I decided to read this book when I came across it in a free box outside my friend’s apartment for a few reasons: I work in an elementary school and this series is extremely popular among the kids, I’ve seen these books being hailed as ‘great books for boys’, I’m very interested in the ways children’s literature plays into gender (and other) socialization, and I wondered what was so special about these books that led to them being named the best book of the year and turned into movies.

I had fairly high hopes for this book. Not that it would be queer or subversive in any way, just that it would be a cute story that probably had some important things to say about bullying, some good messages for those kids out there who are labeled as ‘wimpy’ and similar slurs.

I was extremely disappointed. The message about bullying that this book sends is: there is always someone ‘wimpier’ than you, so even if you are being bullied, you can still turn around and bully those kids. No joke. And there’s a big ole heaping serving of racism and sexism to go along with that message. You’re a ‘wimpy’ white boy? No problem! Bully a boy of color and violate girls’ boundaries because that’s the way to earn cool points!

Here’s a brief synopsis of the 2 story lines I’m talking about, in case you think I’m exagerating. First, a kid named Chirag Gupta, who I think it’s safe to assume is a kid of color, even tthough the illustrations don’t make this clear, comes back to school, even though at the end of last school year he told everyone he was moving away. So ‘wimpy kid’ Greg decides it will be funny to pretend Chirag doesn’t exist and he gets the whole cclass in on it. He sees how upset Chirag is by the ‘joke’, but he keeps it up because he cares more about his own popularity that his (former) friend’s feelings.

And here is Greg’s justification for his actions:

So, does Greg learn a valuable lesson about bullying? Nope. He’s called into the principal’s office and forced to apologize to Chirag, only apparently the principal is also racist as hell because he calls in the wrong kid, Sharif, to be apologized to. Which Greg of course thinks is hilarious and so he fails to correct the principal’s mistake and continues bullying Chirag until his mom finally finds out and makes him apologize for real, but makes it clear that she “wasn’t mad about the joke or the way [he] treated Chirag. She was just mad that [he] LIED about it”. Awesome.

Throughout the book, Greg has been afraid that his brother will tell everyone some terrible secret about something embarrassing that happened to him over the summer. At the end of the book, his brother Rodrick, who is also a big bullly but faces no consequences for it, finally spills the beans. It turns out that the big secret was that Greg accidentally went into the women’s bathroom at the retirement home where their Grandpa lives (oh the horror!). But, in the course of the rumor spreading, it somehow changes into Greg “infiltrating” the girls’ locker room at the High School. Which, naturally, makes Greg a hero! Because violating girls’ boundaries is the coolest thing a boy can do!

So did he learn a valuable lesson here? Again, no. He does say that the girls think he’s disgusting and he might have a hard time finding a date to the valentine’s dance, but he really doesn’t seem to care.

These are only the two most outrageously problematic things that happen in this book. I think it’s always great when children discover a love of reading, but for my part I’ll be encouraging books that are not pro-bullying and pro-oppression in my classes.