Create A Love For Reading With Diary of An Awesome Friendly Kid

Please note that this post was sponsored by Abrams Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My son absolutely adores the popular and best-selling Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. I believe that this series helped create a major love for reading in him. Why? Because he was actually reading something he truly enjoyed reading. It showed him that reading isn’t a chore. Reading can be fun! He came to me a few months ago talking about his excitement for the new spin-off book coming to the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series.

The new spin-off book in the series is called Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal. The story is told by Rowley Jefferson, a character fans of the series will recognize from the Wimpy Kid world. Although Rowley can be seen as gullible at times, Rowley is truly an awesome friendly kid. He is kind, he is responsible, he has a positive outlook, he is determined and he works hard.

Learn more about the new spin-off book below.

Diary of An Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal

Let’s introduce the newest Wimpy Kid author—Rowley Jefferson! Rowley’s best friend, Greg Heffley, has been chronicling his middle-school years in thirteen Diary of a Wimpy Kid journals. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, Rowley writes about his own experiences and agrees to play the role of biographer for Greg along the way. (After all, one day Greg will be rich and famous, and everyone will want to know his life’s story.) Rowley’s biography of Greg is hilarious! Maybe it’s because of Rowley’s naivety or Greg’s comical and witty way of turning scenarios around to his own favor.

I actually read this book before handing it over to my son. Why? Because I wanted to know why he loves the series as much as he does and I needed to learn more about this awesome friendly kid. Within the first 10 pages, I was laughing my eyes out and completely understood his love for the books. The things that these characters say and do to each other are things I often hear around the school and playground. I laughed until the end of the book. Rowley often maintained his cool even when Greg created challenging situations around him.

Why I Love the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Series

They are light reads. This means when my children read it, they unwind and relax.
The books are hilarious.
They encourage a love for reading by showcasing why reading can be fun.
Seeing these real life middle school conflicts and scenarios through someone else’s eyes can be eye opening and relatable for a child.
I also love that the series continues to grow so a child doesn’t have to say goodbye to their favorite characters at the end of the book.
The books appeal to a wide range of ages. I’d say from ages 8- 12, but honestly even at my age, I enjoyed reading it, too.
Shows children how to journal and gives them creative ideas. I like the drawings that “Rowley” creates along with his journaling.

Greg often takes advantage of Rowley, which seems to be more visible to the reader than it is to Rowley. However, Rowley takes it in stride and chooses to look at situations positively. I think that this is an important life lesson to children: while you cannot control the other person, you can control your own reaction to a situation and choose to see the brighter side. This is a good example of being an awesome friendly kid.

Do I think that Greg takes too much advantage of Rowley? Yes.

Do I hope my children see that? Yes!

These are normal middle school conflicts that will arise in a child’s life, and while Greg’s actions may infuriate the reader at times, this also gives you a great place to open discussions with your child.

Ways to discuss the story further

Talk to your children and ask them their thoughts on the following:

What do you think of Greg and Rowley’s friendship? Do you think it is an equal friendship?
What are Rowley’s strengths? Does he have any weaknesses?
Why do you think Rowley wanted to write Greg’s biography?
Do you think Rowley realizes that Greg is taking advantage of him at times?
What makes Rowley an awesome friendly kid?
Do you think you are an awesome friendly kid? Why?

Readers who love to grow with their characters and see what they are up to after a book finishes will be happy to know that Greg Heffley, the titular hero of the Wimpy Kid series, returns in Diary of a Wimpy Kid #14, out later this year!

Learn more on the official Wimpy Kid site.

Here is a look inside, to give you an example of what the pages look like. None of the pages are overwhelming with text. There are a lot of funny pictures, and I think this is a great way to spark a child’s own creativity, too.

Sometimes, when you write your feelings or situations out on paper, you can actually comprehend them better. My children seem to have become more creative in their own journals, or at least the parts that they’ve showed me.

My 10-year-old daughter has recently started the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series too and has been zooming through the books quickly.

In honor of the book’s theme, I would like to celebrate my Awesome Friendly Kids.

So what makes my kids awesome and friendly?

They look out for each other. When they buy a treat, they always make sure to remember each other even if they are not physically present at the moment.
They are proactive. They wake themselves up for school each morning and ensure that their school bag is packed the night before.
They communicate. If there is ever a conflict or challenge that they have at school, they communicate with me to discuss ways to solve it.
They are determined. Their homework is done as soon as they get home.
They try their best. They take an active role in their classes, volunteer to read out loud in front of the class, and enjoy learning.

I am so proud of my awesome friendly kids. I hope this blog post serves to let them know how proud I am to call them my children and that I notice these qualities.