Kinney initially planned to publish comic strips in the same vein as those he grew up reading in The Washington Post, such as The Far Side or Calvin and Hobbes. When he wrote his first manuscript, the intended audience was adults. “I wanted Diary of a Wimpy Kid to be for grown-ups who had forgotten what it was like to be a kid,” Kinney told the audience during the event, which was broadcast live from Clayton High School in Missouri. But when his publishers persuaded him to market the series to kids instead, it was the beginning of a blockbuster career that shows no signs of slowing down.

These fun, fast reads center on Greg Heffley, a hapless but hilariously self-aware middle-schooler who ranks himself either the 52nd or 53rd most popular kid at school. Kinney uses a mixture of diary entries and simple, stick-figure drawings to chronicle how the beleaguered pre-teen navigates the various obstacles in his life, from Rodrick, his older brother whose sole mission is to torment Greg, to the phenomenon of middle school, which he describes as “the dumbest idea ever invented.” The Third Wheel takes Greg and his wimpy sidekick, Rowley, into unchartered territory—the school dance, girls, and dating.

Students and librarians alike adore the Wimpy Kid novels, but in his talk, Kinney underscored the long process it took to reach his current level of fame. He began working as a cartoonist when he was a student at Villanova University, drawing a character named Igdoof, an endearingly awkward freshman who would serve as a prototype for Greg Heffley. However, it would take another 14 years before Kinney published anything.

Kinney also described some of his inspirations. He attributes many of his drawing techniques to Big Nate author Lincoln Peirce, with whom Kinney corresponded for several years when he was a young, aspiring cartoonist. Kinney also said that he drew on his own childhood for some of Heffley’s misadventures. A scene of Greg in a swimsuit hiding out in the bathroom to avoid his swim team coach in the second Wimpy Kid book, Rodrick Rules, came straight from Kinney’s own experience.

The author also emphasized the labor that goes into writing and illustrating his novels. He typically writes twelve to thirteen full drafts of each. “They say writing is rewriting, and you should believe that. Your first effort is not your best,” he said. Kinney also described the painstaking process of designing and illustrating The Third Wheel. He spent 17 hours a day during the month of August refining the book’s illustrations and examined over 200 different paint swatches to find the perfect shade of brown for the cover.

Kinney also spoke of the opportunities brought by fame, including the thrill of seeing a giant Greg Heffley balloon aloft as part of the 2010 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He encouraged students to pursue their passions: “I want to encourage every kid who has a creative thought to just develop it and believe in it, because one day your dream will fly.”

Join us for a special presentation by Jeff Kinney and a first look at the seventh Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, The Third Wheel, on the eve of its release!

Broadcasting LIVE from Clayton High School in St Louis, Missouri

SPONSORED BY: Abrams Books and School Library Journal

SCHEDULED EVENT DATE: Monday, November 12, 2012– 1:00 PM ET – estimated 60 minutes

Archive is now available!

In The Third Wheel, love is in the air—but what does that mean for Greg Heffley?

A Valentine’s Day dance at Greg’s middle school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he’s worried he’ll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend, Rowley, doesn’t have any prospects either, but that’s a small consolation.

An unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who’s going to be lucky in love.

Jeff Kinney tells all about Greg’s pursuit of dance happiness in this one hour live-streaming event, and will answer your questions live!

Can’t make it on November 12? No problem! Register now and you will get an email reminder from School Library Journal post-live event when the webcast is archived and available for on-demand viewing at your convenience!

Follow us on Twitter! @SLJEvent #sljwimpykid

SCHEDULED EVENT DATE: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 – 10:00 AM ET

JEFF KINNEY PRESENTS
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER
Broadcasting LIVE from Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Archive now available!

Sign up now! Space is limited. We encourage you to set up an assembly so all of your kids, parents and teachers can watch.

Brought to you by ABRAMS The Art of Books Since 1949, Bank Street College of Education, and School Library Journal.

