Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This laughable novel depicts an adolescent boy educated in junior high school. He is named Greg, considering himself to be the most unique guy in his school. Greg abounds in peculiar ideas. His imagination makes me burst out laughing while reading his narratives. Though seeing him as an immature boy initially, I find him possessing special characteristics while exploring the plots. What’s more, similar incidents that happened in his life occurred in my real life as well, which makes me feel familiar with this book.

Greg’s mother is a school teacher of great wisdom. Whenever Greg runs into trouble, his mother adopts unusual solutions to deal with his problems. She expects her son to be accountable for his behavior instead of shirking off his responsibility. I’ve also benefited from this type of liberal education, since my mother does just exactly the same as his mother. We both have such well-advised mothers, who always guide us through difficulties whenever we lose our directions.

Also, I am impressed by Greg’s playing unfriendly tricks on Rowley. Once, he tricked Rowley into believing if one’s palm was bigger than his or her face, it was an indication of being foolish. Rowley was so innocent that he followed what Greg told him to do. Being naughty, Greg gave Rowley a big slap as he placed his palm on his face. To be honest, I played this prank on my twin sister after reading about this trick. At that time, we were Greg’s age. However, beyond my expectation, my sister cried her eyes out after being petrified with the shock. In fact, now I still feel extremely sorry for having played such a mean joke on my sister. I promise I’ll never do that again, since it does hurt.

Like many teenagers, Greg was somewhat uncertain about himself. He thought he was unpopular among his peers. Specifically, he had only one close companion at school because he was too timid to make friends. I understand his feeling absolutely. I used to lack confidence in myself when I was a little girl. Luckily, this situation changed after my participation in a national English speech contest last year. I’ve always been grateful for those who have assisted me in overcoming my problems. Therefore, I find myself fully identified with Greg, the wimpy kid.

In the diary, the writer vividly described many details of one American special holiday Halloween. Greg once wrapped himself with tissue papers in disguise of a mummy while Rowley dressed himself as a knight. To tell the truth, I consider their costumes quite absurd. In spite of the fact that Greg wasn’t satisfied with his costume, they still had a lot of fun since they got a great amount of candy. On this holiday, adults and children alike let their hair down to heartily enjoy the delightful atmosphere. I find the holiday quite interesting. Such kind of celebration is rare in Taiwan. Though more and more costume parties are held here, we can clearly see the cultural differences between the USA and Taiwan. Therefore, if I have chance, I would like to take part in some American festivals to experience the exotic cultures.

This book also gives me a closer look into what American teenagers’ school lives are like. Apparently, the differences between American and Taiwanese school lives are countless. As an example, the atmosphere in American campuses is free and relaxing. Students have absolute freedom in pursuing their interests. By contrast, we are relatively confined to our heavy schoolwork. Since both educational systems have strengths and weaknesses, it’s hard for us to decide on which one is better. In spite of so many distinctions, wherever we are, courage is a necessary element. We need to be brave enough to achieve our goals. I am thankful for acquiring such precious cognition from this amusing book that I will keep it in my mind forever and a day.