105 Ways to Give a Book

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie opens today, and in tribute here is a review — of the book. Or more accurately, of the book about the making of the movie, brought to you by TeenReader.



The Wimpy Kid Movie DiaryThe Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, by Jeff Kinney, talks about the process of making a movie, starting with the earliest discussions, to the casting, and through the entire filmmaking process. While Kinney comes in with little quips and lots of cartoons, overall the book is more interesting than funny. The best thing, from my perspective is the main point: It’s hard to make a movie. Being involved with our short films so much, it drives me crazy when people dismiss the hours of work it takes to make even a short film. Most people just don’t get it.

However, we don’t judge books based on how much we agree with them. I feel that this book still embodies the “Wimpy Kid” style without the wimpy kid story. You can tell that Kinney is enthusiastic about the topic, and his writing conveys the subject in a way kids will understand. He also focuses heavily on the actors for Greg, Rowley, and the other child characters. These actors allow kids to relate to the book, as well as the process of filmmaking. It also helps that the actors are actually the right age range for these books and the characters they are portraying. Brilliant concept, Hollywood.

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary explains the “glamorous” process of filmmaking to kids, and they don’t even know they’re learning (an overly-clichéd and often inacurate statement that I feel truly is relevant in this case)! I think that this will be a very enjoyable movie, if not Oscar-worthy, and the book itself is a fun, quick — and yes, educational — read.



MotherReader here. I also read and enjoyed the book. TeenReader has it spot on when she says that the value of the title is its detailed description of filmmaking in a way that is accessible and interesting for kids. Or really, for adults too, because I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a book that shows the amazing amount of work that goes into making a movie. I know from experience in our own smaller-scale capacity that it takes an entire day to shoot about five minutes of film. Speaking of which, we’ve just signed up for another 48 Hour Film Project for the weekend of May 1st. Bill would hate it, but I kind of hope we draw Musical.

Review copy provided by publisher. Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.

2 comments:

Bill said...

Don't curse us with the dreaded Musical! Don't get me wrong — I'd love to tackle it too, but I'm terrified at the practical execution requirements.

Anonymous said...

I am addicted to TeenReader. ;D Excellent site - they usually are spot on. I still need to read the Wimpy Kid series, but plan on doing that very soon as well as seeing the movie.