This was my first "Wimpy Kid" read.

I had imagined that these books were all hype, but when I found myself laughing out loud while reading aloud to some students ("Mrs. O., what's so funny??") I knew I had to finish the book myself.

Greg is the tween we can all identify with, whether we've been through these awkward years or whether we're still in elementary school. Greg's quirks are endearing and universal (in a good way!), and even if you weren't a middle child, we all had a Rodrick, Manny, and awkward friend Rowley in our lives. Kinney understands the mind of this difficult age and provides a great outlet to remind the awkward voice in us all: You aren't alone.

And the pictures. The pictures are fantastic. I was skeptical of the typography, but it worked for the piece and my eyes didn't get "tired" from it.

I'm looking forward to reading the first book in the series and several more. I'm not sure if Kinney has written outside of this series, but I'd love to see his work in other writing venues.