The Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series and media franchise is a book series written by Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley who illustrates his daily life in his diary. The book series is still ongoing and has been adapted into several live-action films, an animated film, and into a musical.
The entire book series has sold over 200 million copies offline and online, making it the fourth best-selling book series of all time. It has also been translated into 56 languages and at one time held the record for being a New York Times Best Seller for 664 weeks.
Sl. No. | Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books in Order |
---|---|
1) | Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007) |
2) | Rodrick Rules (2008) |
3) | The Last Straw (2009) |
4) | Dog Days (2009) |
5) | The Ugly Truth (2010) |
6) | Cabin Fever (2011) |
7) | The Third Wheel (2012) |
8) | Hard Luck (2013) |
9) | The Long Haul (2014) |
10) | Old School (2015) |
11) | Double Down (2016) |
12) | The Getaway (2017) |
13) | The Meltdown (2018) |
14) | Wrecking Ball (2019) |
15) | The Deep End (2020) |
16) | Big Shot (2021) |
17) | Diper överlöde (2022) |
18) | No Brainer (2023) |
About Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a collection of young adult novels written by American author Jeff Kinney. The books are written in the form of a diary, featuring the musings and experiences of a middle-school student named Greg Heffley.
The series follows Greg as he navigates the ups and downs of adolescence, dealing with everything from school bullies and crushes to family conflicts and embarrassing situations.
Who is Gregory Heffley?
Gregory ‘Greg’ Heffley is the main protagonist of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. Greg is known for playing pranks on his best friend, praying for bad things to happen to other people, terrorizing young children, and picking on other students.
However, he is also portrayed as a kind brother that helps his brother with his homework and as a forgiving friend. The book series heavily features his best friend Rowley Jefferson, his mother Susan, brothers Rodrick and Manny, and Father Frank.
Jeff Kinney’s Biography
Jeff Kinney is an American author and cartoonist best known for creating the children’s book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Kinney grew up in Maryland and attended the University of Maryland, College Park. At college, Kinney created a popular comic strip known as Igdoof which ran in the school newspaper.
He started working on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid in 1998 and went on to release an online version of the story in 2004. The series went on to be a massive hit with Kinney being named one of the World’s Most Influential People by TIME.
Kinney devotes most of his time to writing and illustrating books. He is also an advocate for kids spending more time reading than on screen.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books in Order
1) Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007)
The first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series introduces us to the main character, Greg Heffley, a middle schooler who begins to write a journal for when he becomes rich and famous. Through his diary entries, Jeff introduces us to middle school lore, his best friend, and his family. Jeff also recounts significant moments in his year.
2) Rodrick Rules (2008)
The second book, Rodrick Rules, starts off with Jeff explaining to the readers how bad his summer vacation is going, especially since he signed up for the swim team while still being a terrible swimmer. Additionally, Rodrick, with whom he constantly fights, picks him up from his practice. Rodrick and his bandmates also start preparing for the Crossland Elementary, Middle, and High School talent show, which drives their father Frank insane.
3) The Last Straw (2009)
The third installment starts off on New Year’s Day, with Greg describing to the readers his family’s New Year’s resolution. He talks about how he is tired of Frank constantly comparing Greg to the sons of his dad’s boss, who are all athletic and like to play outside. He also recounts the incident at church on Easter when he accidentally spoils Manny’s chocolate bunny, which stains the back of his pants, and is afraid to get up because he thinks that everybody in attendance will think that he has soiled himself.
4) Dog Days (2009)
Dog Days follows our beloved narrator Greg on his summer break between the seventh and eighth grades. While Greg intends to spend his summer break playing video games, his mother, Susan, is insistent that he go outdoors to play. Susan intends the summer vacation to be the best, even on a low budget. On his birthday, Greg’s parents give him a phone that can only make emergency calls, which disappoints Greg, who wanted a dog.
5) The Ugly Truth (2010)
Susan Heffley decides to go back to college in order to stimulate her mind. The stability of the Heffley family soon falls apart when the Heffley men must take care of themselves. Frank also gives Greg the responsibility of waking himself up in the morning. This causes Greg to lose sleep, and he accidentally goes on to activate the school fire alarm in his sleep-deprived state.
6) Cabin Fever (2011)
Fans and critics alike consider Cabin Fever one of the best books in the Wimpy Kid series. At the start of the book, Greg explains that he wants to behave really well in order to receive good gifts on Christmas. A blizzard suddenly hits the town, shutting the family out of their home. They also lose electricity at some point, causing them to endure freezing temperatures and nearly run out of food.
7) The Third Wheel (2012)
Greg starts off the seventh book in the series by recounting a series of anecdotes from the time of his conception to his preschool years. Greg also goes into great detail about some of the new parenting methods that his mother has tried on Manny and their effects on Manny’s personality. Uncle Gary then pays a visit to the family, having lost money after investing in a “business opportunity of a lifetime.” He now needs a place to stay until he can get back on his feet. At school, everybody prepares for the student council election. Greg decides to sign Rowley for the position due to his lack of detention.
