Jeff Kinney on 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days'

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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 10/29/2009

Greg Heffley’s back again—and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (Abrams/Amulet, 2009), the fourth book in Jeff Kinney’s hugely popular series, is already dominating national bestseller lists.

SLJ just caught up with Kinney to talk about his book tour, why he’s keeping his day job—and yes, the fact that a fifth book is in the works.

OK, you’ve just replaced Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol at the top of the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—and you’ve overtaken Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series in the number one spot on the New York Times Best Sellers: Children's Series list. How does it feel?
It feels great to be at the top of the bestseller lists, and I feel proud I was able to steal one during a fall packed with big book releases. I’m trying to keep it in perspective and appreciate the moment, because Stephen King is coming, and so is Sarah Palin.

I do find it strange and sort of wonderful that a book filled with cartoons is at the top of the bestseller lists.

You originally wrote it for an adult audience, and now your books are reaching a segment of kids that librarians have been trying to reach for years—reluctant readers. 
I’m shocked by the sheer number of kids out there reading these books, and the irony of originally having written the books for adults is not lost on me. I think kids like the series because it’s filled with humor and relatable situations, and the cartoons don’t hurt.

Do you ever have to defend the diary/comic format of the “Wimpy Kid” books to those who don’t consider it legitimate reading? 
The mix of a handwritten font and lots of illustrations makes the books feel accessible to kids. I haven’t gotten a lot of backlash for not having written “real” literature, but I wouldn’t mind it. My books are just for fun, and I think they’re a gateway to more legitimate reading. I’ve gotten thousands of emails from parents and teachers saying my books turned have their kids into readers. I can’t say that’s what I set out to do, but I’m proud that it’s happening.

Do you think kids’ books will be more visual?
I think that kids’ books will become more graphical as time goes on. Because of the Internet, kids bring a visual expectation to their reading.

I heard that last Friday, the Barnes & Noble in Orange, CA, hosted a book signing with you and that proceeds from the sales of your books were donated to the Faylane Elementary School Library. How did that come about? 
I just wrapped up my book tour, and it was a lot of fun. I got smart this time around and rented a tour bus, which took the edge off. The Orange, CA, signing was great… we had 4,800 people show up, and the signing was six hours long. The way it came about was that one of the producers on the Wimpy Kid movie told me about a school whose library had suffered damage in a fire, and I decided to try and help out.

Why are all of your "Wimpy Kid" books 217 pages long? 
Books are typically created in sixteen-page “signatures,” or page groupings. My books are actually 224 pages each, but I only number 217 of them. I decided to keep all of the books the same length so they’d look good on a kid’s shelf.

Are your two sons, Will and Grant, old enough to enjoy your books and do you ever get ideas from them?
My wife reads my books to my sons with a good bit of censoring. My youngest son has declared that he doesn’t much care for my books.

I do get some ideas from my older son, who has a little bit of Greg Heffley in him.

You’re such a huge star now, so why are you keeping your day job as a design director at a Boston-based Internet publishing company? 
I don’t know if I’m such a huge star… my life is really very ordinary. I’m keeping my day job because I love what I do, and I feel a responsibility to the people I work with.

What can you tell us about the movie, with Steve Zahn as dad, Rachael Harris as mom, Devon Bostick as Rodrick, Zachary Gordon as Greg, Robert Capron as Rowley, and Grayson Russell as Fregley? 
The movie comes out on April 2nd of next year. It’s live-action and is peppered with animations and fantasy sequences. I contributed to the writing and serve as an executive producer. I gave feedback on the casting of the principal cast. I was on set for about half of the shoot, and had a great time getting to know the cast and the people who worked on the movie.

What do people most misunderstand about you?
I’ve been frustrated by recent news reports that mischaracterize my work. A nationally televised news program recently ran a report entitled, “A Wimpy Kid with a Foul Mouth.” I thought that was unfair and sent the wrong message about my series.

So what are you working on now? 
I’m working on the fifth book, which is about Greg and his friend Rowley on the cusp of puberty.