Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney (Jeffrey Patrick Kinney) was born on February 19th, 1971 and is currently 55 years old. Jeff Kinney was born in Fort Washington, Maryland, USA.

Jeff Kinney is the author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series which currently consists of 21 novels. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series started in 2007 with the novel Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The most recently released novel in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was Partypooper which was released in 2025. There is an upcoming novel for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series titled Fight or Flight which is being released on October 20th, 2026.

Jeff Kinney has also written 4 Non-Fiction Books, including Diary of a Wimpy Kit Do-It-Yourself Book and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary.

Jeff Kinney: Awards & Accolades

Kinney's books have won multiple awards, The Ugly Truth won the Goodreads Awards, Best Middle Grade and Children’s, in 2010. Old School won the Nielsen Awards, Gold Bestseller, in 2017. Double Down won the Nielsen Awards, Silver Bestseller, in 2017. Rodrick Rules won the Nielsen Awards, Platinum Bestseller, in 2018. Dog Days won the Nielsen Awards, Platinum Bestseller, in 2018. Cabin Fever won the Nielsen Awards, Platinum Bestseller, in 2021. Hot Mess won the British Book Awards, Children's Book of the Year, in 2025.

The following novels by Jeff Kinney were nominated for these awards:

• Dog Days: Goodreads Awards, Best Middle Grade and Children’s (2009).
• Cabin Fever: Goodreads Awards, Best Middle Grade and Children’s (2011).
• The Third Wheel: Goodreads Awards, Best Middle Grade and Children’s (2012).
• The Long Haul: British Book Awards, International Author of the Year (2014). Goodreads Awards, Best Middle Grade and Children’s (2014).
• Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Goodreads Awards, Best Middle Grade and Children’s (2019).
• Diper Överlöde: British Book Awards, Children's Book of the Year (2023).
• Hot Mess: British Book Awards, Book of the Year (2025).

Jeff Kinney: Lists & Other Mentions

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2010.
  2. Amazon US: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014.
• The Last Straw: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2009.
• Dog Days: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2009.
• Cabin Fever: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2011.
• The Ugly Truth: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2010 and 2011.
• The Third Wheel:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2012 and 2013.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2012 and 2013.
• Hard Luck:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2013 and 2014.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2013.
• The Long Haul:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2014 and 2015.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2014.
• Old School: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2015 and 2016.
• Double Down: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2016 and 2017.
• The Getaway:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2017.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2017.
• The Meltdown:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2018.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2018.
• Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2019.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2019.
• Wrecking Ball:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2019.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2019.
• The Deep End:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2020.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2020.
• Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories: Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2021.
• Big Shot:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2021.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2021.
• Diper Överlöde:
  1. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2022.
  2. Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 2022.
• No Brainer:
  1. USA Today: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2023.
  2. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2023.
• Hot Mess: USA Today: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2024.
• Partypooper: USA Today: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2025.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck was the #1 entry on the Publishers Weekly bestselling novels list in 2013.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown was the #1 entry on the Publishers Weekly bestselling novels list in 2018.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series was listed on Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024.

Related Authors

Fans of Jeff Kinney also enjoy these authors:

1. Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games Series.
2. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.
3. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
4. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
5. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.

Jeff Kinney: F.A.Q