Diary of a Rich Kid by Malcolm Mejin
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Characters: 4/5
Plot and Theme: 3/5
Writing, Graphics and Setting: 3/5
*Content Warning: some bullying, fat shaming, elements of animal cruelty, as well as just pompous and self- indulgent behaviour.*
Immediately had a hit of ‘Diary of a Whimpy Kid’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ nostalgia. Definitely a middle grade graphic novel. An easy and fast paced read, however, there was a few sensitivity issues which I think there needs to be a content warning for and/or needs to be reassessed all together.
Malcolm Mejin created a light-hearted and humorous way to capture the idea of ‘if I had all the money in the world, what would I do with it? What would my life be like?’. ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ is a fun little middle- age graphic novel that kids will probably enjoy. The ‘plot centres on a group of privileged, wealthy kids who lead the most lavish, extravagant lifestyle filled with excitement, suspense and adventure’.
Instantly the cover, writing style, graphics, and the tone of the novel reminded me of ‘Diary of a Whimpy Kid’, and I think due to those similarities, the same audience will be drawn towards this book, especially if there are kids out there looking for the next read that is like Jeff Kinney’s popular series.
The three main character in this plot are Robin (our narrator), Charlie, and Ken. The three boys are likeable and are very funny in their own individual way, however they could come across as being a little obnoxious (that’s how I kind of took them when I first started reading). I like how these characters were portrayed very differently from one another in terms of the way they talk and in their mannerisms. It makes them distinct and that isn’t something that is often portrayed in middle grade fiction very well. This distinction can particularly be seen in the character Ken.
Due to his family background of being ‘middle class’, Ken experiences things differently than Charlie and Robin who have only known wealth all their lives. The way that Ken addresses things throughout the storyline brings a sense of grounding and normalcy to the reader, and I really enjoyed him as a character.
Due to the fact that I am normally a YA/new adult reviewer, the plot and writing style was a little tedious and repetitive for me. Another little issue I have with this novel is that there are a few concerning themes that aren’t necessarily appropriate for such a young audience, such as some bullying, fat shaming, elements of animal cruelty, as well as just pompous and self- indulgent behaviour, which I don’t necessarily believe should be considered as something normal for children.
In saying that, apart from those things, the story moves pretty quickly, which is absolutely necessary for a middle- grade book, the graphics are funny and there is some humour in the novel that adults will enjoy as well.
As a parent, I would read through this book first to ensure you are comfortable with sharing this with your child.
Writing, Graphics, and Setting: 3/5
The writing was easy and definitely something that the 8 – 12-year-old audience would probably enjoy. In saying that though, I think this book needed to go through another sequence of editing. There are a few grammatical mistakes that needs addressing.
The setting of the story jump around a fair bit between the kids’ school and then their vacation in the Bahamas. There’s no real descriptive text, the novel relies heavily on the graphics for setting and location information.
The graphics as a whole was fantastic. They were cute and well executed and portrayed the humour of the novel well. I commend the author and the illustration team on this element.
In conclusion, my overall feeling towards this book is that I would really consider taking the time to read this book for yourself before your child reads this book. I feel horrible for rating the book so low, but I think the it needed to have an element that goes back to the idea that this is an imaginative piece about the author's dream of being a 'rich kid'. In my opinion, there needed to be something at the start of the book that kind of said "If I had all the money in the world, I guess my life would be like...". That's what I had initially been expecting from this book based off of the blurb.
Pros- Fast paced, easy and humorous read with great graphics.
Cons- Some content warnings, not really what I had expected.
Thank you to Malcolm Mejin for providing me an e-copy of this novel for my honest review.
