Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid
Jeff Kinney spins his Diary of a Wimpy Kid empire sideways and hands the journal to Greg Heffley's relentlessly cheerful best friend Rowley Jefferson. The result is the same beloved hand-drawn cartoon format and lined-paper conceit, with the comedy coming from the gap between what Rowley sees and what we already know from Greg's books. Rowley proudly recounts the great moments of their friendship, his admiration for Greg's parents, his enthusiasm for Diapeys cartoons and his stuffed pig, and the misery of trying to keep up with a best friend who is sometimes openly embarrassed of him. Kinney has said he wrote the book partly to honor the readers who always preferred Rowley, and many longtime fans now name it their favorite of the franchise. A perfect entry point for sensitive kids who love the world but find Greg himself a little exhausting.
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Jeff Kinney
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What you might want to know about Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Greg's best friend Rowley Jefferson decides to write his own awesome biography of Greg. The result is the same school year you know from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, told by the kid Greg keeps making fun of.
Yes. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is a spinoff narrated by Rowley Jefferson, Greg Heffley's best friend. Jeff Kinney has written multiple Rowley books that share the cartoon-journal format of the main series.
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is middle grade, recommended for readers 8 to 12. The book is generally considered slightly more accessible than the main Diary of a Wimpy Kid series due to Rowley's simpler narrative voice.
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid was written by Jeff Kinney, published in 2019 by Harry N. Abrams.
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is 224 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid takes most readers 3 to 5 hours to finish.
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is a standalone novel by Jeff Kinney, not part of a series.
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.