Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series)
![]() The logo of the series, appearing on the book covers, blogs, webcomic, and the films. | |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School | |
Author | Jeff Kinney |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Realistic fiction |
Publisher | Scholastic Publishing / Amulet Books / Puffin Books |
Published | April 1, 2007 – present |
Media type |
Print (hardback & paperback) Audiobook E-book |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of fiction books written by the American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney.[1] All nine books are the journals of the main character, Greg Heffley. Befitting a child's diary, the books are filled with hand-written notes and simple drawings of Greg's daily adventures.[2]
Since the release of the online version in 2004, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim, and commercial success worldwide. For example, 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. As of February 2008, it has been purchased one million times.
The books are being made into a film series by 20th Century Fox,[3] with three films released in theaters as of 2012.
Poptropica has released two video games in the theme of Diary of a Wimpy Kid called Wimpy Wonderland and Wimpy Boardwalk, both of which credit Kinney in an ambiguous contributor's role.
Background
Diary of a Wimpy Kid began in 1998 when Kinney brought up an idea about a middle-school weakling named Greg Heffley who wrote about his personal life. In 2004, FunBrain and Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries until June 2005.[4] The book became an instant hit and the online version received about 20 million views as of 2009; many online readers requested a printed version. Kinney had agreed and in 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was published.[4] To date, nine Wimpy Kid books have been released, plus two do-it-yourself books and three movie diaries. In 2009, Kinney was named one of Time magazine's 100 "Most Influential People" in the world.[5]
Chronology
# | Title | Date | ISBN | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid | April 1, 2007 | ISBN 978-0-8109-9313-6 | |||||
The introduction to the series introduces the protagonist, Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley, his middle school problems, Halloween, and the Cheese Touch. | ||||||||
2 | Rodrick Rules | February 1, 2008 | ISBN 978-0-8109-9473-7 | |||||
The second book in the series is about Greg's relationship with his older brother Rodrick, the Mom Bucks program, the high school party, and the talent show and the troubles faced by Greg because of Rodrick. | ||||||||
3 | The Last Straw | January 13, 2009 | ISBN 978-0-8109-7068-7 | |||||
The third book in the series is about the conflict between Greg and his father, Holly Hills, the soccer team, Spag Union Military Academy, boy scouts, and Seth Snella's half-birthday party. | ||||||||
4 | Dog Days | October 12, 2009 | ISBN 978-0-8109-8391-5 | |||||
The fourth book in the series is about Greg's horrible summer vacation, his mother and how she expects Greg to spend a sporty summer, and their new dog, Sweetie. | ||||||||
5 | The Ugly Truth | November 9, 2010 | ISBN 978-0-8109-8491-2 | |||||
The fifth book in the series is about Greg and Rowley's friendship, his great-grandmother Gammie, troubles of puberty, the school lock-in, and his Uncle Gary's fourth wedding. | ||||||||
6 | Cabin Fever | November 15, 2011 | ISBN 978-1-4197-0223-5 | |||||
The sixth book in the series is about Greg, Manny, the playground, accidental vandalism, Christmas, and a blizzard. | ||||||||
7 | The Third Wheel | November 13, 2012 | ISBN 978-1-4197-0584-7 | |||||
The seventh book in the series is about Greg's date with Abigail for the school dance, Uncle Gary, the restaurant, Valentine's Day, chicken pox, and his life story and the hitch about no one knowing who shall be lucky in love. | ||||||||
8 | Hard Luck | November 5, 2013 | ISBN 978-1-4197-1132-9 | |||||
The eighth book in the series is about Rowley and Abigail's relationship and Greg's and Rowley's, Fregley, the five second rule, a Magic 8-Ball, the Easter party, Meemaw's ring, the Mingo Kids, and his aunts. | ||||||||
9 | The Long Haul [6][7] | November 4, 2014 | ISBN 978-1-4197-1189-3 | |||||
The ninth book in the series is about the Heffley family's extremely disastrous road trip, their new pet pig, the country fair, the motel, their continuous encounters with the Beardo family, and the family's suspicion that the Beardos have stolen their luggage and belongings. | ||||||||
10 | Old School[8][9] | November 3, 2015 | ||||||
The tenth book in the series will feature Greg starting a new school year, and facing a challenge he never could've imagined.[10] |
Supplementary books
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (published between Rodrick Rules and 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 Diary 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 Gordon and Robert Capron, 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.
- The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary 3: Dog Days is the same book that covers how the first film and second film were made, but also stills from the third film, Dog Days and how they made it.
