MANILA, Philippines ? Never call it a diary, unless you want to piss off Greg Heffley. It?s a journal, says the star of ?Diary of a Wimpy Kid? series. ?Don?t expect me to be all ?Dear Diary? this and ?Dear Diary? that,? he says.

Written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney, this series chronicles the middle school misadventures of wimpy Greg in text and cartoons.

Jeff calls it ?a novel in cartoons.? We call it crazy fun.

From web comic to bestseller lists, ?Diary of a Wimpy Kid? has been making waves here and abroad. Greg Heffley is no Harry Potter?no wand, no owl, no magic. So why is this ordinary boy taking over bookshelves all around the world?

Two words?he?s funny.

Author Jeff said in his website, ?I wanted to write a story about all of the funny parts of growing up, and none of the serious parts. I had a pretty ordinary childhood, but a lot of humorous stuff happened along the way. So I decided to write a book about what it?s really like to be a kid, or at least what it was like for me. My goal was to write a book that made people laugh.?

Bestsellers

The stories were originally released on the website Funbrain.com until New York Publishing House Amulet smartened up and released the novel-slash-cartoon as a book series, with ?some new twists and turns.?

The first one, ?Diary of a Wimpy Kid,? landed number one on the ?New York Times Bestseller list.? The books that followed were all bestsellers too. The books have become such a hit that Jeff was included in Time Magazine?s list of ?100 Most Influential People? this year.

Although written for kids, countless teenagers and adults enjoy the books, too. Amazon shopper M. Elrod said, ?I purchased this book for my nine-year-old for his birthday. He had asked for it a few times and when I got it I was just going to take a quick look but I couldn?t put it down! I found myself laughing out loud.?

The series has also gotten the thumbs-up for getting even kids who don?t normally like books to read. It might work on non-reading adults too. ?Diary of a Wimp? fan Mel Odom wrote, ?One of the best features about Jeff?s books after you put them in your kids? hands is that you don?t have to worry about batteries going dead. They?re kid-powered: fueled by imagination and driven by humor.?

Juvenile

The books have gotten some flak for being juvenile but Jeff is quick to say that people shouldn?t look at Greg as a role model. ?Greg is self-centered and can be kind of clueless. I don?t think Greg is a bad kid?but like all of us, he has his faults. Hopefully readers will understand that Greg?s imperfections are what make him funny. I think that stories with characters who always do the right thing are a little boring. I wanted to create a character who was more realistic.?

Jeff is only getting started?he has announced the release of two more books on his website, the next one coming out in October.

The rights to ?The Diary of a Wimpy Kid? series have also been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. They are planning to make the feature film soon.

Pick up the books before the movie hits the big screen and enjoy the crazy adventures of Greg, his parents, his bully older brother Rodrick, annoying younger brother Manny, even wimpier best friend Rowley and their other friends.

The truth is, Greg doesn?t even seem to be wimpy (except when he?s trying to run away from bullies). He?s funny, immature, scheming (occasionally) and he?s smart. Calling him wimpy is selling him short. You?ll know when you start reading his diary.

?The Diary of a Wimpy Kid? series is available at National Bookstore branches nationwide.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The first in the series, this introduces Greg Heffley to the world, a young boy forced by his mom to keep a diary just as he enters middle school.
Unlocked: April 1, 2007
Amazon.com rating: 4 ? stars
Amazon.com feedback: ?Jeff Kinney has written such a marvelous ?boy book? that for every parent that walks in the door of my library I?m going to be cramming this title into their arms. Heck, I?ll slip it into their purses if I have to. It?s just something that every single person will get a kick out of.??E.R. Bird
Highlights: The ?Cheese Touch?, trick or treating, wrestling in gym class, the ?Wizard of Oz?, Christmas gifts, the giant snowman, Greg and Rowley trying out to be cartoonists in the school paper
Memorable moment of wimpiness: Building the short-lived haunted house at Rowley?s house and Greg playing one of the trees in The Wizard of Oz

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Greg is back. His father just forced him to join the swim team, he?s battling against his brother Rodrick and he is trying desperately to keep an embarrassing secret from the previous summer under wraps.
Unlocked: February 1, 2008
Amazon.com rating: 5 stars
Amazon.com feedback: ?Picked on as a kid? How popular were you? You aren?t sure if you want to strangle this Greg kid or hug him or kick the living snot out of him. But this is so cute. And hilarious! The little comics are like cherries on the ice cream.??Candy
Highlights: Greg gets a penpal, the invisible ?Chirag Gupta?, Mom Bucks, Magick and Monsters, sleeping at Grandpa?s
Memorable moment of wimpiness: Rodrick?s party, the talent show, Greg?s embarrassing secret

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Greg?s father is bent on getting him to toughen up and has even threatened to send Greg to military school. But Greg has bigger things on his mind - like making the moves on his crush Holly Hills.
Unlocked: January 13, 2009
Amazon.com rating: 5 stars
Amazon.com feedback: ?The Wimpy Kid series should not be confined to people under 18 so I highly urge adults to read all three as soon as possible. My sides hurt and yes, my eyes watered. The book is so funny and each one is better than the last? - Lynn Ellingwood
Highlights: Greg and Rowley bury a time capsule, Greg joins the soccer team, Tingy, the missing dictionary, the snack thief, Valentine cards, the dance
Memorable moment of wimpiness: The Heffley family goes to church on Easter Sunday, Greg joins the Boy Scouts

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself Book

Unlike the other three books, this DIY book isn?t really part of the series?it?s a fun activity book. Released between ?Rodrick Rules? and ?The Last Straw,? this book gives ?Diary of a Wimp? fans the chance to answer questions from their favorite characters, make their own comics, exercise their own wit and creativity and keep their own diary.
Unlocked: October 1, 2008
Amazon.com rating: 5 stars
Amazon.com feedback: ?Ok, I know this was mainly aimed for kids but I?m a grown adult and I love this quirky DIY book. Having a diary/journal always helps ease your mind and unwind your emotions. I recommend this book. The cartoons are funny as well. It opens up the creative side... not just for kids but adults as well.??The Fallen Angel
Highlights: Predict the future, unfinished comics, design your dream house, things you should do before you get old