I get I why the kids love it - it's a chapter book with 1 or 2 drawings per page and it has the look of a real journal. Teachers will probably like the way the kids will want to write their own journals and make comics (plus the sentences are fairly well constructed). However, I must warn that there will be a few parents out there who will HATE the consequence-free and mistake-rich life that this turd lives. (I use "turd" lovingly, I assure you.)

Strongly recommended for reluctant older readers. Greg is very much a smart aleck and the content is more for middle schoolers than the younger readers that the pictures and appearance will appeal to the most. The characters themselves are in middle school and are dealing with middle school issues. Generally, I would quail at drawing such a strong line in the sand for an age recommendation, but younger children love to read about higher grades than their own, and this book wouldn't set a good example or expectation.

Funny, sarcastic, with hilarious pictures interwoven into the text, Diary of a Wimpy Kid could engage the most reluctant of readers.