For the past few months, this awaited book had many in excited anticipation, had some shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. Why, you ask? Because this book is the story of Greg and Rowley’s friendship, told from a fresh perspective: Rowley’s. Didn't Think This Through: One of Greg and Rowley's "Zoo-Wee Mama!" comics is about an artist who has just completed his piece, only to find that the canvas is too big too fit through the door.

Sympathetic P.O.V.: Downplayed. In the original Wimpy Kid series, Greg portrays himself as smarter and cooler than Rowley, painting Rowley as a childish hindrance to Greg's supposedly inevitable fame. In Awesome Friendly Kid, Rowley has new stories to tell where Greg is more obviously a jerk than he seems to be in the Wimpy Kid books. However, even in the older books, it's clear Greg is an Unreliable Narrator and Rowley, for all his nerdiness and naivety, is more popular due to being a Nice Guy— Awesome Friendly Kid just makes it clearer. Greg also comes across as less sympathetic in Awesome Friendly Kid because there's less focus on the Heffley family, so Greg's Middle Child Syndrome and Butt-Monkey status, the main reason he's sympathetic in the original books, is more downplayed.On February 13, 2020, a sequel called Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure was announced. It was originally planned to be released on April 7, 2020, but was delayed to August 4, 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This book is presented as Rowley's in-progress manuscript for a fantasy novel, interspersed with his comments on how Greg's suggestions for it — most of which relate to its potential for marketability and merchandising — are affecting the story as it unfolds. The book starts out with Rowley talking about his journal and he and Greg are best friends. He starts talking also about his family and he doesn't want Greg to find out about his diary, which he does. Greg and Rowley get into an argument and Rowley says if Greg is a jerk, he won't say nice things about him in his diary. Then Greg says Rowley's diary can be Greg's biography and Greg's diary is an autobiography, which Rowley agrees with. Unreliable Narrator: Played with. While Rowley is more honest and open in comparison to Greg, he has the mentality of a child and is always blind to Greg's mistreatment towards him.

This book contains multiple recycled storylines and jokes from other Diary of a Wimpy Kid-related media.Absurdly Ineffective Barricade: During their sleepover, Greg turns on an "invisible force field" between his side of the room and Rowley's to keep him out. Said "force field" consists entirely of Greg simply yelling "ZAP!" whenever Rowley tries to cross. Subverted hilariously by the fact that this is enough to keep Rowley out of his side for the entire night. The Noseless: Rowley's artstyle shows none of the characters with noses unless he's purposely drawing them as gonk in his comics or it's a collaboration with Greg. He lampshades that Greg has a problem with this art style. Mind Screw: One of Greg and Rowley's "Zoo-Wee Mama!" comics is about two cavemen in 20,000 B.C. celebrating Christmas, only for one of the two cavemen to point out that Christmas hasn't been invented yet. A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. This book shows Greg's negative traits a lot more deeply and clearly, which caused many fans to criticize Greg's behavior in this book.

Rowley’s best friend Greg Heffley has been chronicling his middle-school years in thirteen Diary of a Wimpy Kid journals . . . and counting. But it’s finally time for readers to hear directly from Rowley in a journal of his own. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, Rowley writes about his experiences and agrees to play the role of biographer for Greg along the way. (After all, one day Greg will be rich and famous, and everyone will want to know his life’s story.) But Rowley is a poor choice for the job, and his “biography” of Greg is a hilarious mess. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal offers readers a new way to look at the Wimpy world—one fans won’t want to miss! Dark and Troubled Past: Inverted with Amazing Guy. The reason he's so nice is because he was raised by Good Parents. Greg thinks this is lame. In the next chapter, Rowley says that one time in middle school, a former teacher is having a baby and decides to be a full-time mother so a teacher replaces her and does not care about rowdy kids. On the last day of school, all the kids get a C but Rowley gets a B because of Greg calling him a bad teacher and Greg and Rowley are now even.Simon, Scott. "The Wimpy Kid's Best Friend Gets A Diary Of His Own ... And He's 'Awesome' ". NPR . Retrieved 15 April 2019. Greg and Rowley try to communicate telepathically. The way this is done is similar to a question in The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book asking if you think people will have "instant messaging chips" implanted in their brains in the future. The accompanying illustration shows Greg thinking "u r a dork" while Rowley responds ":(".

Perspective Flip: Up until this point, we've only seen the Wimpy Kid universe from Greg's point of view, but this book will instead show the perspective of Rowley, who is more virtuous (yet less mature) than Greg.

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Greg and Rowley pee their pants when they think a monster is after them at one of their sleepovers. But me? I LOVED wimpy kid, and love this one just as much, because I've always been Wimpy AND Awesomely Friendly. Best of Two Kids! Why? Kinney is right up there with J K Rowling as one of the bestselling children's authors on the planet'- Independent Maughan, Shannon (February 13, 2020). "Jeff Kinney's First 'Wimpy Kid' Fantasy Adventure Due in April". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved February 13, 2020.