Jeff Kinney is the best-selling author and illustrator of the wildly popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, featuring the everyday life of the very relatable adolescent Greg Heffley.
Kinney spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C. area and later moved to New England. As a young reader, Kinney was inspired by the books of Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and J.R.R. Tolkien. While a student at the University of Maryland, Kinney decided he wanted to become a cartoonist.
Kinney began noodling ideas for the firstDiary of a Wimpy Kidbook in 1998, but it wasn't until the spring of 2007 that the book was published — and quickly became aNew York Timesbestseller, eventually reaching the number one spot. In 2009, Kinney was named one of the 20 Artists & Entertainers in The TIME 100, the magazine's list of The World's Most Influential people. In 2010,Diary of a Wimpy Kidwas made into a movie.
Kinney is also a successful online game developer, cartoonist, designer, and the creator of Poptropica, known by children around the world. Poptropica is an online role-playing game designed for kids 6 to 15 where players travel between islands to complete quests.
Kinney currently lives Plainville, Massachusetts with his wife Julie and their two sons, Will and Grant.
Learn more at the official Wimpy Kid website.