Diary of a Wimpy Kid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diary of a Wimpy Kid |
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| Creator | Jeff Kinney |
| Original work | Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007; preceded by online version on Funbrain in 2004) |
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| Print publications | |
| Books | Books list |
| Films and television | |
| Films | Film series |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musicals | Musical |
| Games | |
| Video games | Video games |
| Official website | |
| (US) (UK) | |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a super popular series of illustrated books for kids. It was created by the author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The stories are all about Greg Heffley, a middle school student. He writes and draws about his everyday life in a diary (even though he calls it a journal!).
Jeff Kinney worked on the first book for eight years. In 2004, an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid was shared on FunBrain. It quickly became very popular, with millions of people reading it. Because so many readers wanted a physical book, Kinney signed a deal with Abrams Books. The very first book came out in April 2007 and was an instant hit! In 2009, Time magazine even named Jeff Kinney one of the 100 most influential people.
As of October 2025, there are twenty main books in the series, plus an activity book. There's also a spin-off series about Greg's best friend, Rowley Jefferson, which has three books. The stories have also been made into movies! 20th Century Studios created live-action films from 2010 to 2017. More recently, three animated movies were released in the early 2020s.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have received great reviews and sold incredibly well. By 2020, over 250 million copies were sold worldwide. This makes it one of the best-selling book series ever!
Contents
Main Book Series
| No. | Title | Date | ISBN | |
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| 1 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid | April 1, 2007 | ISBN: 978-0-8109-9313-6 | |
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This book introduces Greg Heffley and his many attempts to become popular at school.
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| 2 | Rodrick Rules | February 1, 2008 | ISBN: 978-0-8109-9473-7 | |
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Greg's older brother, Rodrick, knows an embarrassing secret from the summer. Greg must keep it hidden while dealing with Rodrick's bossy behavior.
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| 3 | The Last Straw | January 13, 2009 | ISBN: 978-0-8109-7068-7 | |
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Greg's dad, Frank, wants to send him to military school. Greg tries to convince him otherwise and also impress Holly Hills, a girl he likes.
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| 4 | Dog Days | October 12, 2009 | ISBN: 978-0-8109-8391-5 | |
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During summer vacation, Greg faces challenges like a boardwalk trip, keeping Rowley as a friend, and dealing with a new pet dog.
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| 5 | The Ugly Truth | November 9, 2010 | ISBN: 978-0-8109-8491-2 | |
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As a new school year begins, Greg deals with the challenges of growing up. This includes changing dentists, attending a school lock-in, and understanding the changes that happen as you get older.
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| 6 | Cabin Fever | November 15, 2011 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-0223-5 | |
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The Heffley family gets stuck at home during a blizzard. Greg worries he might get in trouble for accidentally damaging his school.
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| 7 | The Third Wheel | November 13, 2012 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-0584-7 | |
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Greg tries to find a date for a school Valentine's Day dance. He and Rowley end up taking a girl named Abigail together.
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| 8 | Hard Luck | November 5, 2013 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-1132-9 | |
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After the last book, Abigail and Rowley start dating, making Greg feel left out. He uses a Magic 8-Ball to help him make decisions.
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| 9 | The Long Haul | November 4, 2014 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-1189-3 | |
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The Heffley family goes on a road trip during the summer, leading to many funny adventures.
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| 10 | Old School | November 3, 2015 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-1701-7 | |
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Greg's mom wants the town to go without electronics for a weekend. Greg later goes on a school trip to an old-fashioned farm to avoid his dad.
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| 11 | Double Down | November 1, 2016 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-2344-5 | |
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Greg tries out his creative side by playing an instrument, making a movie with Rowley, and going to a fun Halloween party.
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| 12 | The Getaway | November 7, 2017 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-2545-6 | |
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For the holidays, the Heffleys fly to a tropical resort, hoping for a relaxing vacation.
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| 13 | The Meltdown | October 30, 2018 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-2743-6 | |
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In winter, Greg and Rowley get involved in a huge snowball fight that takes over their neighborhood.
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| 14 | Wrecking Ball | November 5, 2019 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3 | |
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The Heffleys get money from Greg's great-aunt who passed away. They use it to fix up their house, but things go wrong.
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| 15 | The Deep End | October 27, 2020 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-4868-4 | |
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The Heffley family ends up stranded at an RV park during a camping trip.
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| 16 | Big Shot | October 26, 2021 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-4915-5 | |
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After a bad field day, Greg decides he's done with sports. But his mom makes him try out for basketball. He joins a team that isn't very good and tries to help them win.
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| 17 | Diper Överlöde | October 25, 2022 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-6294-9 | |
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Greg joins his brother Rodrick's band, Löded Diper, on tour. He experiences the ups and downs of being in a rock band.
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| 18 | No Brainer | October 24, 2023 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-6694-7 | |
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Greg's middle school is in danger of closing because of low test scores. Greg and his classmates must work together to save their school.
