Exclusive: Jeff Kinney donates 20,000 books a month ahead of 20th 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'
The "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author and his publisher Abrams join First Book to make a major donation.
A lot has happened in the 18 years since the first “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” There has been a pandemic, huge jumps in advanced technology and new even popes. Through it all, "Wimpy Kid" main character Greg Heffley has remained perpetually sardonic, perpetually a middle schooler.
Readers have had a new "Wimpy Kid" book (sometimes two) to look forward to every year since the original published in 2007. Now, in the months leading up to “Partypooper,” the series' 20th installment, author Jeff Kinney has something up his sleeve.
Kinney shared exclusively with Paste BN that he's gifting 20,000 books a month until he hits 160,000 total to kids across the country in partnership with the nonprofit First Book.
Jeff Kinney and First Book to donate 160,000 books
It’s a big year for Kinney and Abrams Books, which publishes “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Not only is book 20 on the horizon, but they’re also approaching 300 million copies sold.
To celebrate, 160,000 total copies will go to underserved communities through First Book, an organization Kinney has worked with throughout his career. The nonprofit is dedicated to breaking educational barriers in low-income communities, particularly through access to literature. Kinney grew up in “a house full of books” and said he didn’t realize how privileged he was at the time.
"I love their mission and their philosophy," Kinney says, pointing out that First Book takes care to provide diverse books so many kids are represented on the page. "A lot of kids who they serve have never owned a book of their own. You can see it when a kid is given a book that might not have a book in their house, they can't believe that they get to keep this book and that it's theirs. Sometimes, they'll sort of reflexively hug it to their chest because they treasure it."
Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book, remembers "my own sons laughing out loud when they read Jeff’s books," she told Paste BN in a statement.
"That’s the kind of joy and love of books that we want every child to experience," she said. "We’re thrilled to hold hands with Jeff and Amulet/Abrams Books and build on our long-standing partnership.”
Zimmer hopes that as kids share books with their siblings and friends, it will “build a nation of readers and the literate workforce employers need.”
“This is critically important because boosting our nation’s reading scores starts with boosting kids’ access to terrific books with stories that spark their interest in reading,” Zimmer said.
Educators and volunteers who work at schools, early childhood programs, after-school programs, health clinics, faith-based programs and community organizations where at least 70% of kids come from low-income families are eligible to become First Book members and can sign up at fbmarketplace.org.
More ‘Wimpy Kid’ celebrations are coming in 2025
“Partypooper” centers on Greg’s birthday, a very “'Wimpy Kid' version” of a birthday, Kinney says. Greg thinks his family is preparing for a surprise party, but they’ve actually forgotten it altogether. After the story goes viral and Greg’s parents are “shamed" on social media, Greg decides it’s his chance to cash in and leverage the best birthday ever.
In addition to touring, Kinney plans a special surprise school assembly for select schools around the country. It’ll start “really dry,” with an actor pretending to educate kids about proper care of library books, Kinney says. They’ll hold up damaged copies of “Wimpy Kid” books, brushing them off as “worthless, anyway.” And just when the kids start to squirm (or maybe riot), Kinney will pop on stage with a giant cake and books for an impromptu “Wimpy Kid” party.
“I hope it doesn’t backfire, the kids don’t rebel, and I hope that it’s a good surprise that I’m there,” Kinney says, laughing.
Clare Mulroy is Paste BN’s books reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.