Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series)
Encyclopedia
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of fiction books written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney
. The books are the journals of the main character, whose name is Greg Heffley
. Befitting a child's diary, they are filled with hand written notes and simple drawings of his daily adventures. The first three books of the series are based on a visual novel featured on FunBrain; the other books are thought to derive from the visual novel as well, but the series' website denies this. The series of books revolve around Greg's life in middle school, his social interactions with friends and girls, and his life at home with his dysfunctional family.
There are six books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and soon to be a seven in 2012, each one of them has a different color:
Games include: Wimpy Kid Uno, Scrabble, and a Cheese Touch board game.
.
, which ranks best sellers based on sales alone regardless of genre or intended audience, has listed Diary of a Wimpy Kid in its top 150, peaking at number 8, for 141 weeks as of April 4, 2010. As of the same date, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules has been on the list for 117 weeks (peaking at number 4), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw has been on the list for 65 weeks (peaking at number 1), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days has been on the list for all 25 weeks of its publication (peaking at number 1), and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary has been listed for all three weeks of its publication, peaking at number 2. As of May 2010, more than 32 million Wimpy Kid books are in print in the U.S., and the books have been sold in more than 30 countries.
. The film was released on March 19, 2010, moved up from an April 2 release date. It was directed by Thor Freudenthal
, who also directed Hotel for Dogs
. The film starred Zachary Gordon
as Greg, Robert Capron
as Rowley (Greg's best friend), Steve Zahn
as Frank (Greg's father), Rachael Harris
as Susan (Greg's mother), Devon Bostick
as Rodrick (Greg's older brother), Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny (Greg's younger brother), Chloë Moretz
as a new character named Angie, and Grayson Russell
as Fregley.
There is a second film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series that was released on March 25, 2011, which was based on the second book, Rodrick Rules, with Zachary Gordon returning as Greg Heffley. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules was also filmed in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Dog Days
is currently in production.
Jeff Kinney (writer)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Kinney is an American game designer, cartoonist, producer, and author of children's books including the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. He is also attributed to be the creator of the children-oriented website Poptropica...
. The books are the journals of the main character, whose name is Greg Heffley
Greg Heffley
Gregory "Greg" Heffley is the main protagonist of the realistic fiction book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid created by American cartoonist Jeff Kinney. Greg has appeared in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw,. Dog Days,. The Ugly Truth, and will appear in Cabin Fever...
. Befitting a child's diary, they are filled with hand written notes and simple drawings of his daily adventures. The first three books of the series are based on a visual novel featured on FunBrain; the other books are thought to derive from the visual novel as well, but the series' website denies this. The series of books revolve around Greg's life in middle school, his social interactions with friends and girls, and his life at home with his dysfunctional family.
Books
Diary of a Wimpy Kid was well received from the Princeton Review, Gold Card Association, The Dallas News, The TRR Editors, The NW Press, and The JJ Printing Company.There are six books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and soon to be a seven in 2012, each one of them has a different color:
- Diary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The books focuses...
(April 1, 2007) (color: red) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick RulesDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick RulesDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series released on February 1, 2008, and a film of the same name released March 25, 2011...
(February 1, 2008) (color: blue) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last StrawDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last StrawDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the third book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book acts as a journal and follows the adventures of Greg Heffley, the narrator of the book, who is in the second half of his seventh grade...
(January 13, 2009) (color: green) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a realistic fiction novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series It was released on October 12, 2009 in the USA and October 13, 2009 in Canada....
(October 12, 2009) (color: yellow) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly TruthDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly TruthDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, is the fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on November 9, 2010.-Plot:...
(November 9, 2010) (color: purple) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin FeverDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin FeverDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is the sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by American author Jeff Kinney. It was first announced in The Ugly Truth as "More Diary of a Wimpy Kid", then it was announced in The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book as "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6". The title...
(November 15, 2011) (color: baby blue)
Extra Books and Posters
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (October 1, 2008) (color: orange in hardcover, red in paperback, 2009 international edition in gold, 2011 extended edition in bright brown with some orange at the sides)
- The Wimpy Kid Movie DiaryThe Wimpy Kid Movie DiaryThe Wimpy Kid Movie Diary is a movie tie-in book by Jeff Kinney about the making of the 2010 movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which stars Zachary Gordon as Greg and Robert Capron as Rowley. Unlike the other books, it is non-fiction.-Background:...
(Originally released in 2010, and re-released in 2011) (color: white) - A red American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
poster endorsed by Jeff Kinney is also available. It features Greg Heffley reading a book on a toilet with the ALA slogan, "READ". - Another poster that can be found in Wal-Mart features snipets of drawings from the books featuring Greg only.
