[Kids] The Diary of Amos Lee

Basti Olaguera

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A 10-year-old kid reads about a 12-year-old who already knows how to crowd source on Twitter

Basti reads while waiting for his dinner order

MANILA, Philippines – I’m a very enthusiastic reader.

After I finished reading the Diary of A Wimpy Kid and the Big Nate series, I thought, so what else is there to read?

Good thing my mom discovered the Diary of Amos Lee trilogy. It is written by Adeline Foo and is illustrated by Stephanie Wong.

The trilogy is about a Singaporean boy named Amos Lee who writes in his diary in the toilet. This evolves into him writing for a web magazine.

12-year-old Amos faces irritating sisters, too much food, acne and school bullies. In spite of all that, he is still standing.

Book 1: I Sit, I Write, I Flush!

In this first book, Amos’ mother introduces him to the idea of writing in the toilet whenever he does his business.

At first, Amos thinks the idea is awkward but gets used to it later on. His mother becomes a food writer and would take him food hunting.

Amos and his two friends call themselves the 3A’s — Alvin, Anthony, Amos. He also faces a school bully, the new kid: Michael.

Michael harasses Amos and breaks his school projects. But when Michael breaks his leg in an accident, Amos raises funds to help him get through it. 

Book 2: Girls, Guts and Glory!

Amos’ mother becomes pregnant. His younger sister Mei-Mei (whom he secretly calls WPI  or “whiny, pesky, irritating”) starts acting weird and makes makeshift voodoo dolls to try to prevent having a baby brother.

But Mei-Mei’s plan fails and they have a new baby brother, Everest, named after the mountain, because the Singaporean team of women climbed it on the day Everest was born.

Amos joins the swim team that has a “bordering on the psychotic coach” who forces them to swim hard each time. When their coach starts a web magazine called Poop Fiction, he asks Amos to be the writer.

Book 3: I’m Twelve, I’m Tough and I Tweet!

Amos aims for the title of Tween Idol in their school but his friends are also aiming for the spot.

He uses his only weapon, Poop Fiction, and asks his followers on Twitter to vote for him. Michael, the school bully, befriends Bif, a new kid and another bully who also hates Amos.

Bif takes Amos’ place in the school swim team after Amos decides to become a “full-time” writer for Poop Fiction. His sister, Whoopie, forms a two-girl band called Charice (after Charice Pempengco).

After watching his sister’s band perform in school, Amos wrote in his diary: ”Wow. I shouldn’t be saying this. But I am an honest boy by nature. Miss ‘Charice Lee’ can sing. There, I’ve said it. Either that, or the 2,000 devoted fans in my school are stone deaf and cannot differentiate the difference between Britney the chipmunk and Charice Pempengco, the real singer with the big voice from the Philippines.”

Amos doesn’t get the title of Tween Idol; his friend Alvin does. Amos is instead crowned Best Orator and returns to the school swim team. They win a swimming championship because of him.

I like books written in diary format because they are easy to read. The drawings are also nice and easy to copy.

Right now, I am trying to complete the Skeleton Creek series by Patrick Carman. My first book, Skeleton Creek Ryan’s Journal, taught me about Edgar Allan Poe and his famous poem, The Raven. It led me to Google more about Edgar Allan Poe’s life and his other works.

What book are you reading now? Would you like to receive books this Christmas? I sure do. – Rappler.com

 

10-year-old Patrice Sebastien “Basti” Olaguera is a grade 5 pupil in Claret School of Quezon City. He is the only child of Rappler’s Kai Magsanoc.

What is your kid into? Rappler welcomes contributions from kids, for kids. Send us your child’s artwork, poetry, short story or even YouTube video to desk@rappler.com with subject heading RAPPLER KIDS.

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