Students get to meet 'Wimpy' author
<p style="text-indent: 0in">Gavin O'Neil hadn't read the new and very popular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books before meeting their author Monday morning.
Obviously the author, Jeff Kinney, made a good impression on the 11-year-old Gibbons Elementary School student.
"I liked how he set up (the presentation). He let a lot of kids talk and ask questions," said O'Neil. "It was cool."
As for the best selling books, O'Neil was equally clear.
"I am definitely reading them now," he said.
Dylan Freitas also wasn't yet a fan of Kinney's cartoon style novels.
The 11-year-old South Elementary School student liked the presentation and was very impressed that the author lives locally.
"It makes me want to read the books more because he is from Massachusetts," said Freitas.
Kinney is the author of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. A third installment in the five-part series, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Last Straw," is due out in January 2009.
A Plainville resident, Kinney addressed more than 200 5<sup>th</sup> grade students from throughout Stoughton at the special assembly early this week at the South Elementary School.
Using a game show series format, Kinney allowed the students to either ask a question or pick a topic for him to discuss.
Response after response, Kinney, 37, captivated the audience.