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Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal
Jeff Kinney
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Rowley Jefferson's Journal
by Jeff Kinney
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid · Book 1
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Step into the quirky world of middle school through the eyes of Rowley Jefferson, Greg Heffley's best friend, as he shares his own funny and heartfelt stories. Rowley decides to write a biography about Greg, but his unique perspective leads to a wildly amusing and unexpected tale. Fans of friendship and laughter will love this fresh take on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid universe.
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal 10C
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal is written at a Level 5 reading level across 224 pages (approximately 16,284 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal works for readers up to grade 7.0.
Read aloud, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal runs about 1.8 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal as 10C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.
Thematically, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:Rowley Jefferson’s journal explores friendship, humor, coming of age, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, humor, coming of age.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 2 more books in the Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid series.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
8/10High engagement — fast-paced, fun, and hard to put down. Great for reluctant readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
What's Next in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid?
Content escalates from Gentle to Mild
More in the Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid Series
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781419740275
- Pages
- 224
- Publisher
- Amulet Books
- Published
- April 09,2019
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 16,284
- Read-Aloud
- ~1h 49m
- Text Density
- Light Text