This article is about the original book (definitley not from wikipedia). For the book series, see Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book 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
Diary of a wimpy kid.jpg
Cover of the first edition of the book
Author Jeff Kinney
Illustrator Jeff Kinney
Cover artist
Jeff Kinney
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 children and teenagers 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 attempts to become popular in 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.[2] The book was named a 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 and The Long Haul.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Background
3 Characters
4 Sequels
5 Awards
6 Adaptations
7 References
8 External links
Plot
Greg Heffley clarifies that "this is a JOURNAL, not a diary." He then explains that he only agreed to write in one for when he's "rich and famous," and "for now, I'm stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons." Greg then discusses the Cheese at his school. It started when someone left a piece of cheese on the blacktop, and it got moldy. If you touch it, you have the "Cheese Touch," which you're stuck with until you pass it on by touching someone else. However, the last victim of the Cheese Touch moved away, and Greg "hope[s] someone doesn't start the Cheese Touch up again, because I don't need that kind of stress in my life anymore." He also talks about his best friend, Rowley. Although Greg wants to be famous and explains popularity to Rowley, "it just goes in one ear and out the other with him."
Greg then introduces his family. He has a teenage brother, Rodrick, who likes to pick on him, and a little brother, a toddler named Manny, who is "spoiled rotten" because he gets everything he wants and gets away with everything he does wrong. Greg's father does not encourage his way of life — playing video games all day — rather than going outside and playing sports.
Near Halloween, Greg writes that his father likes to hide in the bushes on Halloween day and drench teenagers with a trash can of water. Greg and Rowley decide to make their own haunted house, although they end up profiting only two dollars. On Halloween day, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating, but are challenged by teens who spray them with a water-filled fire extinguisher. When they get home, they are mistakenly soaked by Greg's father.
Greg fails a geography test after a girl named Patty Farrel catches him cheating. At home, Greg's mother forces him into 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 performance, Greg becomes too nervous to sing, confusing the other trees. Patty gets frustrated, and Greg starts throwing props at Patty. The other trees join in, and while Greg's mother is disappointed, Greg ends up enjoying the play due to him getting back at Patty.
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.