Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book) facts for kids
Cover of the first edition of the book
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| Author | Jeff Kinney |
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| Illustrator | Jeff Kinney |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Diary of a Wimpy Kid |
| Genre | Comedy, young adult fiction |
| Publisher | Amulet Books |
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Publication date
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April 1, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (paperback, hardcover) |
| Pages | 221 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-330383-1 |
| Followed by | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a popular children's book. It was written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. This book is the very first one in the exciting Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The story is all about a boy named Greg Heffley. He tries his best to become popular in middle school.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid first appeared online in 2004 on a website called FunBrain. Millions of people read it there. A shorter printed version came out on April 1, 2007. The book quickly became a New York Times bestseller. It also won many awards and got great reviews. Later, the book was made into a movie. The film was released in March 2010.
Contents
The Story of Greg Heffley
Greg Heffley is the main character. He is a middle school student. Greg makes it clear that his book is a "JOURNAL, not a diary." He says he only agreed to write in it for when he is "rich and famous." For now, he feels "stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons."
The Cheese Touch
Greg talks about something strange at his school called the "Cheese." It started when someone left a piece of cheese on the playground. It got very moldy. If someone touches it, they get the "Cheese Touch." They are stuck with it until they touch someone else. The last person with the Cheese Touch moved away. Greg hopes it never starts again.
Greg's Family and Friends
Greg also talks about his best friend, Rowley. Greg wants to be famous and tries to explain popularity to Rowley. But Rowley just doesn't seem to get it.
Greg then introduces his family. He has an older brother named Rodrick. Rodrick loves to tease Greg. His little brother is a toddler named Manny. Manny always gets what he wants. He also gets away with everything he does wrong. Greg's dad doesn't like Greg playing video games all day. He wants Greg to go outside and play sports instead.
Halloween Adventures
Around Halloween, Greg writes that his dad likes to hide. He waits in the bushes on Halloween night. He then soaks teenagers with a trash can full of water. Greg and Rowley decide to make their own haunted house. They only earn two dollars from it.
On Halloween night, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating. A group of older teenagers challenges them. These teens spray them with a water-filled fire extinguisher. When Greg and Rowley get home, Greg's dad accidentally soaks them again.
The School Play
Greg fails a geography test. A girl named Patty Farrel catches him cheating. At home, Greg's mom makes him try out for the school play. The play is based on The Wizard of Oz. Greg gets the part of a tree. Patty Farrel is cast as Dorothy, the main character.
During the play, Greg gets too nervous to sing. This confuses the other trees. Patty gets upset. Greg starts throwing props at Patty. The other trees join in. Greg's mom is disappointed. But Greg actually enjoys the play because he got back at Patty.
Rowley's Broken Arm
After Christmas, Greg gets some presents. He decides to play a game with Rowley. Rowley has to ride his bike. Greg tries to knock him off with a football. On one try, the ball goes under Rowley's front wheel. Rowley falls off and breaks his arm.
When Rowley goes to school with a cast, the girls take care of him. They carry his books and feed him. This makes Greg very jealous.
Safety Patrol and Comics
Greg decides to join the Safety Patrols at school. He hopes to get some authority. He gets Rowley to sign up too. Greg enjoys the benefits, like free hot chocolate. He also tries to get a spot in the school newspaper as a cartoonist. He teams up with Rowley.
Greg creates a comic strip called Zoo-Wee Mama! Greg wants to try other comics. But Rowley wants to keep drawing Zoo-Wee Mama! Greg gives his comics to the teacher. He ends up getting the cartoonist job. However, the teacher completely changes Greg's comic. She even makes his character a "curious student" instead of a "cretin."
Trouble and Friendship
Later, Greg chases some kindergartners with a worm on a stick. He is mistaken for Rowley. Because of this, Rowley gets fired from the Safety Patrols. But after it's made clear that Greg was the real one, Rowley gets his job back. He is even promoted, while Greg is kicked off.
Greg notices the school year is ending. He tries to get on the yearbook's Class Favorites page. He plans to be "Class Clown." But his plans don't work out. At lunch, he gets the school newspaper. He learns that Rowley is the new cartoonist. His Zoo-Wee Mama! strip is left unchanged.
Greg confronts Rowley. He is upset that Rowley didn't even list him as co-creator. He thinks Rowley is taking all the fame. As they argue, the teenagers who chased them at Halloween appear. They force Greg and Rowley to eat the Cheese. Greg lies that he is lactose intolerant. Rowley is forced to eat the whole thing.
The next day, everyone notices the Cheese is gone. Greg takes the blame for Rowley. He lies that he threw it away. Greg and Rowley become friends again. Greg lets people think he has the Cheese Touch.
The book ends with Greg getting his yearbook. He sees Rowley on the "Class Clown" page. Greg then throws the yearbook in the garbage.
How the Book Was Made
In 2004, FunBrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New entries were added every day until June 2005. The online book became very popular. By 2007, it had been viewed about 20 million times. Many people who read it online asked for a printed book.
At the 2006 New York Comic-Con, Kinney showed Diary to Charles Kochman. He was an editor at Abrams Books. Kochman bought the rights to publish the book. Kinney and Kochman first thought it would be a book for adults. They believed it would appeal to people who liked TV shows like The Wonder Years. But the Abrams publishing team convinced them it would be better for children. In 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was published. It was a shorter version of the original online book.
Main Characters
- Gregory Heffley
Greg is the main character. He often has problems with his family, friends, and middle school. He cares a lot about being popular at school. Greg often dreams of being rich and famous when he grows up. He tries hard to fit in at school, but it usually doesn't work out. Greg faces many challenges. He tries to solve them in creative ways. But his plans often go wrong.
- Rowley Jefferson
Rowley is Greg's best friend. He is a bit bigger than average. Rowley is always ready to do what Greg tells him, even risky things. Rowley goes on many vacations, which annoys Greg. Rowley is a loyal friend. But sometimes he acts a bit childish. He also wears unusual clothes.
- Manny Heffley
Manny is Greg's "spoiled" little brother. He is a three-year-old toddler. Manny never gets into trouble, no matter what he does wrong. He is just learning to use the toilet.
- Rodrick Heffley
Rodrick is Greg's older teenage brother. He never misses a chance to be mean to Greg. Rodrick is known for sleeping in very late. He also has a rebellious attitude. Rodrick is in a band called "Löded Diper." This is a garage band in the movies. Rodrick will do anything to embarrass Greg. He will even cause problems for Manny to make everyone's life difficult.
More Books in the Series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the first book in a continuing series. There are many Wimpy Kid books in total. The books that came after the first one include:
- Rodrick Rules (2008): This book was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 117 weeks.
- The Last Straw (2009): This book was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 65 weeks. It even reached number one.
- Dog Days (2009): This book was number one on the New York Times Best Sellers List for all 25 weeks it was included. It was the #1 best-selling book of 2009.
- The Ugly Truth (2010)
- Cabin Fever (2011)
- The Third Wheel (2012)
- Hard Luck (2013)
- The Long Haul (2014)
- Old School (2015)
- Double Down (2016)
- The Getaway (2017)
- The Meltdown (2018)
- Wrecking Ball (2019)
- The Deep End (2020)
Awards for the Book
The book won the Blue Peter Book Award in 2012. This award was announced live on the British kids' channel CBBC on March 1, 2012.
Movie Version
A movie based on the book, called Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was released. 20th Century Fox released it on March 19, 2010. 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
- Connor & Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Greg's brother
