The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood (Dog Days revised and expanded edition) by Jeff Kinney Hardcover Release Date: July 1, 2012 Publisher: Amulet Books Genre: Movie Companion ISBN: 978-1419706424 Source: Received from Publisher
If you’ve ever wondered how a movie gets made, you’re not alone. Author and illustrator Jeff Kinney didn’t know either, but when his bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was turned into a live-action movie by 20th Century Fox, he learned how books get adapted for the screen in not one but three major motion pictures. Complete with photographs, script pages, storyboard sketches, costume designs, and original art by Jeff Kinney, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary—now updated to include the new movie Diary of a Wimpy: Dog Days—is the perfect companion to the bestselling series.
It’s funny to think that there was a time when I transitioned from middle grade books to young adult and adult books because there’s something special about middle grade books that is not found anywhere else. There are so many elements lost moving out of middle grade literature because we have come to know the way of the world. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is truly something special and has opened the door to me diving back into middle grade books. So thank you Jeff Kinney!
At this stage in our life, fear has typically not manifested in the way that it soon will. Our problems evolve from not stepping on that one piece of gum that nobody wants to step on in the playground to not stepping on each other’s hearts, creating more damage, adding more baggage. For many, our faith in humanity and attention paid to the beauty and magic in this world and ourselves dwindles as the years go by but middle grade books hold onto that beauty. There is no other road but the road well traveled at that age. Adventure is more alive than ever. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series took me back to those good old days of simple trial and error, simple satisfaction, simple yet extraordinary living. Needless to say, I was more than thrilled to discover the road taken from idea to book to film in the latest edition of The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary.
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary is a must have for any fan of the Wimpy Kid series and films. This book has more depth than some young adult movie tie in books. Crazy, right? No. It takes just as much work, if not more to bring this series to the screen and Kinney is not afraid to let you see it all as it unfolded. The book is the perfect resource for fans to get an inside look on the many stages of adaption from page to screen including everything from casting and wardrobe to location scouting and animation as well as the little details that most viewers may never even think to pay attention to. This is a great tool for younger fans especially who want to learn about what it takes to make a movie, an adaptation in particular as it is explains certain details that older viewers already know.
A favorite aspect of the book was the inclusion of (via scan) the original pages Kinney wrote down the entire idea for the series on. That is pretty darn cool. So if you’re looking to give your child a back to school gift or if you’re looking early for something to stuff in your child’s stocking this Christmas, pick up this book! You won’t be disappointed!
Read The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Dog Days revised and expanded edition) by Jeff Kinney today.