At a GlanceAbout Jeff KinneyThe following list was modified from Penguin Books Australia's "10 Things You Did Not Know About Jeff Kinney." Check out biographical sketches about Jeff Kinney in my reviews of Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
From the Back of the Book"Let's face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg's father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other "manly" endeavors. Of course, Greg is easily able to sidestep his father's efforts to change him. But when Greg's dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up ... or get shipped out." StrengthsA simple strength of The Last Straw is the simplicity of the text. Paragraphs do not exist in the series, so it explains why students struggle bridging the gap between reading these books and more difficult texts. The same could be said between grade expectations concerning writing a sentence or two and a paragraph or two. Regardless, I think the text simplicity helps new and struggling readers find confidence in their ability to read. Here are a few examples of how the simplicity makes the reading easier and still, successfully, advances the plot in an easy-to-understand way.
All examples allow the reader to get the gist of the story through short lines or small blocks of text that include two to three sentences. This way of writing allows for easy, understandable reading. WeaknessesOne of the biggest criticisms that the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has from both myself and others is how Greg Heffley, the main character, is not a good example for upper elementary and middle school students to learn from. He is lazy, rude, a complainer, and never sees how he could be in the wrong. This weakness was rampant in the first two books of the series, but comes to a strong light in The Last Straw. I think the title shows that the people in Greg's life are fed up with his behavior, too, not just me. The opening diary entry is a great example. The story begins in the month of January directly after New Years when people are making New Years resolutions to improve themselves. Greg informs the reader: "...it's not easy for me to think of ways to improve myself, because I'm already pretty much one of the best people I know" (1). He continues with his resolution, which is "to try and help OTHER people improve" (1). It turns out that this resolution is impossible to keep because it is dependent upon others, and Greg throws in the towel anyway because of its difficulty. In the end, his mother tells him, which doesn't help the situation or his ego anyway, "'Everyone can't be as perfect as YOU, Gregory.'" His response to himself, "I think she's right" (4). Why would this type of behavior and belief in oneself be that of merit and honor? It's not. The little prick is the first to find the fault in others and point it out, but when others criticize him, its "poor little Greg" time. *Eye roll* Greg and his neighborhood friend Rowley bury a timeline later in the book. They throw in a few dollars and some video games to showcase their time period for future peoples. When Greg is in a bind because he has not had enough sugar, of all things, he got "desperate" and "dug up the time capsule" (75). We all know and despised the kid who peaked in the time capsule at school or found it a few years early and ruined the surprise for everyone. We hated that kid. Why don't we hate Greg Heffley? The only time that Greg did something positive with his quick wit and thinking skills was when the last straw happened - his father strongly threatened sending Greg to a military academy (about time). Greg "wanted to join the Boy Scouts" (164). Even though that meant that he was able to get out of soccer, another obligation and join the "cool" troop, we begin to see Greg motivated to do good things without regretting them in order to impress his father. This situation makes me believe that Greg may be improving overall, but we'll see as the series continues. Recommendation
Why Did I Read This Book?I am continuing to plan for my Red Cedar Writing Project Spartan Writing Camp session on creating your own Diary of a Wimpy Kid adventure. I am only 30% through the series, but I am starting to get comfortable with Kinney's style and purpose.
I am also able to count The Last Straw for the following reading challenges:
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About Jeff Kinney
From the Back of the Book"Whatever you do, don't ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn't want to talk about it. As Greg enters the new school year, he's eager to put the past three months behind him ... and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out ... especially when a diary is involved." WeaknessesThe title of the book and the deep, dark secret that is mentioned on the back of the book are both misleading. Rodrick rarely holds the secret's threat over Greg's head, so it's hard to really make known that Rodrick's rule over Greg is really that monumental. I forgot there was even this mysterious, no-one-needs-to-know event until the end of the book when it is revealed. In the "Weaknesses" section of the first book in the series review, I pointed out the overuse of the sentence starter "so." It was continuously used in the second installment, as well. So, there may be no hope for Kinney in that regard. I also noticed, in both books, Kinney's incorrect use of "me" instead of "I." Let's review (Thanks, Canada!): Here are two examples that I found from Rodrick Rules that I found error with:
Strengths
RecommendationI would recommend this book to elementary and middle school students with an older sibling or close in age cousin. As we began to see at the end of the first book, Rodrick and Greg are forced to interact. In Rodrick Rules, their forced interactions have multiplied and neither are happy. Most kids can relate to the pain and agony of having to hang out with a sibling or cousin that they just don't want to on any given day whether they are the older or younger one. I think this book would evoke a lot of laughs and "oh yeahs!" from kids recalling memories or events with their siblings and/or cousins. Why Did I Read This Book? As I expand my Diary of a Wimpy kid knowledge, I continue to pick up on the strategies and nuances Kinney is using. The power of the pictures are important and the character building is subtle, but there. All of these notes are added to my brain as I continue to plan for my Red Cedar Writing Project Spartan Writing Camp session on creating your own Diary of a Wimpy Kid adventure.
