Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Unhinging hilarity. A laugh-out loud novel. Should keep the readers in stiches. These are all bits of reviews on the back of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. An excellent choice for reluctant readers, it says. (So, if my boys didn't like it does that mean they're not reluctant readers anymore?)

I pinned my summer reading hopes on Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Garrett enthusiastically picked it out at the school book fair and, after seeing it was the #1 New York Times Bestseller, I didn't protest. In fact I was excited. There was a buzz about it--my friends were talking, boys were reading, it was flying off the shelves, and when I went back to the book fair the next day to buy book II in the series, it was already sold out. This was golden.

Each night I would hand it to Garrett as he was getting into bed, but instead he'd reach for Weirdos from Another Planet, a collection of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. I brought it on our family vacation, anxious for our boys to have something fun to read on the plane or during the down time. Whenever I pulled it out, Garrett would say, Did you bring my Calvin and Hobbes?

We've been back in school for a month and it's still unopened next to Garrett's bed, so last night I decided to read it for myself.

SIGH! I almost cracked a smile on page 44, but the rest just made me cranky. That's not a good sign. So this morning I cornered Garrett and Wyatt about it. They were quiet, evasive, passive.

OUT WITH IT! I finally commanded.

That book's not even funny. Wyatt finally said. Everyone thinks it's so funny, but it's just dumb.

Garrett hung his head, I didn't like it, Mom. Sorry. I thought it was boring.

I think I'm changing my views about reluctant readers. They need stimulation!

(And if a book has glowing reviews plastered across the back cover . . . be skeptical!)