Quite simply, "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" broke the mould for the diary format - away from stuff like "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" and more towards "Dork Diaries" in making excellent use of visual markers, doodles and cartoons within the body of the text to drive a story along.
Jeff Kinney's best selling series is still as popular as ever, and new volumes have always been received with sheer delight here at ReadItDaddy Towers (C even has a soft spot for the movie versions though I think a lot of that has to do with just how utterly ADORABLE Manny's movie iteration is).
So this is the story all about Greg Heffley, his mildly dysfunctional family (including his older and younger brothers) and the plight of being the 'middle child', the trials and tribulations of school, of having a slightly eccentric bestie (let's face it, Rowley Jefferson is a bit of a scene stealer at times, and his own "Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid" is brilliantly funny stuff too) and of course all the dealings with girls, school bullies and embarrassing parents, brilliantly observed and chronicled by Kinney over his colossal series.
Like "Dork Diaries" these books speak to C in a voice she fully understands, and again despite the US location, fully identifies with (though hopefully we're not quite as embarrasing parents as Greg Heffley's mum and dad - well meaning though they are).
Original review links:
ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 10th November 2017 - "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway" by Jeff Kinney (Penguin Books)
Kicking off the long summer break with a selection of super sizzling summery school holiday reads from Penguin Random House