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{{About|the original book|the film|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film)|other uses|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the original book|the film|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film)|other uses|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (disambiguation)}}
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Book/Tv Show name = Diary of a Wimpy Kid
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Revision as of 11:22, 12 September 2012

This article is about the original book. 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
File:Diary of a wimpy kid.jpg
Cover of first edition of the book
AuthorJeff Kinney
IllustratorJeff Kinney
Cover artistJeff Kinney and Chad W. Beckerman
LanguageEnglish
SeriesDiary of a Wimpy Kid
GenreComedy
PublisherAmulet Books[1]
Publication date
April 1, 2007[2]
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (paperback, hardcover)
Pages217
ISBN[[Special:BookSources/978-0-14-330383-1%7F%27%22%60UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU%60%22%27%7F |978-0-14-330383-1[1]]] Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
Followed byDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel 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 in middle school.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid first appeared on FunBrain.com in 2004 where it was read 20 million times.[1] The hardcover was released on April 1, 2007.[2] Diary of a Wimpy Kid was named New York Times bestseller among awards and praise. A film of the same name was released on March 19, 2010.

Plot

As Greg Heffley is getting ready for middle school, he is teased by his older brother Rodrick Heffley because his mom, Susan Heffley, bought him supplies for school, including a blank diary. He has a little brother, Manny who is "spoiled rotten" and gets away with everything. His father Frank Heffley does not encourage Greg's way of life - playing video games all day - rather than going outside and playing sports. Greg, during the first day of school, is immediately rejected and is forced to sit with another outcast who lives near Greg, Fregley, from whom Greg tries to keep "a safe distance". He is initally unsure of Rowley Jefferson being able to fit in, and tries to change Rowley, who Greg considers immature. Greg and Rowley decide to participate in wrestling, although Greg quits after losing a match against Fregley. On Halloween, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating, but are challenged by a group of teens who they irritate and enrage. The two friends barely escape to safety.

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. Greg and Rowley decide to enroll in the Safety program in which they walk younger kids to their homes. One day, as Greg is walking the kids by himself - due to Rowley having to take an important quiz. He chases the young children , only after scaring them with a stick with worms on it. A neighbor contacts the school and tells them about Greg's unusual behavior. The principal suspects Rowley, as Greg was wearing Rowley's hat. Rowley is quickly fired. Greg initally 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 is cast as Dorothy, the protagonist of the novel. During the show's opening performance, Rodrick unexpectedly 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 then 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 "Cheese Touch," a moldy piece of cheese that had been left on the grounds of the school. Greg refuses, dishonestly claiming that he is allergic to cheese and will die if he eats it, thus leaving Rowley to eat it. The coach arrives in the nick of time, causing the teens to flee. The other students notice that the Cheese is gone, assuming that someone has destroyed it; however, Greg takes the blame instead of Rowley as he feels pity on him. He and Rowley again become friends and Greg begins to anticipate a relaxing summer of playing video games.

Background

Funbrain

Picture of the online version

In 2004, FunBrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, with 217 pages. The website made daily entries until June 2005.[3] The book became an instant hit and the online version received about 20 million views as of 2009.[1] Many online readers requested a printed version. Jeff had agreed and in 2007, Diary of A Wimpy Kid was published.[3]

Sequels

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the first book in a seven 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] The Ugly Truth was released November 9, 2010 with 217 pages.[7] The sixth, Cabin Fever was released November 15, 2011.[8] The seventh, The Third Wheel will release on November 13, 2012.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - the official website

Development and reception

Kinney signs copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid during a personal appearance at the booth of publisher Harry Abrams during the 2009 New York Comic Con
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, an film adaptation of the fourth book in the series, released on August 3rd

According to an author interview, Jeff Kinney said of the origin of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, "I wanted to write a story about the funny parts of growing up and none of the serious parts. I had a pretty ordinary childhood, but lots of humorous stuff happened along the way. So, I decided to write a book about what it was really like to be a kid, or at least what it was like for me."[9]

Interview

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

Adaptations

Main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's book of the same name.[10][11][12] The film was released on March 19, 2010.[13] It was released on DVD, iTunes, and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010.[14] 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.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Diary of A Wimpy Kid details". Amulet Books. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  2. ^ a b The Book is in Stores, April 1, 2007
  3. ^ a b "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Funbrain. Family Education Network. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ^ Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Amulet Books. ISBN 0-8109-9313-9. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Kinney, Jeff (2009). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). Amulet Books. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Dixler, Elsa. "The New York Times Best Sellers: Children's Books". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  7. ^ Kinney, Jeff (2010). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). Amulet Books. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Kinney, Jeff (2011). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). Amulet Books. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney: Author Interview". Wimpykid.com. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  10. ^ Breznican, Anthony (September 29, 2009). "First Look: 'Wimpy Kid' actor embraces being 'a likable jerk'". USA Today. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  11. ^ McNary, Dave (August 3, 2009). "Steve Zahn to star in 'Wimpy Kid'". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  12. ^ McCarron, Heather (October 12, 2009). "Nothing 'Wimpy' about local author's success". Milford Daily News. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  13. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  14. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie main page". 20th Century Fox. Jeff Kinney. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
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