Jeff Kinney is an accomplished American author and cartoonist, best known for his successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The books have gained such popularity that they are being adapted into a film franchise. Kinney's talent extends beyond writing, as he is also heavily involved in online game creation, cartooning, and website creation.
Born in College Park, Maryland, in 1971, Kinney created a comic strip called "Igdoof" in his childhood. He later attended the University of Maryland, where he studied criminal justice. However, his true passion lay in cartooning, and he eventually moved to New England, where he and his wife now own a bookstore called An Unlikely Story.
Kinney's most notable work, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, has earned him numerous accolades. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World. The series has also been recognized by the New York Times, which praised it as a visually friendly gateway for reluctant readers.
In addition to his writing, Kinney is the creator of Poptropica, a children's website that was named one of Time's 50 Best Websites. He has also made appearances on the big screen, acting in his own movies. Kinney's success as an author has earned him recognition from Forbes, which named him one of the most successful authors in the world, and from NPR, which described him as a rock star in the publishing world.
Most recently, Kinney released the seventeenth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Diper Överlöde. The series has received widespread acclaim, with the Hollywood Reporter dubbing Kinney as the "big fish" in publishing and the Independent comparing him to J.K. Rowling in terms of bestselling success. Fans of all ages can enjoy the Wimpy Kid series through the all-new original Wimpy Kid movies on Disney+ and by visiting the official Wimpy Kid website, where they can participate in various activities and even "Wimp" themselves.