Jeff Kinney author page

Jeff Kinney Biography

Early Life and Education

• Born on February 19, 1971, Jeffrey Patrick Kinney is an American author and cartoonist, renowned for his iconic creation, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
• Raised in Fort Washington, Maryland, Kinney attended Potomac Landing Elementary School and later graduated from Bishop McNamara High School in 1989.
• He pursued higher education at the University of Maryland, initially majoring in computer science before switching to criminal justice to dedicate more time to his passion for comics.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series

• In 1998, Kinney conceived the idea of Greg Heffley, a middle-school weakling, and began creating illustrated stories about his life.
• After an online version’s success in 2004, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was born, with the first print edition released in April 2007.
• The series boasts 31 books, including a movie diary and a Do-It-Yourself Book, with global sales exceeding 275 million copies as of 2023.

Professional Achievements

• Jeff Kinney works full-time as a writer and illustrator, with his creations extending beyond books to include the child-friendly website Poptropica.
• Poptropica features islands like “Wimpy Wonderland” and “Wimpy Boardwalk,” integrating Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters and events.
• His dedication to promoting literacy led him to open “An Unlikely Story,” a bookstore and cafe in Plainville, Massachusetts, with his wife Julie in May 2015.

Book Tour and Advocacy

• To promote Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer, Kinney embarked on “The No Brainer Show” book tour across the West Coast in 2023.
• The tour, dedicated to libraries, included a personal donation of $100,000 and collaboration with publishers to provide diverse books to libraries.
• Kinney hosted game shows at each stop, allowing participants to win prizes for their local libraries.

Personal Life

• Jeff Kinney married Julie Kinney on December 14, 2003, and they have two sons together.
• Residing in Plainville, Massachusetts, Kinney emphasizes the importance of reading for children as an alternative to excessive screen time.
• While expressing his disapproval of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid character becoming an internet meme in 2020, Kinney highlighted the significance of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Publications

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, and many more.