Review & Nikki's Purse Giveaway: Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell

Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell is a hilarious look at middle school from a girls eye view. I adored this book and read it in one sitting and I can easily imagine a middle school girl doing the same.

Nikki, the main character, is 14 years old and an eighth-grader at a "new" private school and she is the "new" girl in town. That is always so hard and many girls will relate to this. I moved in the middle of first grade and I know how hard that was. I can only imagine what being the new girl in middle school would be like. Nikki desperately wants an i-phone so that she can be "cool" and accepted by the other girls. She does some hilarious things along the way in trying to be cool. Her mother tries to understand and gives her a diary to help her adjust to her new school. This is definitely now what Nikki thinks is cool but she ends up filling it with her writings and drawings. The story is told in Nikki's voice through daily diary entries complete with wonderful whimsical drawings, sketches, doodles and comic strips all drawn by Nikki. These drawings are illustrated by the author Rachel Renee Russell, she's a very talented lady. (You must check out Rachel's guest post that she wrote yesterday along with a very special drawing, you can find it here)

I laughed along with Nikki and felt her pain and awkward moments as well. We all go through those growing up and Ms. Russell honed in on typical challenges that girls of middle school would face such as peer pressure, being popular and accepted, finding your identity and who your "true" friends are and even dealing with your first crush. Nikki got herself into some sticky situations and was able to figure her way out with her wits and talents as well as her friends support. She has to face down the popular girl who humilites her and not be intimidated and that takes a lot of strength for a young girl.

Nikki seems like a typical teenager and although she feels like a dork, in reality she is not. The author did a wonderful job in having Nikki be a relatable character. I think that many young girls will relate to her. As an adult reading this book, it brought back memories of my own teen years. I liked that Nikki has a normal family with typical issues to deal with such as annoying siblings, and being embarressed of your parents and a relationship with her grandma who gives her advice and is someone that she can turn to. In the end, I think that Nikki realizes that her parents have her best interest at heart and Nikki realizes how important family is.

I believe that this book will be a sure winner for middle school girls. The reading level for the book is 9-12 but I wonder if some of the pop culture references may be over a 9 year old girls head. I have a 10 year old boy and don't have girls so I may be wrong on that note. My boy was not that interested in reading this as it was a "girls" book. I don't think that he would relate to Dork Diaries and I think that this book willl definitely draw girls interests who will appreciate the humor and storyline. I would definitely recommend this book for 10/11 and up. The style and content do remind me of a girls version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so if your child was a fan of that series this one will definitely be a good one to pick up for summer reading.

Check out Dork Diaries Blog, here.

Dork Diaries was released on June 2, 2009

To purchase Dork Diaries, go here.

Check out this Dork Diaries Trailer:

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NIKKI'S PURSE GIVEAWAY:

(GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED)

Rachel has generously offered a unique and special giveaway of one of Nikki's purses book gift pack including a hardcover copy of the book! Rachel kindly sent me one of Nikki's purses and here is a photo of the purse she sent with all of the goodies found inside (Love's Baby Soft perfume, nail polish, gum, a fun pen, etc...all have a link to the book). . The winner will receive a purse similar to this one with all the goodies and a hardcover copy of the book.

Giveaway Details:

For each entry, please leave a seperate comment, this will make it easier to draw a winner as I won't be able to go back and count each entry. Also, make sure that you include your email or that your email is in your blog profile. If I have no way of contacting you by email, your entry will automatically be withdrawn.

• For One Entry: Leave a comment about this post.
• For a Second Entry: In a SEPARATE comment, Blog about this giveaway and share a link(posting in your sidebar is fine).
• For a Third Entry: In a SEPARATE comment, Twitter about this giveaway and share a link, if you can.
• For a Fourth Entry: In a SEPARATE comment, Facebook about this giveaway.
• For a Fifth Entry: In a SEPARATE comment: Follow my blog or subscribe to my blog(let me know if you are already a follower or subscriber).

This giveaway is ONLY open to U.S.

I'll use random.org to draw a winner and the contest will end on June 30th, 2009

(GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED)at Midnight EST. Good Luck!!