Hi, Rowley! Would you please tell Shelf readers why you're chatting with us today?
Rowley Jefferson: I made a diary just like my best friend Greg Heffley. I wrote all the words and did all the drawings myself without any help from a grown-up.
What made you decide to start writing your own diary--er, journal?
RJ: Well my friend Greg did a bunch of journals and me and him are best friends and we usually do the same stuff. But Greg said I'm ripping him off and now he's mad.
What did you originally want to include in your journal?
RJ: Well at first I thought I'd write a whole book about me and my mom and my dad and maybe put some stuff about my favorite teacher Ms. Beck in there. But then Greg said he had a better idea and that the book should be about him. So my book is mostly about Greg, but don't worry because there's still a lot of Rowley in there too.
Why did you start writing about Greg instead?
RJ: Greg says one day he's gonna be rich and famous and there are gonna be a ton of biographies about him. So he gave me the chance to write the first one, which just proves what a great pal he is. Nobody knows Greg better than me because we're best friends, and there's a lot stuff that I know that nobody else knows. Like the time Greg wet his pants on our first sleepover. But I decided not to put that in there because I thought it might make Greg mad if people found out about it.
Did you have a favorite part about writing Greg's biography?
RJ: My favorite part is when we made up our own superheroes. Greg's superhero is named Intergalactic Man and he has a different power in every fingertip. My superhero is named Amazing Guy and his superpower is kindness. And the way he got turned into a superhero was by getting hit by double rainbows. Greg said that's a dumb origin story, but I thought it was cool so I kept it in there.
Was there anything particularly tough in writing about Greg?
RJ: Well sometimes Greg gets frustrated if I talk too much about myself in his biography. There's this one chapter where I talk about this time when I took a bath in my Bampy's old cabin and then a ghost opened the door and I got totally spooked out. Greg said that chapter didn't have anything to do with him and I should cut it. But I kept it in there because I just had to let someone know about what happened at Bampy's cabin.
Why did you also decide to draw pictures for the biography?
RJ: Because Greg draws pictures in his diaries and I wanted mine to be just like his. I think my pictures are pretty good, but Greg says I draw like a five-year-old because I don't draw noses on people. But that's just because sometimes I forget to.
Has Greg read your book? Did he like it?
RJ: When Greg read my book he said he's gonna sue me for ripping off his idea, but I told him go ahead and try because he's not the first person who ever wrote in a diary. Then he said he was calling his lawyer to report me, but I think he was just faking because he wouldn't let me talk to him. Then Greg said I had to get my own lawyer because I can't afford his lawyer.
You're a really awesome and friendly kid! Why do you think being awesome and friendly is so important?
RJ: Thanks! It makes me happy when my parents tell me I'm an awesome, friendly kid, and I like it when Ms. Beck says that too. Greg always says I'm in love with her and I say that's not true, I just like the way she smells, and I like her hair and her personality. I am glad people like me because I'm trying to be the best Rowley I can be.
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