- There is a poster for every book except for Do-It-Yourself
About the Books
- The first book, Diary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The books focuses...
is about Greg, Rowley, and the Cheese Touch. - The second book, Rodrick RulesDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick RulesDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series released on February 1, 2008, and a film of the same name released March 25, 2011...
is about Greg, Rodrick, the Mom Bucks program, and the school talent show. - The third book, The Last StrawDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last StrawDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the third book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book acts as a journal and follows the adventures of Greg Heffley, the narrator of the book, who is in the second half of his seventh grade...
is about the conflict between Greg and his father, Holly Hills, the soccer team, and Spag Union Military Academy. - The fourth book, Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a realistic fiction novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series It was released on October 12, 2009 in the USA and October 13, 2009 in Canada....
is about Greg's bad summer vacation, his mom, and their new dog, Sweetie. - The fifth book, The Ugly TruthDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly TruthDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, is the fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on November 9, 2010.-Plot:...
is about Greg and Rowley's disfriendship, his great-grandmother Gammie, puberty, and his Uncle Gary's engagement. - The sixth book, Cabin FeverDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin FeverDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is the sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by American author Jeff Kinney. It was first announced in The Ugly Truth as "More Diary of a Wimpy Kid", then it was announced in The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book as "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6". The title...
is about his brother Manny, the playground, Accidental vandalism, Christmas, and the blizzard. - Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (published after Rodrick Rules and before The Last Straw) is an activity book that features a blank section encouraging readers to keep their own journal in the style of the books.
- The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book: Extended Edition (published after Wimpy Kid Movie Diary 2 and before Cabin Fever) is the same book as the first Do-It-Yourself Book, but with extra 60 pages and 16 more full-color comics.
- The Wimpy Kid Movie DiaryThe Wimpy Kid Movie DiaryThe Wimpy Kid Movie Diary is a movie tie-in book by Jeff Kinney about the making of the 2010 movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which stars Zachary Gordon as Greg and Robert Capron as Rowley. Unlike the other books, it is non-fiction.-Background:...
is an informative book that features stills from the film of the same name, brand-new illustrations, and informs readers on how the movie was made. Jeff Kinney dedicated the book to Zachary GordonZachary GordonZachary Adam Gordon is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films which are based on Jeff Kinney's #1 New York Times best seller Diary of a Wimpy Kid....
and Robert CapronRobert CapronRobert Capron is American child actor who is best known for starring as Rowley Jefferson, Greg Heffley's best friend in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. He started off with a role in Bride Wars and later had small parts in Hachiko: A Dog's Story and the Disney film The Sorcerer's Apprentice...
, the stars of the movie. - The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary 2: Rodrick Rules is the same informative book which has the features from the first film, but it also features stills from the second film, Rodrick Rules, more new illustrations, and informs readers how the second movie was made.
Toys and Games
Action figures include: a mini figure pack (with Greg, Rowley, Fregley), a 6 inch Greg Heffley figure, a 6 inch holiday figure based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, and a Greg and Rodrick plushy.Games include: Wimpy Kid Uno, Scrabble, and a Cheese Touch board game.
Audio books
Six audio books have been released for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.- Diary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The books focuses...
(March 10, 2008) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick RulesDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick RulesDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series released on February 1, 2008, and a film of the same name released March 25, 2011...
(January 21, 2009) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last StrawDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last StrawDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the third book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book acts as a journal and follows the adventures of Greg Heffley, the narrator of the book, who is in the second half of his seventh grade...
(July 9, 2009) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a realistic fiction novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series It was released on October 12, 2009 in the USA and October 13, 2009 in Canada....
(January 1, 2010) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly TruthDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly TruthDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, is the fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on November 9, 2010.-Plot:...
(November 9, 2010) - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin FeverDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin FeverDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is the sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by American author Jeff Kinney. It was first announced in The Ugly Truth as "More Diary of a Wimpy Kid", then it was announced in The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book as "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6". The title...
(November 15, 2011)
Jealousy
Some parts of the books focus on Greg's jealousy with Rowley getting attention. When Rowley turns in Zoo-Wee-Mama in for the school paper, none of it was changed by Mr. Ira, the editor of the school paper, however he completely changed Greg's comic. This makes Greg so mad, he stops being friends with Rowley, with also occurs at the end of the fourth book, Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a realistic fiction novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series It was released on October 12, 2009 in the USA and October 13, 2009 in Canada....
.