Toys and games
Action figures include: a mini figure pack (with Greg, Rowley, and Fregley), a 6-inch Greg Heffley figure, a 6-inch holiday figure based on Cabin Fever, and a Greg and Rodrick plush doll.
Audiobooks
Nine audiobooks have been released for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. They are read by Ramon de Ocampo, presented by Recorded Books and distributed by Audible.com.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (April 1, 2007)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (February 1, 2008)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (January 13, 2009)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (October 12, 2009)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (November 9, 2010)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (November 15, 2011)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel (November 13, 2012)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (November 5, 2013)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (November 4, 2014)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School (November 3, 2015)
Characters
- Greg Heffley is a wimpy middle schooler in the 6th grade (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), 7th grade (Rodrick Rules - The Last Straw ). 8th Grade (Ugly Truth - present) His best friend is Rowley Jefferson.
- Rowley Jefferson is the childish best friend of Greg. At the end of The Third Wheel, he gets a girlfriend named Abigail Brown. Later it is discovered Rowley was used to get Abigail's ex-boyfriend back, in the end of Hard Luck.
- Rodrick Heffley is the older brother of Greg. He is very rude. He is the drummer in Löded Diper.
- Manny Heffley is Greg & Rodrick's younger brother. He is known to be a tattletale.
- Susan Heffley is Greg's mom.
- Frank Heffley is Greg's dad.
- Fregley is Greg's weird neighbor and classmate.
- Chirag Gupta is Greg's friend.
- Holly Hills is Greg's crush, she thought he was Fregley.
Achievements
Awards and honors
Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|
#1 New York Times Best Seller (114 weeks) | Won | |
2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Book | |
2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Nominated | |
ALA Notable Book | Won | |
2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Book[11] | |
2010 Most Favorite Book Around the World | ||
2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Book | |
2012 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | ||
2013 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Nominated | |
2014 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Won | |
2015 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | ||
Commercial success
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. 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.[12] USA Today, 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, Rodrick Rules has been on the list for 117 weeks (peaking at number 4), The Last Straw has been on the list for 65 weeks (peaking at number 1), 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.[13] 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.[14] The series has sold over 75 million books in 40 countries.[15]
Films
Jeff Kinney announced that a film based on the first book would be produced by 20th Century Fox. The film was released on March 19, 2010, moved up from an April 2 release date.[16] 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 Grace Moretz as a new character named Angie, and Grayson Russell as Fregley.[3][17]
There is a second film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series that was released on March 25, 2011,[18] 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. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules also contains some scenes from The Last Straw.
The third film combines the third and fourth books, The Last Straw and Dog Days, taking stories from both, but mainly from Dog Days, from which it took its title. The decision to blend the two films was made to keep up with the ages of the actors. The film was released on August 3, 2012.[19]
The likelihood of a fourth live action film is slim. Kinney has announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever as the next installment. In an interview for the latest book Hard Luck, Jeff Kinney stated he is working with Fox on a half-hour special of Cabin Fever, which is to be aired in late 2014.[20][21]
References
- ↑ David Browne (March 20, 2011). "All about Jeff Kinney". Parade.com. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- ↑ Kinney, Jeff (April 2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Amulet Books. ISBN 0-8109-9313-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 ""Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)" on". Comingsoon.net. March 19, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Funbrain. Family Education Network. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ↑ The 2009 TIME 100: Jeff Kinney Time magazine's 2009 list of The World's Most Influential People
- ↑ "JUST ANNOUNCED – BOOK 9 in the bestselling DIARY OF A WIMPY KID SERIES". Hatchette Book Group International. April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 9". The Scholastic Store. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ↑ Kellogg, Carolyn (March 26, 2015). "New 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' book to arrive in November". Los Angeles TImes. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ↑ "We reveal the cover and title of Diary of the Wimpy Kid 10!". The Guardian. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ↑ http://www.wimpykid.com/books/book10/
- ↑ Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, nick.com
- ↑ Dixler, Elsa. "The New York Times Best Sellers: Children's Books". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ↑ "USA Today: Best-Selling Books Database". USA Today. April 21, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Release Date Revealed for Wimpy Kid No. 5". Publishers Weekly. May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk/adxtra/10119973.Kinney_s_surreal_life_with_Wimpy_Kid/
- ↑ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules – On Double DVD and Blu-ray Now". Diaryofawimpykidmovie.com. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)" on IMDb.com
- ↑ 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' Sequel to Bow Next March. Moviefone.com. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
- ↑ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Hard Luck and Big Dreams: SLJ Chats with "Wimpy Kid" Creator Jeff Kinney". SLJ. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ Minzesheimer, Bob (August 8, 2013). "Narrator hits 'Hard Luck' in eighth Wimpy Kid book". USA Today. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
External links
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