8) Hard Luck (2013)
Greg starts off this book by recalling his mother’s wise words that “friends will come and go, but family is forever.” He begins to understand the meaning of this statement as Rowley refuses to hang out with him anymore because his girlfriend Abigail said so. Greg takes his mother’s advice to branch out and make new friends by meeting the kids in his neighborhood. When things get even worse for Greg, he uses a Magic 8-Ball to make the right decisions for him and turn his life around.
9) The Long Haul (2014)
As summer vacation starts, Greg’s mother announces that the family will be going on a surprise road trip. After a day of driving, the family decides to stop at a run-down motel where Greg and Rodrick have to share a room. The next day they visit a country fair, where his little brother Manny wins a live baby pig in a contest. The pig ends up costing the Heffleys a lot of money after it eats food from the minibar and destroys their room. But after the pig bites off Greg’s finger, his parents decide to donate the pig to a petting zoo.
10) Old School (2015)
The 10th installment in the Wimpy Kid book series starts off with Greg telling the audience about his mother’s petition to stop the entire town from using electronic devices for a weekend because she does not like them.
In order to try something different, Greg decides to sign himself up for the Homework Buddies program. At home, Greg’s grandfather decides to move in with the family after the rent at his retirement home is raised and his girlfriend breaks up with him.
11) Double Down (2016)
The book starts off with Greg talking about how he thinks his life is a reality TV show. Susan becomes disappointed in Greg after he spends the money she gave him for the book fair on buying toys. At school, Greg enters a contest in which the students release balloons with letters attached to them, and the student whose balloon goes the farthest wins a jar of candy corn. Greg decides to join the school band in order to get invited to a Halloween party. Greg also comes up with the idea to make a horror movie and seeks Rowley’s help to write and film the opening of the movie.
12) The Getaway (2017)
Greg and his family watch an advertisement for Isla de Corales, a resort where Greg’s parents had their honeymoon. To Greg’s annoyance, his parents decide to skip their Christmas celebrations and take the family to the resort instead.
When they reach the hotel, they realize that the resort has changed significantly since his parents’ honeymoon. One mishap after another makes the family very tense on what was supposed to be an otherwise relaxing vacation.
13) The Meltdown (2018)
Greg worries about climate change after experiencing a usually hot Saturday in January. He wonders what the impact of climate change will be on his life. He becomes so preoccupied with the thought that he forgets about submitting a social studies assignment, for which his mother punishes him by banning his access to television and video games. According to Jeff Kinney, The Meltdown is intended to be a war book that has some political elements.
14) Wrecking Ball (2019)
Wrecking Ball is the 14th book in the series, and it starts in March as Greg goes through his closet on spring cleaning day and starts to reminisce about objects from his childhood. Then Greg learns about the death of his great-aunt Reba and becomes excited about the prospect of receiving inheritance money. However, to his dismay, his mother chooses to spend the inheritance money on expanding the kitchen.
15) The Deep End (2020)
After what went down in the last book, the Heffley family starts living in their grandmother’s basement. Soon they start going stir-crazy and decide to go on a small vacation that they can afford. They take their uncle’s camper in order to save money on hotels and restaurants. The family chooses to vacation in a national forest inside a luxury RV campground.
16) Big Shot (2021)
Greg Heffley has never been an athletic boy; however, upon learning that the winning homeroom at their school’s field day will get a day, he decides to start training. Despite his efforts, the field day ends up being a huge disaster, with the lunch staff winning the game due to insider trading.
17) Diper överlöde (2022)
In the 17th and latest installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, Diper överlöde, Greg expresses his thoughts on fame. He attempts to make his best friend Rowley famous, but when he is unsuccessful in his efforts, he decides to use his brother’s band to fulfill his desire.
18) No Brainer (2023)
In No Brainer, the 18th novel in Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, it’s up to Greg to salvage his collapsing school before it’s permanently closed.
Greg Heffley has had a rough time in middle school up until now. So when the town threatens to close the decaying structure, he’s not too upset.
When Greg finds he’ll be sent to a different school than his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, he changes his mind. Can Greg and his pals salvage their school before it is permanently closed? Is this the beginning of a new chapter for Greg?
Also read: Owl Diaries Books in Order
Companion books
1) Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
It is an activity book that encourages readers to keep a journal in the style of the books.
2) The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary
This book covers the making of the first film. The book is dedicated to the main stars of the film: Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron.
3) The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary – Next Chapter
Now Includes the New Movie Rodrick Rules- This book is an updated version of the first book and features information on how the second film was made.
4) The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Story of All 3 Movies
This book is another updated version of the first Movie book and has information on how the third film was made along with stills from the film.
Spin-off
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal
The first installment of this book series was released in 2019, and it is written from the perspective of Greg Heffley’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. He starts off his diary by describing his family and then goes into great detail about his best friend, Greg Heffley.
He tells the audience various tales from their friendship over the years. This book was followed by ‘Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure in 2020.
The second book is in the style of a fantasy adventure. The third book, Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories, was released in 2021.