Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
by Jeff Kinney
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Book Reviews of Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
Book Review: The Do-it-Yourself version of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Summary: 5 Stars
Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been one of the most innovative books in child literature with its diary format and a mix of text and comics. Greg, the main character echoes sentiments of any middle schooler and even strikes a familiar chord with older and adult readers as his dilemmas with bullies and teachers seem familiar. The best part is that the books are a faster read than most chapter books so even the reluctant readers will find them easy to read. The books are also laugh out loud funny with their middle school humor which makes kids read them again and again.
This DIY book is the addition to this series. It is meant for fans of the series who have already read the first 2 books Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and want to explore more till the third book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) comes out next year. This is not just a book like the others but also a journal which a kid can fill out with his/her own writing, illustrations and comics.
The first 90 pages of the book are created to spark a kid's interest and imagination by providing inspiration for writing and drawing. One of these pages asks you to draw a plan of your "dream house", another asks you to list "5 things nobody knows about you", yet another asks about "The worst nightmare you ever had" or "Rules for your family" and so on. In addition, there are a number of pages with unfinished comics that invite you to create your own. The rest of the book has plain lined pages with a small sketch of a character from the book at the bottom that a kid can use to create his/her own diary.
Overall, it is a good buy for kids who have already read the series as it encourages them to create their own diary. The Wimpy Kid Diaries have worked magic with some reluctant readers and got them to read, now this DIY journal has the potential spark their interest in telling their own stories through words and comics.
Book Review: Brilliant!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This extention of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is absolutely BRILLIANT and I want to personally thank Jeff Kinney and if it wasn't his own idea, whoever in his life or at the publishing house came up with the concept of a journal tie in with the series.
One of the reasons the the Wimpy Kid series is so popular, besides the first person kid narration and boy appeal stories, is the mix of visuals (cartoons/doodles) that make the book easy and appealing to a young reader. It also provides visual imagery that kids who may have low reading comprehension have difficulty processing on their own. I also like that it's a series of vignettes that tie into an overarching plot. This is also more palatable to a young reader. Now take that concept and turn it into a way for a young child to dabble in journaling and self expression and you've got a marvelous tool for teaching and life experience.
My oldest son (turning 9) has autism. He loves the Wimpy Kid series and I'm guessing it's because of the reasons described above. The Do-It-Yourself version has sparked his interest in self expression and given him tools to help develop his skills in written expression. The check lists, fill in the blanks, fill in the bubble comics make it fun and provide a structure in an area that is difficult for him. The blank journal at the back gives him space to dabble in writing whatever he feels. It's personalized and fun AND a great educational experience. I highly recommend this series and if your child takes to the series, get them this Do-It-Yourself kit.
Book Review: This is NOT a diary...it's a journal!
Summary: 5 Stars
About the book: Instead of a novel, about half of the book is a workbook/journal -- including survey pages (like: "Five things NOBODY knows about you"), themed drawing pages (like under the heading: "The WORST NIGHTMARE you ever had"), unfinished comic pages (in the typical Wimpy Kid style, where you finish the comic or add text to the balloons). The other half of the book is lined blank journal pages.
We bought this for my 9-year old son because it was a 'Wimpy Kid' title. Despite that, I wasn't expecting him to do more than page through it a couple times, because although he loves the Wimpy Kid series, he has never gone out of his way to write anything more than has been absolutely necessary for school.
To my surprise, my son loves this book. He's had this book about 8 months now and continues to come back to it. He's drawn his own cartoons, filled in many of the surveys, and has written numerous pages of journal entries. Before this Do-It-Yourself book he had no interest in writing; now he comes back to the book often to add to it.
This book has opened my son to the world of journaling. What's more, when he's grown it'll give him a snapshot of what a funny, goofy kid he was.
Update 4/15/2010
At 10 1/2, he still loves coming back to this book and adding to it!
Book Review: creative and great fun
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought two of these journals, one for my 11 year old nephew and one for a nine year old boy. Both boys are fans of the "Wimpy Kid" Series. I sat with each of the boys after they received the gift, flipping through the pages and listening to their answers to the questions. They had a great time thinking about their responses and enjoyed sharing them with me. Not only did we laugh and have fun reading the book, but also I got to know them a bit better by hearing their answers, many of which require creativity and imaginiation.
My nephew was so excited by the book, that he read portions of it to his family, and any friends who visited, throughout the duration of my visit (when I gave him the book). His 12 year old brother was spotted reading the book on a few occasions too!
The book has a nice balance of questions about life accomplishments and experiences (i.e. Have you ever stayed up all night? ) and ideas about the future (i.e. How much will a cheeseburger cost in 20 years? Who will be President in 20 years?). It also provides space for children to draw cartoons.
I like the fact that children can do this book on their own and since the questions asked are not too personal, they can also sit with an adult and share their ideas and responses.
Book Review: We want normal books!
Summary: 3 Stars
I write this review not only in my name but also on behalf of a group of my friends. We all love Wimpy Kid series and we have read the two previous Wimpy Kid diaries. So, naturally we were all excited about the newest title in the series. However, we were rather disappointed in it. This is not like the previous books that were full of funny stories. Most of this book you have to write yourself! Well, not all of us are so creative to write our own books. We rather read them! Well, we tried to fill out a few pages and let others read them, but it actually turned out to be a blunder and we got bored with it pretty fast...
So, I guess, my message to the author of the book is to continue writing more Wimpy Kid diaries the way it was done before. I hope that the next book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), will be as interesting as the previous two. In the meantime, if you want to know what really rocks, check the series of Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2