In the day and age of blogs, MySpace and Facebook, where so much is put out there, there’s still nothing like a good old fashioned journal. You know, the kind where you share your private thoughts and ideas—the kind where you actually write in! Ah, the good ol’ days!
As a lifelong journaler, my love for the written diary runs deep, which is why I adore the premise behind The Dork Diaries: The Tales Behind the Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachael Renee Russell. Sure, The Dork Diaries could’ve been written by yours truly, but this fun read geared to the tween set, is a collection of the main character, Nikki Maxwell’s school, friends, frenemies, crushes, and family.
I absolutely love the way the book channels the beauty of pen-to-paper journaling with its “handwritten pages” and cute graphics. From the few pages I read from Simon and Schuster’s site, I was hooked, and I’m sure most young girls can relate to Nikki’s hilarious entries as she chronicles the exciting and excruciating events that often go hand in hand with being in middle school.
The book makes me crave for the “simpler” days of boy craziness and math tests, but makes me thankful that authors like Rachael Renee Russell still keeps it real. At a time before the term tween was even coined, like many other girls, I relished my own preteen awkwardness by reading and re-reading the pages of Judy Blume’s classic, “Are you There God, it’s Me Margaret.” Based on all the praise it’s received since being released, Russell’s Nikki Maxwell of The Dork Diaries is set to be the next generation’s journaling heroine. It’s a good thing dorkiness is so timeless.
Fall in love with the Nikki Maxwell and The Dork Diaries: read a few pages of the book, get a sneak peek of Nikki’s diary online, check out the trailer.