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| 19 | Hot Mess | October 22, 2024 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-6695-4 | |
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The Heffley family's secrets start to come out during another wild vacation. This includes the mystery behind Gramma's famous meatballs.
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| 20 | Partypooper | October 21, 2025 | ISBN: 978-1-4197-6695-4 | |
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Greg expects a surprise birthday party, but it doesn't happen. His family feels bad and throws him a big party, which Greg plans to use to get lots of presents.
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Extra Books and Spin-offs
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book is an activity book. It has blank pages where readers can write their own journal, just like Greg's.
- The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (a later edition) is similar to the first. It includes 60 extra pages and 16 more full-color comics.
- The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary tells the story of how the first movie was made. It has pictures from the film and new drawings by Jeff Kinney.
- Updated versions of The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary were released. These included details and pictures from the second film, Rodrick Rules, and later the third film, Dog Days.
- The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Next Chapter explains how the film The Long Haul was created.
Rowley Jefferson's Spin-off Series
A special series of books is told from the point of view of Greg's best friend, Rowley Jefferson.
- The first book, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal, came out in April 2019. It shares funny stories about Greg and Rowley's friendship.
- The second book, Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure, was released in August 2020. It's a fantasy adventure story.
- The third book, Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories, came out in March 2021.
Audiobooks
You can also listen to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books! Audiobooks are available for every main story in the series.
Meet the Characters
- Greg Heffley is the main character and narrator. He's a middle school student who sometimes makes mistakes but always learns something.
- Rowley Jefferson is Greg's kind and loyal best friend.
- Rodrick Heffley is Greg and Manny's older brother. He's often rude and plays tricks on Greg. He's also the drummer in his band, Löded Diper.
- Manny Heffley is Greg and Rodrick's younger brother. He's a bit spoiled and known for telling on others.
- Susan Heffley is Greg's mother. She sometimes embarrasses Greg.
- Frank Heffley is Greg's father. He often wants Greg to play sports and "become a man."
- Gramma is Greg's grandmother on his mother's side.
- Grandpa is Greg's grandfather on his father's side. He sometimes annoys Greg.
- Fregley is Greg's quirky neighbor and classmate.
- Chirag Gupta is one of Greg's friends. Greg once played a trick on him, pretending Chirag was invisible.
- Holly Hills is a girl Greg likes in Hard Luck.
- Heather Hills is Holly's older sister. Both Greg and Rodrick used to like her.
- Patty Farrell is Greg's rival at school.
- Gammie is Greg’s great-grandmother, who is over 90 years old. She is seen as the leader of the Heffley family.
- Sweetie was the Heffleys' temporary dog. He annoyed Greg and was later given to Gramma, who spoiled him.
- Uncle Gary is Frank’s brother and Greg’s uncle. He has been married several times and acts a bit childish.
- An unnamed pig was won by Manny at a county fair. This pig was very smart and could walk upright. The family put the pig in a kennel for vacation, but it escaped and hasn't been seen since.
- Albert Sandy is a kid in Greg's grade who often tells untrue rumors to scare other children.
Awards and Success
Awards and Honors
| Award | Category | Result |
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| #1 New York Times Best Seller (812 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 | |
| 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 | ||
| 2016 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | ||
| 2023 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Nominated |
Commercial Success
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been praised by many, including The New York Times. As of October 14, 2024, the series has been on The New York Times bestseller list for children's books for an amazing 812 weeks!
USA Today also lists the books among its top sellers. The first book reached number 8 on their list. Other books like Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw, and Dog Days also hit number 1.
Globally, over 200 million copies of the series have been sold. These books are available in 56 languages and 65 different editions. The series has earned over $500 million in revenue.
Media Adaptations
Video Games
Jeff Kinney created two video games based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid for his online game Poptropica.
- Wimpy Wonderland Island was released in March 2011. Players solve puzzles and go through challenges based on the books.
- Wimpy Boardwalk Island was released in July 2012. It offers another adventure for players.
Films
Live-Action Films
- A movie based on the first book came out in March 2010. It starred Zachary Gordon as Greg and Robert Capron as Rowley.
- The second film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, was released in March 2011. It was based on the second book.
- The third film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, came out in August 2012. It combined stories from the third and fourth books. This was done to match the actors' ages.
- A fourth live-action film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, was released in May 2017. It was based on the book of the same name.
Animated Films
Disney+ has released animated movies based on the series.
- An animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid film premiered on Disney+ in December 2021.
- A second animated film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, was released on Disney+ in December 2022.
- A third animated film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, came out on Disney+ in December 2023.
Musical
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical was first performed by the Children's Theatre Company in 2016. A new version of the show was staged in 2022. A music album with songs from the musical was released in December 2023.
Images for kids
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All 20 books of the main series. (UK version)
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Books 1-18 of the main series. (USA version)
See also
In Spanish: El diario de Greg (serie) para niños
