Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid

April 1, 2019
No fan of the Wimpy Kid series would argue that Greg Heffley’s long-suffering sidekick, Rowley Jefferson, doesn’t deserve a turn in the spotlight. And none will be surprised that as soon as Rowley claims it, Greg hijacks it for himself. What begins as Rowley’s diary—illustrated in Kinney’s familiar stick-figure style—quickly morphs into a biography of Greg, who insists that “there are gonna be a LOT of biographies about him one day,” but he’s giving Rowley the chance to write the first. What follows is a retelling of some indignities that Rowley has suffered at Greg’s hands: Greg’s manipulation of Rowley extends to every facet of their friendship, including cheating on a math test so thoroughly that he inadvertently copies Rowley’s name onto his own paper. But Rowley remains an “awesome friendly kid” through and through—when the friends create original comics, Rowley’s superhero, Amazing Guy, blocks attacks with rainbows and wears padded gloves “so he doesn’t hurt the bad guys too much.” His superpower, like Rowley’s, is kindness. This series spinoff first appeared in 2018 (at half its present length) as a promotion for Scholastic Book Clubs. The fuller version will please fans, many of whom have long maintained that Rowley deserves better. Ages 8–12.