BOOKTALK: THE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: HARD LUCK by Jeff Kinney 1.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney didnt grow up wanting to be a childrens author. His dream was to become a newspaper cartoonist, but he wasnt able to get his comic strips syndicated. In 1998 Jeff came up with the idea for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a story about a middle-school weakling named Greg Heffley. Jeff worked on his book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher in New York. Jeff Kinney was born in 1971 in Maryland and attended the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. It was there that Jeff ran a comic strip called Igdoof in the campus newspaper, and he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist. However, Jeff was not successful in getting his comic strip syndicated after college, and in 1998 he started writing down ideas for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which he hoped to turn into a book. Jeff worked on the book for six years before publishing it online on Funbrain.com in daily installments. To date, the online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has more than 80 million visits, and is typically read by more than 70,000 kids a day. In 2006, Jeff signed a multi-book deal with publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc. to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a print series. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was released in April 2007 and quickly became a New York Times bestseller, eventually reaching the #1 spot. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules was released in January 2008 and also became a #1 bestseller. In 2007, Jeff also created Poptropica.com, where he continues to work full-time as the creative and editorial director. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. Other books by Jeff Kinney: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Third Wheel

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck 2. Illustrations/Reasons: a. In a cafeteria having lunch - Because Greg and Rowley are friends again. b. Greg made the eight ball rolled on a wood Because Greg sees an easter egg.

3. The exciting part of this book when Greg and his brother Rodrick having a brother bonding time because Rowley is not anymore Gregs friend. This is interesting because it is rarely happen that Rodrick and Greg having a brother bonding time. 4. I didnt like the part when Rowley had a girlfriend because shes making him as her slave. 5. The similarity of this book to my life is how Greg jokes around daily with his friend Rowley. Most of the time, I like joking around and having a good laugh with my friends just like Greg. 6. The other book that I connected with is seventh book, entitled Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Third Wheel, where Greg became scared of asking Holly Hills in going to a date. This book and the book that Im discussing have one similarity: Greg and Rowley fight each other. 7. Yes, I am wondering why the characters are like that after I read the book but for me they are really funny. 8. My prediction on the next book is that Rowley and Greg will go on their separate ways again making new friends again between the two. 9. Gregs character traits are; lazy, wimpy, and friendly. Greg is friendly because in every book or series, he has new friends aside from Rowley. Greg is lazy because in all the eight books Ive read about him, hes still not doing his homework on time. Greg is wimpy because he is always bullied by other bigger students and especially by his brother, Rodrick. 10. Gregs character throughout the series from book one to book eight is very entertaining. From being wimpy (and still wimpy), Greg is a character that is very inspiring to younger boys nowadays. From book one, hes just thinking about himself, on what he wants and on how to escape when theres a problem. But as the story progresses, Greg is not only thinking about himself but also the other people in his life, like his parents and brothers. Even though he is still wimpy about scary things, Greg is becoming more helpful throughout the series. 11. The setting of the story is in the middle class society where suburban, public elementary school, local shops, etc. are the most likely be seen. The importance of this setting is that it is common to every one that even though it is just a small community, many kids are having kid problems

about school, friends, parents, crushes, etc. It means that wherever you look or wherever you go, many kids have enough problems just like adults. 12. I 13.