Who is Jeff Kinney?

Jeff Kinney was born in 1971 in Maryland and attended the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. It was there that Jeff ran a comic strip called “Igdoof” in the campus newspaper, and he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist.

However, Jeff was not successful in getting his comic strip syndicated after college, and in 1998 he started writing down ideas for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which he hoped to turn into a book. Jeff worked on the book for six years before publishing it online on Funbrain.com in daily installments. To date, the online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has more than 80 million visits, and is typically read by more than 70,000 kids a day.

In 2006, Jeff signed a multi-book deal with publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc. to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a print series. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was published in 2007 and became an instant bestseller. The ninth book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, sold more than 2 million copies in all formats around the world in its first week. There are more than 150 million copies of the series in print.

Since publication, the series has gone on to win many regional and national awards around the globe including two Children’s Choice Book Awards and five Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Book.. Jeff Kinney was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in the world. In addition, three movies based on the book series have grossed more than $250 million internationally. 

In 2007, Jeff also created Poptropica.com, where he continues to work full-time as the creative and editorial director.
Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and two sons, where he is opening a bookstore.

[FROM: http://www.wimpykid.com/]

NEW - BOOK 10! Coming in November!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School

Life was better in the old days. Or was it?

That’s the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn’t cut out for an old-fashioned world.

With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive? Or is going “old school” just too hard for a kid like Greg?

Watch Story Smash Up with Jeff Kinney & Captain Underpants author - Dav Pilkey

See Jeff and Dav create a story smashup before a live kid audience. Then tell us how YOU think the story should end for your chance to win the GRAND PRIZE.