Rowley is fired from the safety patrol. Greg wants to tell him it is his fault that he was fired, but doesn't, only to let the truth slip later. This leads to Rowley breaking off his friendship with Greg.

Greg tries to befriend Fregley to make Rowley jealous, although he is uncomfortable around Fregley. Resorting to auditioning for the school play (based on The Wizard of Oz) Greg lands the role as a tree, while Patty Farrel is cast as Dorothy, the protagonist of the novel. During the show's opening performance, Rodrick brings a camera to film the play. Greg becomes too nervous to sing, confusing the other "trees" who also fail to sing. Patty gets frustrated and angers Greg, who throws props at Patty, and then everyone gets in the fight, ending the play in chaos.

Rowley confronts Greg, which leads to a non-physical fight. The teens return and the younger kids scatter. The teens force Greg and Rowley to eat the legendary "cheese", a moldy piece of cheese that has been left on the grounds of the school for years. Greg refuses, claiming that he is allergic to cheese and will die if he eats it, thus leaving Rowley to eat it. The teens then leave. The other students notice that the cheese is gone, assuming that someone has destroyed it. Greg says he just picked it up and threw it away, because he was sick of it sitting there. Because of this, all suspicion towards Rowley is deflected as he feels pity on him, which then gives Greg the "Cheese Touch"–the stigma of having put his hand on the cheese. He and Rowley become friends again and Greg anticipates a relaxing summer of playing video games.

Background

Picture of the online version

In 2005, FunBrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries until June 2005. The book became an instant hit and the online version received about 20 million views as of 2007.[1] Many online readers requested a printed version. At the 2006 New York Comic-Con Kinney proposed Diary to Charles Kochman, Editorial Director of the ComicArts division of Abrams Books, who purchased the rights to the book. According to Kochman, the two initially conceived it as a book for adults, believing it would appeal to audiences similar to that of the TV series The Wonder Years. Kochman brought it before the Abrams publishing board, which convinced Kinney and Kochman that it would be better aimed toward children.[3][4] In 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, an abridged version of the original online book, was published.

Characters

Gregory Heffley

The main character, Greg, has trouble with family, friends, and his local middle school. He is very concerned about how popular he is at school, and he daydreams a lot about being rich and famous when he grows up. He tries to fit in in his school, but usually he does not succeed. Facing many challenges, Greg attempts to handle them very creatively, but unfortunately his antics often backfire on him.

Rowley Jefferson

Greg's best friend has a larger than average frame. He is always willing to do what Greg tells him, including dangerous stunts. Rowley goes on vacations all the time, which annoys Greg. Rowley is a loyal friend, but he sometimes behaves in an immature or childish manner. He also dresses in an unusual way.

Manny Heffley

Greg's "spoiled" little brother, a three-year-old toddler. He never gets in trouble no matter what, even when he really deserves it. Manny is just getting toilet trained.

Rodrick Heffley

Rodrick is Greg's teenage brother and he never misses a chance to be cruel to Greg. He is known for sleeping excessively in the morning and for his rebellious attitude. Rodrick is part of a garage band called "The Löded Diper". Rodrick will do anything to embarrass Greg and will even cause problems for Manny to make everyone's life miserable.

Sequels

Author and illustrator Jeff Kinney signs copies of "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" in 2009.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the first book in an ongoing book franchise. The second, Rodrick Rules was released February 1, 2008 and was listed on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 117 weeks.[5] The Last Straw, the third book in the series, released on January 13, 2009 was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 65 weeks, peaking at number one.[6] Dog Days was released October 12, 2009 with 217 pages. The book was ranked at number one on the New York Times Best Sellers List for all 25 weeks of inclusion, making Dog Days the #1 Best Selling Book of 2009.[7] The Ugly Truth was released November 9, 2010 with 217 pages.[8] The sixth, Cabin Fever was released November 15, 2011.[9] The seventh, The Third Wheel was released on November 13, 2012. The eighth, Hard Luck was released on November 5, 2013 in the United States and on November 6 in the United Kingdom. The ninth, The Long Haul was released on November 4, 2014 in the US and November 5, 2014 in the UK. The tenth, Old School, was released globally on November 3, 2015.[10]

Awards

The book won the Blue Peter Book Award 2012, revealed live on British kids channel CBBC on March 1, 2012.[11]

Adaptations

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's book.[12][13][14] The film was released on March 19, 2010.[15] It was released on DVD, iTunes, and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010.[16] The movie stars Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley (Dad), Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley (Mom), Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman, and Connor & Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Greg's brother.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Diary of A Wimpy Kid details". Amulet Books. 2007-04-13.
  2. ↑ The Book is in Stores, April 1, 2007
  3. ↑ Vorce, Kristin (August 11, 2011). "Abrams Books: Making Publishing an Art". NYU Pub Posts.
  4. ↑ Thomases, Martha (September 7, 2008). "Interview: Harry N. Abrams’ Charles Kochman". ComicMix.
  5. ↑ Kinney, Jeff (February 2008). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Amulet Books. ISBN 0-8109-9313-9.
  6. ↑ Kinney, Jeff (January 2009). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). Amulet Books.
  7. ↑ Dixler, Elsa. "The New York Times Best Sellers: Children's Books". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ Kinney, Jeff (October 2010). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). Amulet Books.
  9. ↑ Kinney, Jeff (November 2011). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). Amulet Books.
  10. ↑ "Latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid Debuts as Global Bestseller". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Blue Peter Book Awards 2012". BookTrust. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (September 29, 2009). "First Look: 'Wimpy Kid' actor embraces being 'a likable jerk'". USA Today. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  13. ↑ McNary, Dave (August 3, 2009). "Steve Zahn to star in 'Wimpy Kid'". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  14. ↑ McCarron, Heather (October 12, 2009). "Nothing 'Wimpy' about local author's success". Milford Daily News. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie main page". 20th Century Fox. Jeff Kinney. Retrieved November 4, 2011.

External links

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