Family Life
Much of the series revolves around Greg's interactions with the rest of the Heffley family. He loves his family but is often annoyed and embarrassed by them, especially with his brothers. Greg's mom is encouraging but naive, and his father is often disappointed in his son's lack of masculinity and good judgement.Awards and Honors
| Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
| #1 New York Times Best Seller (114 weeks) | ||
| 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2008 Kids' Choice Awards The 21st annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards were held at the Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California on March 29, 2008. The show was the first live-action/animated Kids Choice Awards show. The event was hosted by Jack Black. Voting began March 3 on Nick.com and Nicktropolis. A "Bring on the... |
Favorite Book | |
| 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2009 Kids' Choice Awards Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on March 28, 2009 at 8 p.m. on the Nell and John Wooden Court of Pauley Pavilion. Dwayne Johnson hosted this awards show which lasted for more than one and half hours. Voting commenced on March 2, 2009. Performers and presenters have been... |
Favorite Book | |
| ALA Notable Book | ||
| 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Book | |
| 2010 Most Favorite Book Around The World | ||
| 2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2011 Kids' Choice Awards Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on April 2, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles's University Park neighborhood due to renovations disallowing use of traditional venue Pauley Pavilion until at least 2013. Jack Black... |
Favorite Book | |
Commercial success
The New York Times, which ranks children's serials collectively on a "Series Books" bestseller list, has included the Wimpy Kid series for 64 weeks as of April 10, 2010. USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, which ranks best sellers based on sales alone regardless of genre or intended audience, has listed Diary of a Wimpy Kid in its top 150, peaking at number 8, for 141 weeks as of April 4, 2010. As of the same date, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules has been on the list for 117 weeks (peaking at number 4), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw has been on the list for 65 weeks (peaking at number 1), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days has been on the list for all 25 weeks of its publication (peaking at number 1), and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary has been listed for all three weeks of its publication, peaking at number 2. As of May 2010, more than 32 million Wimpy Kid books are in print in the U.S., and the books have been sold in more than 30 countries.
Films
Jeff Kinney announced that a film based on the first book would be produced by 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. The film was released on March 19, 2010, moved up from an April 2 release date. It was directed by Thor Freudenthal
Thor Freudenthal
Thor Freudenthal is a German director and screenwriter who generally works in film.Freudenthal was born and raised in West Berlin, West Germany. He attended the Berlin Academy of Arts, and later moved to Southern California as an exchange student at CalArts. He started out as an animation director...
, who also directed Hotel for Dogs
Hotel for Dogs (film)
Hotel for Dogs is a 2009 American children's comedy film based on the 1971 Lois Duncan novel of the same name. The film, directed by Thor Freudenthal and adapted by Jeff Lowell, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle, stars Johnny Simmons, Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Kyla...
. The film starred Zachary Gordon
Zachary Gordon
Zachary Adam Gordon is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films which are based on Jeff Kinney's #1 New York Times best seller Diary of a Wimpy Kid....
as Greg, Robert Capron
Robert Capron
Robert Capron is American child actor who is best known for starring as Rowley Jefferson, Greg Heffley's best friend in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. He started off with a role in Bride Wars and later had small parts in Hachiko: A Dog's Story and the Disney film The Sorcerer's Apprentice...
as Rowley (Greg's best friend), Steve Zahn
Steve Zahn
-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
as Frank (Greg's father), Rachael Harris
Rachael Harris
Rachael Elaine Harris is an American actress and comedian.-Early life:Harris was born in Worthington, Ohio. She graduated from Worthington High School...
as Susan (Greg's mother), Devon Bostick
Devon Bostick
Devon Bostick is a Canadian actor, best known for playing the lead role in the Atom Egoyan-directed film Adoration and Rodrick Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies.- Life and career :Bostick was born in Toronto, Ontario...
as Rodrick (Greg's older brother), Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny (Greg's younger brother), Chloë Moretz
Chloe Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz is an American actress, known for her role as Hit-Girl in the 2010 superhero film Kick-Ass. She also appeared in The Amityville Horror, Days of Summer, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hugo, and portrayed Abby, the child vampire, in Let Me In.-Personal life:Moretz was born in Atlanta,...
as a new character named Angie, and Grayson Russell
Grayson Russell
Grayson Russell is an American film and television child actor best known for playing Texas Ranger Bobby, son of the title character in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Fregley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies....
as Fregley.
There is a second film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series that was released on March 25, 2011, which was based on the second book, Rodrick Rules, with Zachary Gordon returning as Greg Heffley. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules was also filmed in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Dog Days
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (film)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is an upcoming comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. It is the third film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and is based on the third and fourth book in the series,...
is currently in production.
External links
- Official website
- Online book on Funbrain
- Official blog
- Official movie site