Table of Contents
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Like many young people,
Je Kinney had a tough
time in middle school. But
thanks to his talent and
hard work, he was able to
turn his diicult years into a
series of best-selling books.
Learn how the author and
illustrator of the Diary of a
Wimpy Kid books used his
love of reading and drawing
cartoons to tell the story of
one boys hilarious eorts
to succeed in middle school.
With humor and heart, the
books have kids everywhere
rooting for their unlikely
hero, Greg Heley, and
have made Je Kinney one
of todays most beloved
writers for kids.
Furgang
JUNIOR
BIOGRAPHIES
JUNIOR
BIOGRAPHIES
Other titles in the series
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Kathy Furgang
Writing for Laughs
JEFF KINNEY: Children s Book Author and Cartoonist
Kathy Furgang
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W ords to K noW
fantasy A kind of writing that uses magic and
adventure, often set in another world.
graduate
To finish a school.
influential
Having a great effect on others.
journal
A personal record of thoughts, events, and
feelings, similar to a diary.
publish
To print something so it is available to many.
rehash
To retell or reexperience something.
sibling A brother or sister.
C ontents
Words to Know ..........................
Chapter 1 A Young Jeff Kinney ..................
Chapter 2 A Wimpy Kid Is Born .................
Chapter 3 Its All About the Story ..............
Chapter 4 Dont Be a Wimp, Read! ............
Timeline ...................................
Learn More ...............................
Index ........................................
Jeff Kinney
c h a p t e r
A Y oung J eff K inneY
What makes someone a great childrens author? As Jeff
Kinney knows, its getting kids to love reading. This best-
selling author has denitely done that! Millions of kids
around the world have read Jeffs Diary of a Wimpy Kid
book series.
Jeff Kinney was born on an air force base in Maryland
on February 19, 1971. His father worked for the
government and his mother was a teacher. As a young
boy, Jeff loved reading. His childhood home was lled
with many books. He and his sister enjoyed reading books
by Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. As he got older, Jeff
enjoyed reading fantasy books. But what he really loved
was reading from his fathers comic book collection.
A L ove of A rt
When Jeff graduated
high school, he went
to the University of
Maryland at College
Park. While he was
there, he found that
he loved drawing
comic books. He drew
a comic strip called
Igdoof for his school
newspaper. Igdoof was
awkward and hated
school (much like the
main character of the
Wimpy Kid books).
The cartoon was very
Jeff went to the University of
Maryland, where he studied
computer science and drew
cartoons for the school
newspaper.
I think if everyone would write down the funny
stories from their own childhoods, the world
would be a better place.
Jeff Says:
J eff K inneY : C hiLdren s B ooK A uthor And C Artoonist
A Y oung J eff K inneY
popular. Jeff hoped that he could continue the comic
strip after he left school.
A n eW C omiC
Even though he tried hard, Jeff could not reach his
dream. He was not able to get a newspaper to publish
Igdoof . But he did not give up. In 1998, Jeff started
collecting ideas for a new comic, Diary of a Wimpy Kid . The
stories were about a middle schooler named Greg Hefey,
his family, and his best friend,
Rowley. Jeff did not know
it at the time, but the
comic would one
day become a best-
selling book series.
Jeffs fifth grade
teacher, Mrs. Norton,
encouraged her students
to try to be funny and
go for the best jokes
possible. She also told
Jeff to plan his drawings
ahead of time, and to
think before you ink.
c h a p t e r 2
A W impY K id i s B orn
Jeffs Wimpy Kid idea was not an overnight success.
He worked hard on it for six years before he began
publishing it online at funbrain.com. Each day of the
characters journal entries could be read online, day by
day. (People can still read the comics online today.)
Finally, in 2006, a publisher decided to turn Jeffs
comic strips into a printed book. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
was published in 2007. Kids easily understood the main
character, Greg, and his adventures as a student who was
Jeff turns in around eight drafts
of each of his books. Each book
contains about 350 drawings, and
each takes about an hour for Jeff
to finish.
A W impY K id i s B orn
The cover of Jeffs rst Wimpy Kid
book. It took many years for his
comics to become a book.
new to middle school. The line drawings made the stories
feel fun and comic. The handwritten text made the book
feel like actual journal entries of Gregs feelings and
experiences.
Jeff uses a computer as he creates
new art for a Wimpy Kid book.
W orLd f Amous
Diary of a Wimpy Kid was a huge success. The best-selling
book was proof that people wanted to read more about
Greg Hefey and his adventures in middle school. The
following year, in 2008, the second book in the series,
Rodrick Rules , was released.
t he s eries g roWs
Jeff continued to write more books for the popular new
series. By 2017, he was working on the twelfth book,
To come out and meet kids who have my books in
their hands is kind of amazing.
Jeff Says:
A W impY K id i s B orn
called The Getaway . He also wrote two extra books related
to the series. In 2010, the series was turned into a full-
length lm. Since then, more movies have been made and
they have all been successful with young people.
A scene from the 2010 movie
Diary of a Wimpy
Kid
, starring (
left to right
) Robert Capron,
Zachary Gordon, and Chlo Moretz.
c h a p t e r 3
i t s A LL A Bout the s torY
Ever since Jeff was a child, storytelling was important to
him. He remembers that his grandmother used to tell his
family the same stories over and over again. We would
