Greg Heffley, the socially beleaguered but much-beloved star of Jeff Kinney’s reader-favorite book series (Amulet), returns to the big screen in a third live-action motion picture from 20th Century Fox. Perfectly timed to stave off those summer time doldrums, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (PG) premieres in theaters on August 3.
Once again directed by David Bowers, the movie picks up the story where 2011′s Rodrick Rules left off and incorporates plot elements from the third and fourth titles in the book series, The Last Straw and Dog Days (both Amulet, 2009). Numerous cast members reprise their roles, including Zachary Gordon as the title character, Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn as the Heffley parents, Devon Bostick as Greg’s obnoxious older brother Rodrick, and Robert Capron as his best friend Rowley. School is out for the year, and Greg’s chuckle-inducing adventures include an ill-fated scheme involving the local country club, the ultimate pool-side embarrassment (he takes the plunge but his swimsuit remains behind, stuck on the high diving board), a death-defying amusement park ride, and a disastrous but hilarious camping expedition with the Wilderness Explorers.
Kids can visit the colorfully designed movie website to sample the action. The trailer sets the tone, beginning with Kinney-style black-and-white animated sketches that are cleverly peeled back to reveal live-action scenes from the movie, and showcasing a variety of laugh-out-loud moments. Youngsters can view a selection of videos (many that hark back to the first two films), read bios of the cast, browse movie photos, and download images. Also displayed on the site is the latest “L’il Cutie” cartoon, a saccharine-sweet newspaper comic strip that appears in the books (and is derided by Greg and his father as “the worst comic ever”), with a link to a Facebook page with more examples. Users are also invited to “Wimp Yourself” by choosing a cartoon stick-figure character (male or female); personalizing it by selecting physical characteristics, clothing, and accessories; and saving it for others to browse.
Send book and movie devotees over to the official “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” website for info about the illustrated novels; an author bio and interview; audio and video clips; and a glimpse at the newest entry in the series, The Third Wheel (Amulet), scheduled for release on November 13, 2012. Librarians and educators can consider celebrating the movie opening—and bringing a blizzard-induced chill to the middle of the summer—by hosting an event centered around the latest Wimpy Kid title, Cabin Fever (2011). A kit with book series trivia questions, a word search, and games for use with groups (including “Wimpy” bingo) is available for downloading at the Abrams website.
Check your shelves to make sure you have plenty of copies of Kinney’s The Last Straw and Dog Days (Gr 3-8) available along with the rest of the titles in this popular series. You might also want to update your collection with the revised and expanded edition of the author’s The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood (Amulet, 2012; Gr 4-8). Focusing closely on the first film, the text offers a lighthearted but informative account of how the novel—starring a character who began as “a little pencil doodle in a cheap sketch pad”—originated and was then adapted for the big screen. This captivating book offers a behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made, from writing the screenplay through to the final wrap and post-production. Kinney’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations are integrated throughout, adding humor to the text and enhancing its meaning. Numerous full-color photos (production shots and movie stills), script pages, storyboard sketches, and other visuals are included. An appended section covering highlights of the second film (Rodrick Rules) is followed by 32 pages of new material.
Lively two-page sections focus on changes in the original cast members (e.g., Zach is now “a foot taller than he had been at the start of the first movie,” and in fact, readers can flip back to earlier photos to see how much he and the other young actors have grown); new characters (such as the trained labradoodle who takes on the role of Sweetie); notes about props and sets; a description of filming specific scenes, including the amusement park sequence (according to Kinney, “neither Zach nor Robert had ever been on a ride that went upside down before…And we’ll never know if the look of terror on their faces was real or just great acting”); and more. As in the rest of the volume, “Page to Screen” spreads pair illustrated scenes from the book with their film counterparts, showing how the original material was interpreted for the movie version. Fast-reading and fun, this book will appeal to fans of both the novels and movies.
Publication Information
KINNEY, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. 2009. Tr $13.95. ISBN 9780810970687.
_____. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. 2009. Tr $13.95. ISBN 9780810983915.
_____. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood. rev. ed. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0642-4.
ea. illus. by author. Amulet/Abrams.
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About Joy Fleishhacker
