Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney

A #1 New York Times Bestseller, I had to find out what this book was all about it. I had heard good things about it, but mainly all from the younger audience, and for good reason. Recently, I have been reviewing young adult novels that could be also enjoyed by someone older and/or has a more sophisticated taste for literature. This is not one of those books; kiddies, you can keep this one to yourselves. It is perfect for younger readers, but adults should be weary to expect too much. And since I assume no younger readers are checking out this book review blog, I can focus this review to you more "refined" readers.

Greg Heffley keeps a journal because it will make things easier for him when he is rich and famous. Instead of answering questions about his past from numerous reporters, all he will have to do is show them his journal and be on his way. Right from the start, Greg has dreams of becoming well known and popular. This may seem like a stretch since Greg figures himself to be 52nd or 53rd most popular and his best friend Rowley is “probably hovering right around the 150 mark.” Greg uses his diary to describe life in middle school, even though he has said, “Just don’t expect me to be all ‘Dear Diary’ this and ‘Dear diary’ that.” Lucky for us, without Greg’s entries we wouldn’t know what was going on with his plans. From Halloween pranks to the school play to wrestling to safety patrol to the newspaper comic strip, Greg is constantly trying to put himself out there and move up in the rankings. However, when Rowley gets the job as the newspaper cartoonist and starts to become more popular, Greg is jealous and things fall apart. By the end of the novel, Greg must find a way to fix the friendship strained by the social pressures of middle school.

Described as “a novel in cartoons,” I would classify Jeff Kinney’s work as a very wordy graphic novel for children. Greg’s words are only made more entertaining by the number of cartoons and doodles he adds to his daily entries. Since this novel is taking place over an entire school year, there are several different short storylines going on, all of which are mildly entertaining, but only few work to weave together an actual novel. It seems more like a collection of short stories instead. The novel starts with a plan to become popular this school year, but this plot line does not resurface until towards the very end of the novel. It’s like Greg went through his school year and then finally remembered his plan when there was only a month left of school. Again, these shorter segments are mildly entertaining (with much credit due to the cartoons), but that is not enough to save the novel as a whole. It did not flow well enough to be given the title of a novel. I would rather have read Greg’s tales as individual stories than try to weave them together on my own. Jeff Kinney’s novel is very successful, but I believe it is because it is perfect for younger readers who need shorter segments in order to remember and comprehend what is going on.

My previous young adult novels, I believe, can be read by any age, but Diary of a Wimpy Kid may only be enjoyable by younger readers for its formatting and type of humor. I can see how they would enjoy this book, and I totally understand why it would become a bestseller, but I would never tell another adult to read this book without the purpose of being able to relate better to the younger generation. Some parts were interesting, but in all, this is overwhelmingly a novel for young readers only. With the content and its use of cartoons, this would be the perfect book for a younger reader unexcited by books and reading to slowly adjust to love them.

(Brief Summary: Kids- enjoy it! Adults- give it a try, but beware.)

“The greatest gift is a passion for reading.”
- Elizabeth Hardwick

The Cay

The Cay, by Theodore Taylor

Seeing how many issues and conflicts can be brought up in such a short number of pages, I understand why so many middle school teachers love this young adult novel. From war to racism to learning how to care for yourself, this book has it all.

Phillip Enright is a normal boy except for the fact that his father got transferred to Willemstad, which is on the island of Curacao off the coast of Venezuela. He adjusted fine, learning Dutch to go to the regular school with other students his age. It is not until World War II is brought to their shores in the form of German submarines that his mother becomes more intent on returning to the United States. While leaving his father behind, Phillip and his mother board the Hato to return to the States. The trip is interrupted, however, when the ship gets attacked and Phillip wakes up in a raft out at sea with a seventy-year-old black man named Timothy, a stray cat and a large bump on his head. Thanks to his mother’s influence, Phillip was brought up not to trust black people, but this is something he must get over when his recent head injury causes him to go blind. Unable to see, Phillip must depend on a man he was brought up to hate in order to survive. Finally reaching an island in the middle of nowhere, Phillip must learn how to co-exist with Timothy who is totally different from him, learn how to do things by himself while blind, as well as try to get rescued and survive a hurricane.