I am also able to count it for the following reading challenges:
About Jeff Kinney
From the Back of the Book"Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg Heffley, who finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, author and illustrator Jeff Kinney introduces us to an unlikely hero. As Greg says in his diary: Just don't expect me to be all 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that. Luckily for us, what Greg Heffley says he won't do and what he actually does are two very different things." StrengthsWhen I picked up this book, I noticed that on the cover it read, "a novel in cartoons." This little line explained the premise of the book and series. I think the cartoons in the book help to establish who was who with consistent and unique characteristics of each character. Another strength of the book's cartoons were how they drove the plot. In some instances a cartoon would provide details that the text did not. For example, Greg tried out for the school play and a portion of the tryout was singing: "Mrs. Norton, the music director made everyone sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" so she could hear our singing voices. I did my singing tryouts with a bunch of other boys whose moms made them come, too. I tried to sing as quietly as possible, but of course I got singled out, anyway. I have no idea what a 'soprano' is, but from the way some of the girls were giggling, I knew it wasn't a good thing" (97-98). The text breaks with Greg telling the reader he gets singled out. The cartoon shows how he was singled out, and then the text picks back up and adds commentary for the situation. This nuance is important because it always readers to read (and analyze) a different type of text. Also, struggling readers may not know what a soprano is, but they would be able to relate to Greg because he does not know either. The book has a lot of these instances. I think they are extremely important because the cartoons add a variety of text development that a regular novel does not have. WeaknessesWhile I realize that Kinney is writing from a middle school student's perspective and trying to be authentic, I don't think that Kinney realizes the consequences of this choice. Students often write in similar ways and styles of that that they read. Recently, my middle school students ended a short story unit. As I conferenced with each student on their writing, I noticed that a lot of them were beginning a majority of their sentences with the word "so." Despite my efforts to correct and teach sentence variety, my students were continuing this practice. I asked myself time and time again, "WHY?" After reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I know why. Kinney begins a majority of his sentences with the word "so." Here are several examples from the book. I have purposefully looked for them around every 25 pages.
This book is littered with "so" beginning a sentence. It was difficult to select just one example every 25 pages. And, while it is not against any grammar rules to begin a sentence with "so" or "and" or "but," it can get redundant and unoriginal. RecommendationFirst and foremost, I would recommend this book to educators who teach upper elementary and middle school. Rather than scoff at the title, like I originally did, dig in and see what your students are reading. This book was an eye opener for me, as mentioned above. It is extremely important to know and understand what our students are reading. I would also recommend this book to struggling middle school and even high school readers. The content of this book is easy to understand and the pictures that accompany the text make the plot and characters come to life. Reading this book or a book in the series would provide that struggling reader with a sense of accomplishment that they can read! Why Did I Read This Book?The main reason why I read this book is because I am an instructor for Red Cedar Writing Project's Spartan Writing Camps this summer. I am in the process of creating a writing camp curriculum centered on having students in grades 6-8 write their own adventures that are based on Jeff Kinney's format of the series.
I also read this book because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. As my students and I participate in Reading Roll Call each week, I hear the Diary of a Wimpy Kid titles constantly. Last week, when I announced that I was reading the first DoaWK (my shorthand of the titles), one student said to me, "You can't read that book." I reminded the student and his classmates that we can read any book we want as long as it is 150 pages or longer. I also said that there is not a filter on a book anyone can read. One of my big goals this school year has been to diminish reading stereotypes in my classroom and encourage lifelong reading. I am also able to count it for the following reading challenges:
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The Avalanche of Books
As an educator and avid reader, I am constantly hearing about books. I feel like I am being chased by a giant, rolling avalanche of titles and authors. Rating System
5 books - New fave! Read it now!
4 books - Shelf worthy 3 books - Quality read, but ... 2 books - Borrow it 1 book - Skip it Archives
December 2017
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