Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Fourteen-year-old Nikki J. Maxwell has been awarded a scholarship to a prestigious private middle school as a part of her father's bug extermination contract. Her angst as she deals with the resident mean girl, her embarrassing parents, her crush on the hot boy, and making new friends are all recorded alongside numerous sketches of her life. Although occasionally amusing, Nikki is not a very likable character. She is shallow and self-centered and fails to show any growth in the book, even as she one-ups popular and cruel MacKenzie in the end. In fact, Nikki, who steals her neighbor's hearing aid and plays pranks on her little sister, is somewhat of a mean girl herself. All the other characters are underdeveloped, including Nikki's family and her new BFFs, Chloe and Zoey. Black-and-white drawings, which are often witty, appear throughout the text, which is printed on lined pages as though from a diary. Fans of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams) may enjoy this book, but it's an additional purchase.–Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ
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Product Description

New school. New mean girl. New crush.

New diary so Nikki can spill about all of it...

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416980067
• ISBN-13: 978-1416980063
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will love Nikki Maxwell! Cute, cool & captivating!, May 31, 2009

By	Betty L. Dravis "[e-mail], autho... (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The heroine of this YA story is eighth-grader Nikki Maxwell, a cute, cool and captivating girl you will fall in love with. Although the word cute is not a cool vocabulary choice for today's kids, I use it here because I love that word; it means much more than cool. To me it encompasses looks, personality and sincerity, while cool is...well "cool"...it can be a pose with some kids. So our NIkki is not only cool to her friends, she's also cute to us parents: the kind of girl every decent kid wants for a friend, every parent wants for a daughter. And I predict she will captivate everyone who reads this book, young and old alike.

But Nikki thinks of herself as a dork because rich, snooty MacKenzie Hollister and her wannabe followers go out of their way to make her appear that way. After one too many "klutzy" accidents--caused by the despicable MacKenzie, of course--Nikki starts writing the "Dork Diaries."

And what fun diaries they are! This honest, precocious girl writes EVERYTHING in those pages, illustrating her tales with humorous drawings. These drawings by the author enhance this book, making it an unforgettable reading pleasure.

I admire the way Nikki handles all the set-backs in her life; she never loses her temper, attacking MacKenzie as many girls would. Instead she remains calm and works things out in her own way. That girl has more self-confidence than she knows.

While Nikki doesn't follow the dictates of the "Fashionista Police," she dresses cute and flattering. But there's much more substance to Nikki than clothing; this is evident when she attracts the attention of Brandon, a school photographer that MacKenzie has set her cap for.

So what does MacKenzie do when Brandon repeatedly helps Nikki? And what do tattoos have to do with Nikki suddenly becoming so popular that even MacKenzie pretends to be her friend? Does Nikki fall for it? Do her best friends, Zoey and Chloe drop her for MacKenzie? And what does Nikki do when MacKenzie finally learns that Nikki'a father is the local bug exterminator, driving around with a huge roach atop his truck? How embarrassing is that to our heroine?

And does she ever get the coveted iPhone that she thinks she needs to be cool?

The final showdown between Nikki and MacKenzie is a big school project. Nikki has much more talent (skills, as they call it), but will MacKenzie win through trickery? But to learn more about our Nikki, you will have to read for yourself, and follow along with the illustrations.

Even though author Rachel Renee Russell's writing flows easily, I had a hard time reading this book--through no fault of hers. Each time I put it down, my granddaughter grabbed it and when I wanted to read a chapter, I had to search for it. I told that girl I would pass it on to her. Can't she wait? (But she's a lot like NIkki, so I can see the appeal.)

A side note about this author: As I was reading this story, it was obvious the writer knew and understood the teens' mind, so I felt as though I were actually reading a diary written by a teen. I was surprised to learn that Russell is an attorney who "prefers writing children's books to legal briefs." After reading "Dork Diaries" I can see why. I look forward to many more books by her.

This review is from an ARC sent to me by the author.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, May, 2009
Author of "The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wimpy Kid - For Girls, August 20, 2009

By	Erin Johnson "For the Love of Books" (Mankato, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nikki Maxwell needs a cell phone, and she needs it before she starts at her new school, otherwise she can kiss popularity and a social life goodbye. Fortunately for us, Nikki's mom doesn't comply in the way she expected. Instead, she gets a diary, and in the line of Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The formats of the two books are pretty much identical: a teenager writing and drawing about their life. The main difference is that Dork Diaries is aimed at girls, while Diary of a Wimpy Kid is targeted at boys. The interesting thing about the two is that Wimpy Kid will appeal to girls also. And I don't mean that boys won't identify with Nikki, it's just that when you put a pink cover on a book you are saying: This book is for girls. There are few boys out there that will willingly pick up a pink book.

The content of the book is Nikki getting adjusted to life at an upper-class school that she is only attending because her dad got the exterminator contract for it. I love when she wants to melt into a puddle when he pulls up in his van; because of course it has a giant roach on the top of it. At one point she pulls out the old `take-a-garbage-bag-and-poke-holes-in-it-so-no-one-sees-me' trick which I absolutely loved because I happen to have had an experience that required a paper bag! (No, I'm not telling, and yes, it was forever ago!)

Nikki goes through the trials and tribulations of a young girl who wants to be friends with the popular girls, realizes the popular girls are really mean, and finds friends who she wouldn't necessarily have chosen, but who turn out to be good for her. All-in-all Nikki is a believable 14-year-old (who sometimes seems a bit younger, but that could have just been me reading her as being whiny) who will have her readers laughing and sighing in agreement all at the same time.

Notes on the Cover:
I love the yellow post-it on the cover with the stick drawing of the gossipy girls in the background with Nikki front and center. I love that she's writing with her favorite pen and trying to ignore the haters behind her. I do like the pink, but my concern is that boys won't pick it up. Of course, they're not the target audience, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't enjoy it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Nona at J. Kaye's Book Blog, June 21, 2009

By	J. Kaye Oldner (http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Dork Diaries is very much like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, only for girls. Since I am a fan of that series, I was really excited to read this book. Nikki Maxwell, an enormously funny character, is getting ready to start a new school. She wants to be part of the CCP group. CCP stands for cute, cool, and popular. She's positive that if her mother purchased her a new iPhone, it would secure her a spot there.

Nikki's mother arrives home with a back-to-school present she purchased at the mall. Nikki is positive it's an iPhone. What does her mother purchase for her instead? A diary. Although Nikki swears not write in the diary, she does. And because she is artist, many of the pages include her sketches.

Even though Nikki doesn't get an iPhone, that doesn't stop the desire. An opportunity presents itself when Nikki learns about an art contest. The grand prize is $500. The only problem is Mackenzie Hollister, leader of the CCP group, is also entering. Mackenzie will do whatever it takes to win.

There was so much to love about the book. The ending was different than I expected, which was a great surprise. What I liked best was seeing her grow in the book. Nikki experienced some pretty horrible things, but she did find friends - good friends, not the superficial CCP ones.