Hi, my name is Rowley Jefferson and this is my book. Now I have a diary just like my friend Greg...
Rowley's best friend Greg Heffley has chronicled his middle-school years in thirteen Diary of a Wimpy Kid journals. Now it's Rowley's turn to give his side of the story. But Rowley has agreed to tell Greg's story along the way, too. (After all, Greg says one day he will be rich and famous and the world will need to know how he managed it). But Rowley's stories about Greg might not be quite what his friend had in mind.
I'm delighted to be taking part in the LoveReading4Kids Ambassador Book Buzz for Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid today and thrilled that my eleven-year-old daughter, Maggie who is a huge fan of the Wimpy Kid series is joining me to share her thoughts. Many thanks to Charlotte Walker and Puffin Books for inviting me and for my copy of the book.
There can't be many parents who are unfamiliar with the phenomenally successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. Whether it's the Cheese Touch, a seagull in the car or a terrifying spider, Greg Heffley's misadventures have been enthralling children for years. Now his long-suffering best friend, Rowley Jefferson has his own journal and at first Greg isn't happy, accusing Rowley of copying him. However, he soon comes round to the idea and suggests that Rowley could be his first ever official biographer. What follows is Rowley's hilarious account of their time together allowing readers to see things through his eyes for a change.
It has to be said that Greg really isn't a good friend and there were many parts in the book where I couldn't help but agree with Mr Jefferson's rather low opinion of him. He frequently takes advantage of the trusting and naive Rowley but even though I felt sorry for the latter, there's no doubting that the results are often very, very funny. As much as I enjoyed the times where Rowley gained the upper hand or finally began to realise that Greg isn't as honest as he claims to be, I have to admit that there is a certain guilty pleasure to be gained from the scenes where poor, gullible Rowley falls victim to Greg's schemes once again.
This is the first Jeff Kinney novel I've actually shared with my daughter, Maggie who has read all the previous books to herself many times. I wasn't sure if it would be the sort of story I'd enjoy reading aloud but I soon realised that the only difficulty was in resisting just a few pages more at bedtime. Two of the greatest pleasures in life are reading and laughing with a child and Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid allowed me to do both. The accessible language and brilliant illustrations will be attractive to even the most reluctant reader and I'm sure it will please long-term fans and newcomers to the series alike. Great fun!
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid; Rowley Jefferson's Journal by Jeff Kinney is a really amusing book which really shows the other side of how Greg treats Rowley. Rowley is smart, but not when it comes to Greg who is constantly taking advantage of his kind, trusting heart. Although Greg doesn't treat him very well, they do stay friends. This book follows on from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series that I read and loved, and it was no different for this book. I thought it was absolutely brilliant and I would love if Jeff Kinney wrote more books in Rowley's point of view. I felt bad for Rowley, because Greg didn't treat him well at all. I ended up agreeing with Mr and Mrs Jefferson's opinion of Greg, but I still liked him since I read all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.
Rowley ends up writing a biography for Greg, but he does not give a great impression and it is mostly about himself, not Greg. He shows the bad side of Greg by accident, which made me laugh. I really liked the illustrations because they were similar to the ones in the Wimpy Kid series, but a little less good which fits in with it being Rowley's first attempt at a journal with his drawings in.
This book is an absolute page turner and every night I tried to convince my mum to read more. No doubt, I will end up rereading this a million times. I rate this 10/10 and I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a funny read. I can't wait to read Jeff Kinney's next book!
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal is published in the UK by Puffin Books. Purchasing links can be found on the LoveReading4Kids website, where you can also enter a competition to win a hardback copy of the book (draw closes 3rd June 2019).
Don't forget to read the other Book Buzz reviews, details are below.
About the Author
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| Photo © Filip Wolak |
Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. In 2018 Jeff Kinney was found to be the most popular author in schools in the UK in the annual What Kids are Reading Awards. Jeff has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of poptropica.com, which was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Plainville, Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story. For more Wimpy Kid, visit wimpykid.com.
Kinney’s work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers on to books. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been a permanent fixture high up in the UK Nielsen Bookscan Charts as well as the USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are published in 70 editions in 59 languages. More than 200 million copies of the books in the series have been sold globally. Published in 2007, the first book was an instant bestseller and has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication and through the release of the thirteenth book for more than 655 weeks total.
The first-ever theatrical adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid was staged by the prestigious Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company from April to June 2016. It earned rave critical reviews and had sold out shows. Four movies based on the book series have grossed more than $265 million.
Wimpy Wonderland Island on poptropica.com, a virtual world for kids, remains one of the most visited pages on the popular website.
Before the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books were published, stories from the first three books appeared digitally for free on the website www.funbrain.com, where they are still available. Books in the core series by Jeff Kinney include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel (2012), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (2013), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2014), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School (2015), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down (2016), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway (2017) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown (2018). Jeff Kinney has also written and illustrated The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Next Chapter.
Fans can interact with the brand at www.wimpykidclub.co.uk on Facebook at WimpyKidBooksUK and on the YouTube.com/WimpyKid channel which has over 7 million views and over 58,000 subscribers.
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