Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA Fantastic Read for All Ages
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015
The ninth installment of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Long Haul features Greg and the rest of the Heffley family embarking on a road trip at the start of summer vacation. But as per usual with the Heffley’s, not everything goes as planned, and the family must face car troubles, wild animals, scummy motels, theft, and much more. Additionally, as the middle child, Greg must also suffer through his older brother’s pranks and his younger brother receiving the most attention.
The Long Haul and the rest of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series fall under the genre of realistic fiction graphic novel, with both the writing and illustrations by Jeff Kinney. Kinney has no other books, but also works as a cartoonist and runs a popular children’s gaming website called Poptropica.
The illustrations in the series are simple stick figures, black and white, and look as if they are drawn on lined paper. This, along with the large, childish font makes the book truly seem as if the reader is reading Greg’s personal diary (His mother suggested he keep a diary in the first book of the series.) Greg’s perspective and the everyday issues he faces with his family and at school are extremely relatable and comical. Though I would suggest this book for children in grades 4-7, it is funny enough and for parents or older siblings to enjoy as they read along
Because the drawings are just stick figures outlined in black, it is hard to tell whether multiple cultures and races are being represented. Additionally, the characters that are mainly shown are the five in the Heffley family. I personally think that Kinney is not being prejudice but taking on a Simpsons style illustration where everyone has the same skin tone. As for gender, Greg’s mother is a very stereotypical stay-at-home mom. However, she always has what is best for family at heart, which is what really matters.
I used to secretly borrow these books from my younger sister (who also loved them) because it was a little embarrassing for a high-schooler to be reading books geared towards younger children. However, I find the humor to be ageless, and as an older reader I can really see a few important messages that the readers can take away. The first is that family can be a nuisance and a little embarrassing, but in the end they are there for you and you couldn’t live without them. The second message is that middle school can be really tough, but it gets better. The books would definitely assure youth that they are not alone in the issues they face as they grow up and seek independence.