Diary of a Wimpy Kid

My boys (age 11 and 13) have LOVED the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series!!!

I think he would LOVE it and will enjoy reading the series!!

I would recommend the Big Nate books before the Wimpy Kid ones right now. I read Wimpy Kid with my son at about that age because my daughter who is 2 1/2 years older was really into them at the time and kept telling him he needed to read them. There wasn't any content that bothered me, but there is a lot of sort of sarcasm that I didn't feel like he was picking up on. I kept finding myself stopping while we were reading them to say "Now you know that even though Greg is saying he is the best friend Rowley could have, he is really an awful friend.". The Big Nate books are more straightforward, and still very entertaining with fun cartoons.

I volunteer in my son's library at the school-- these books come in and out fairly often and they are popular. I know both parents who do allow the books and those who really try to discourage their kids in this area because they take issue with Greg's actions/behavior.

One resource I really like for books and movies is Common Sense media.... so here's the link:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/search/Diary%20of%20a%20W...

As a very reluctant mom of a Captain Underpants reader, I can say that it's really good to read this sort of book together, and to talk about why the characters actions might feel 'good' to the reader but not go over well in real life. What's funny in a book may be very cruel in real life. So, use those opportunities-- even for youngsters, we can have some sorts of critical conversations about "why do you think the author added that when in real life, doing something like that would mean getting suspended or talking to the principal?" (I also augment, so he can read the 'junk food' and later, I read aloud to him from better literature, so Captain Underpants is being balanced out with Charlotte's Web right now.)

I let my kids read it, but fair warning that the main character Greg is kind if awful. He is lazy and disrespectful. He is also an awful friend. I read the newest one before I hand it to my kids, just in case, and we always talk about Greg's character flaws, but at the same time it's all in the name of humor. I would suggest you read it first, it will only take you one sit down and they are kind of funny.

I guess I'm in the minority but we loved that series, especially the first books.

My younger son was a little older than 7 when he started reading them, but I probably would have let him read them at 7.

One of my favorite memories is driving home from school one day (when my son was still in school) and having him read us the chapter about "Bink says boo" (pertaining to different reading groups at schools). My older son and I laughed until we cried.

This was one series where my younger son would literally sit on his bed and read the new book almost from start to finish (and he's not a natural reader).

There is a certain sophisticated irony in these books (even though it's written from a kid's perspective, with a kid's spelling) so there is definitely food for discussion.

And I didn't think Greg was a negative character at all. I thought the books let you draw your own conclusion about Greg's behavior and growth which was much more powerful than spelling out the moral lesson. We also liked and learned from Rowley's character. If your child is that sweet, innocent child who wears his heart on his sleeve he will see Rowley from a different perspective, and learn a little bit about how to guard his heart.

It's just my own opinion but we loved those books.

My 7 year old son loves these books. I think that they are wonderful to help encourage a love of reading. Food for thought though...just because something is a classic does not mean that it doesn't have "questionable content". Have you read Romeo and Juliet - essentially about two teenagers that fall in love within 3 days, get several members of their family killed, and end up committing suicide. What about Lord of the Flies - about a bunch of boys stranded on an island that end up going to war with each other and killing. Same with the Lord of the Rings series - lots of violence and dark themes... That being said, I would let my kids read all of the above - just don't get the idea that all classics are rainbows and puppy dogs.

My 11 year old owns the entire series and loves the books. He started reading them a few years ago and constantly re-reads them. He looks forward to November when he knows it is coming out, so I end up pre-ordering on Amazon lol.

My kids love the series. The first book was printed in 2007, when my oldest was 7 and my younger was 5. They still want the most current book! They do not imitate the characters, not even when they were small. You'll have to decide if your kid would do that or not.

The first book was originally a web-comic. You can read it for free on their website to check it out.

http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html?ThisJournalD...

The Superfudge books by Judy Blume (I think...) are good for this age too. :)

It is more than one book - it is a series. My son (age 7) LOVES them. I do not. The grammar and spelling in the book are atrocious (yes I think this is intentional but if we learn by seeing the spelling and grammar over and over this book is not helping). On the other hand, if it gets him reading enthusiastically it may be good. The books are entertaining which is a MAJOR plus if you will be reading them with him. You could check one out from your library to pre-read it if you are concerned.

ETA - I do really like the Gregory character. Refreshing compared to such moralizing books as the Berenstein Bears. My son is definitely old enough to get the irony in the book.

my kids love diary of wimpy kid, dear dumb diary etc...all those silly books. i have no problem with them reading such books. but they read everything under the sun as well. go ahead and get it.

My son at 7 was reading the books and did just fine. I actually think he was about 7 when the series started.

I'm against the Wimpy Kid books for being extremely poor literature with questionable (disrespectful and not smart) content, but lots of kids like them so reading something is better than reading nothing perhaps. If you look up Classic Starts on Amazon, you'll see every classic story you can think of abridged for younger readers. My daughter (7) has been reading them for over a year. She just finished Moby Dick and Heidi and Little Women, they have Sinbad the Sailor, Dracula, Robin Hood etc...tons of titles. The grammar is great and the ideas are very stimulating because of the high quality. You don't have to worry about questionable content with the classics. My kids get inspired to create imaginary scenarios from the stories..plus they'll be familiar with the stories later when they study more advanced literature.

***@ Tracy, agreed classics are often dark and not rainbowy, but the content is intelligent, not shallow and bratty.

My kids (age 8 and 10) have read the series more times than I can count. By 10 year old always goes to bed reading his Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (I don't allow his to count this as his daily reading time anymore as I am sure he has the books memorized) and he just really loves them.

Now, I have only read bits and pieces, but if it ever gave any clues to Santa, he never picked them up even with reading them over and over. I know this because we have recently had the Santa talk and he was surprised. I do agree that Greg's character is lazy and a bad friend, as others mentioned, and I like the suggestions of talking about that with him. I do know a lot of adults that have enjoyed reading those books, and they are a fast read since they are in a comic style with fairly large font.

All 3 of my kids (6, 8, and 10) love the series, both reading it and watching the movies. I think you're good!

My daughter read a few of the books at that age, and liked them. I got no "landmine" questions! LOL! But for reviews and summary, try goodreads.com. They are great!

I agree with Janette. As long as your son understands that life doesn't have to imitate art, no problem!