Taylor is able to weave a compact novel that seems adventurous without being overly so. The plot keeps readers engaged as well as asks them to think about social issues. His use of dialogue can be distracting with Timothy’s Caribbean vernacular, but I never got lost in what the character was saying. Phillip was able to show true growth through Taylor’s work and after reading this, I feel like maybe I could survive on an island, too.

This was a quick read, but a good read. It may not be for anyone who does not like LOST, Gillian’s Island, Cast Away or Survivor, but it could be great for those thrill seekers who want more than just action sequences. With this book, they will get that.

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
- Joseph Brodsky

Jaguar

Jaguar, by Roland Smith

As some of you know, I have been working with sixth graders all semester as part of my secondary teaching certification program. My students are starting a new themed unit called “the need to survive.” Some of these books sounded interesting, so I volunteered to take one home with me and see what it was all about. I took home Jaguar, and I am so happy I did. Simply amazing book!

Jacob “Jake” Lansa, after spending a year with his father in Kenya, is upset when he is left behind to live at his grandfather’s retirement home while Jake’s father, Doc, goes off to Brazil to start up a jaguar preserve. When Jake finally gets a chance to visit, he hopes to convince his father to let him stay in the Amazon instead of being sent back to Poughkeepsie, New York. After a violent accident, Doc has no choice but to let Jake come along if the jaguar preserve is going to be created. However, more danger seems to follow as they hire a suspicious boat driver and Jake believes a man with a scar is following the expedition. Jake is a valued member of the team, but has some difficulty trying to accept the fact that while his father was away in Brazil, he never tried to contact Jake, not even when Doc started to date a botanist named Flanna. Not only does Jake have family issues to deal with, but he also has to find a way to survive in the jungle and save the day when serious peril catches up with the group trying to set up a wildlife preserve.

Roland Smith is a research biologist as well as a children’s author. It is no wonder then that so much of his book is extremely detailed towards the environment of Brazil and what happens to the plants, animals and indigenous people when explorers come in search of resources. The characters are dynamic and the plot is captivating. I kept thinking to myself that I would love to see this as a movie. Even though it is intended for ages “10 and up” and has a fifth grade reading level, I really think anyone with a sense of adventure can love this book. It has mystery and excitement, all wrapped up in a brilliantly written plot where things intertwined perfectly throughout the novel. It is a very well thought out plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat while also educating readers about issues in Brazil and the rainforest.

I loved this book. It definitely fits into the adventure category and had me constantly turning pages to see what happens next. I did not feel like I was reading a young adult novel and therefore feel comfortable in recommending this book to everyone with eyes. I really want this to become a movie, just so more people know about it and because I think it would be good. I’d pay to see it.

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all.”
- Jacqueline Kennedy

I think it is also fitting to know that I read and completed this book on Earth Day. Ironic.

Review of Reviews

So here it is, the reason for the quotation marks with "weekly." I am no longer available to post a new entry every Monday because I have finally run out of books to review. From this point on I will review a book as soon as I have completed it, but right now I need to catch up on all of those books sitting untouched on my bookshelf.

Until then, here is a reminder of the book reviews I have completed so far during my "Between the Covers" book review blog project. Links will take you to the original review.

Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs
What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, by Gregory Maguire
Dry, by Augusten Burroughs
The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl
Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathon Safran Foer
The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home, by George Howe Colt
Diminished Capacity, by Sherwood Kiraly
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay
Dearly Devoted Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter in the Dark, by Jeff Lindsay
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by Jack Gantos
Up the Down Staircase, by Bel Kaufman
Portrait of an Unknown Woman, by Venora Bennett

Please go check out any book review you might have missed. Hopefully, at least some of you very few readers are inspired to read at least one of these books. There are some really good ones up there!

I'll be back when I have finished my latest book. Until then, maybe I'll mess around with the layout and colors for my blog. We'll see.


“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
- Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"