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Can’t join us on November 15th? No problem – register now and we’ll send you an email when the on-demand archive is ready for viewing at your convenience.

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Once again directed by David Bowers, the movie picks up the story where 2011′s Rodrick Rules left off and incorporates plot elements from the third and fourth titles in the book series, The Last Straw and Dog Days (both Amulet, 2009). Numerous cast members reprise their roles, including Zachary Gordon as the title character, Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn as the Heffley parents, Devon Bostick as Greg’s obnoxious older brother Rodrick, and Robert Capron as his best friend Rowley. School is out for the year, and Greg’s chuckle-inducing adventures include an ill-fated scheme involving the local country club, the ultimate pool-side embarrassment (he takes the plunge but his swimsuit remains behind, stuck on the high diving board), a death-defying amusement park ride, and a disastrous but hilarious camping expedition with the Wilderness Explorers.

Kids can visit the colorfully designed movie website to sample the action. The trailer sets the tone, beginning with Kinney-style black-and-white animated sketches that are cleverly peeled back to reveal live-action scenes from the movie, and showcasing a variety of laugh-out-loud moments. Youngsters can view a selection of videos (many that hark back to the first two films), read bios of the cast, browse movie photos, and download images. Also displayed on the site is the latest “L’il Cutie” cartoon, a saccharine-sweet newspaper comic strip that appears in the books (and is derided by Greg and his father as “the worst comic ever”), with a link to a Facebook page with more examples. Users are also invited to “Wimp Yourself” by choosing a cartoon stick-figure character (male or female); personalizing it by selecting physical characteristics, clothing, and accessories; and saving it for others to browse.

Send book and movie devotees over to the official “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” website for info about the illustrated novels; an author bio and interview; audio and video clips; and a glimpse at the newest entry in the series, The Third Wheel (Amulet), scheduled for release on November 13, 2012. Librarians and educators can consider celebrating the movie opening—and bringing a blizzard-induced chill to the middle of the summer—by hosting an event centered around the latest Wimpy Kid title, Cabin Fever (2011). A kit with book series trivia questions, a word search, and games for use with groups (including “Wimpy” bingo) is available for downloading at the Abrams website.

Check your shelves to make sure you have plenty of copies of Kinney’s The Last Straw and Dog Days (Gr 3-8) available along with the rest of the titles in this popular series. You might also want to update your collection with the revised and expanded edition of the author’s The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood (Amulet, 2012; Gr 4-8). Focusing closely on the first film, the text offers a lighthearted but informative account of how the novel—starring a character who began as “a little pencil doodle in a cheap sketch pad”—originated and was then adapted for the big screen. This captivating book offers a behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made, from writing the screenplay through to the final wrap and post-production. Kinney’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations are integrated throughout, adding humor to the text and enhancing its meaning. Numerous full-color photos (production shots and movie stills), script pages, storyboard sketches, and other visuals are included. An appended section covering highlights of the second film (Rodrick Rules) is followed by 32 pages of new material.

Lively two-page sections focus on changes in the original cast members (e.g., Zach is now “a foot taller than he had been at the start of the first movie,” and in fact, readers can flip back to earlier photos to see how much he and the other young actors have grown); new characters (such as the trained labradoodle who takes on the role of Sweetie); notes about props and sets; a description of filming specific scenes, including the amusement park sequence (according to Kinney, “neither Zach nor Robert had ever been on a ride that went upside down before…And we’ll never know if the look of terror on their faces was real or just great acting”); and more. As in the rest of the volume, “Page to Screen” spreads pair illustrated scenes from the book with their film counterparts, showing how the original material was interpreted for the movie version. Fast-reading and fun, this book will appeal to fans of both the novels and movies.

Publication Information

KINNEY, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. 2009. Tr $13.95. ISBN 9780810970687.

_____. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. 2009. Tr $13.95. ISBN 9780810983915.

_____. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood. rev. ed. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0642-4.

ea. illus. by author. Amulet/Abrams.