![]() First edition hardcover | |
Author | Jeff Kinney |
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Illustrator | Jeff Kinney |
Country | United States of America |
Language | English |
Series | Diary of a Wimpy Kid |
Genre | Children's |
Publisher | Amulet Books (US) Puffin Books (UK) |
Publication date | November 5, 2019 [1] |
Media type | Print (paperback, hardcover) |
Pages | 224 [1] |
ISBN | 9781419739033 |
Preceded by | The Meltdown |
Followed by | The Deep End |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball is a children's novel written by Jeff Kinney and the fourteenth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The series follows an unlucky middle school student named Greg Heffley, his family, and his friends. The books are illustrated with simple, black-and-white drawings from Greg's perspective. Wrecking Ball focuses on Greg; his mother, Susan; his father, Frank; and his best friend, Rowley; as the Heffley family renovate their house and prepare to move to a new neighborhood. It was released on November 5, 2019. [1]
In March, Greg goes through his closet for spring cleaning day and reminisces about various objects from his childhood. He then has a yard sale and hires Rowley to make sure nothing is stolen. When it starts raining, Greg's objects on sale are ruined, and he does not sell anything.
Greg's great aunt Reba dies, but the family goes to what turns out to be the wrong funeral (of a man named Robert Law). Later, Greg is very excited about receiving inheritance money. After a family meeting, Susan chooses to spend the money on expanding their house's kitchen, vetoing her family member's eccentric ideas on how to spend the money. To prepare for the construction, Frank tries to teach Greg how to do chores around the house. Greg fears that a monster is in the plumbing while trying to unclog the drain, due to his parents mentioning the large quantities of grout in their bathroom, leading Greg's imagination to believe there was some sort of monster lurking in the plumbing system. When Greg is instructed to paint around his family's hot tub, he discovers a wasp's nest, which Rodrick sprays with the hose. While cleaning the gutters, the ladder falls and Greg is stuck on the roof until he climbs through the master bathroom window above the garage roof. Susan hires professional workers, and Frank decides to send Greg outside to help them. Greg initially argues that it would ruin the quality of his self-proclaimed "buttery" hands, but Frank ignores Greg's protests and sends him outside to help. At first, Greg feels as if the workers didn't give him enough respect, due to the fact they were playing pranks on him. Greg subsequently attempts to make himself of more importance on the construction site, by completing helpful tasks to benefit the workers. A fight starts when Greg (accidentally) ruins one of the workers' lunch deliveries, and Greg quickly backs out of helping outside.
Greg is stressed due to a school-wide test that determines important decisions around his school, such as teacher's salaries and the replacement of core subjects. He writes that now problems are arising at home, including the fact that a large hole has been cut in the side of the house, exposing an infestation of wasps and mice. The recently built extension to the house is demolished due to it being too close to a neighbor's residence, and the rest of the inheritance money is spent on fixing the hole. Later, Susan tells Greg that his school's funding is being cut due to low scores on the test. Greg reasons that during the test, a kid had let the stress lizard (which was previously brought in to lower the stress levels of students) out of its cage, causing panic throughout the school. Susan then suggests that they move to a new school district, to improve Greg's education. Greg is excited about the idea of being in a new school but worries about leaving Rowley behind. Greg and his family tour a possible future house, which has a big kitchen, a swimming pool, and more. The Heffleys like it and want to buy it. Greg's family attempts to sell their own house, which is successful when a family chooses to buy it on the condition that the hot tub is removed.
The day after Greg tries to explain his departure to Rowley, he sees that more work is already being done on his house and the Heffleys rush to get all their belongings out, after a mistake by Susan who had chosen the wrong date for the moving services to come. A worker hurries to remove the hot tub, lifting it with a crane, over the entire house. The hot tub swings and breaks part of the chimney, angering the wasps who are revealed to have been residing in the Heffley's chimney. Distracted by wasps, the crane driver pulls a lever that releases the hot tub which falls through the roof, creating a large hole in the house. The buyers now decide against moving in, canceling the Heffleys' move. Greg admits that he was not ready to move, glad to remain Rowley's best friend.
Wrecking Ball's author and illustrator, Jeff Kinney, decided on the book's theme while doing renovations to his own house. [2] [3] He realized that he had not yet written a book about Greg moving and considered the idea a good fit for the series. [2] Wrecking Ball's title and cover were revealed on May 14, 2019 on Twitter by Kinney. [4] [5]
To promote the book, Kinney hosted a book tour called The Wrecking Ball Show, as a follow-up to the previous book promotion, The Meltdown Show. [3] [6] It lasted for 33 days across multiple countries: [6] Italy, Germany, France, Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, and Portugal. [3] The show's activities were decided live through spinning a wheel; activities included a dancing competition, [3] a tower-building contest with foam blocks, [7] and a trivia challenge. [3]
Kinney used systematic inventive thinking to come up with jokes for the book. [6] He elaborated that "[it] helps me generate ideas without having to rely on memories. [...] In it, problem-solving is based on templates. If you can use those templates to harness your creativity, then you can solve problems more quickly than you could another way." [6] Kinney described moments from the book in which a kitchen remodel leads to a larger construction project and a hot tub is lifted over the house as based on true experiences. [3] He concluded by describing Wrecking Ball as his "best-written book." [3]
On the subject of the high amount of illustrations in the novel, Kinney stated that the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is closer to being "long-form comics" rather than a graphic novel." [2] He described the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid books as requiring many illustrations due to being more "cinematic," then criticized the earlier books for being "sparse and minimalistic." [2]
Kinney has stated that the theme of the book is "Greg letting go of his childhood home." [3] He found that the best way to open the book would be to have Greg clean out his closet and try to sell objects at a yard sale, reflecting him "letting go of his childhood possessions." [3] While discussing his overseas book tour, Kinney wrote that he sees the series as "a mirror." He explains that the books are popular worldwide because "childhood is universal" and children around the world all "deal with the same kinds of things." [2]
In its first week, Wrecking Ball sold slightly less than 200,000 copies. [8] As of February 9,2020 [update] , it has sold over 650,000 copies. [9]
Wrecking Ball received generally positive reviews from critics. Kirkus Reviews commented that "Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs." [10] Carrie R. Wheadon from Common Sense Media gave the book four out of five stars and praised it for having positive messages. [11]
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a children's novel written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his attempts to become popular in his first year of middle school.
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney is an American author and cartoonist. He is best known for creating, writing and illustrating the children's book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also created the child-oriented website Poptropica.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a children's novel by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, based on the FunBrain.com version. It is the sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, followed by The Last Straw. The hardcover was released on February 1, 2008. Rodrick Rules was named New York Times bestseller among awards and praise. A live-action film based on the book was released on March 25, 2011, and an animated film adaptation was released on Disney+ on December 2, 2022.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's 2007 book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron. Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Chloë Grace Moretz also have prominent roles. It is the first installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and was followed by three sequels, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017). 20th Century Fox released it theatrically in the US on March 19, 2010, and grossed $76 million worldwide against a $15 million budget.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth is a 2010 bestselling children's fiction book by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney and is the fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The Ugly Truth sold 548,000 copies in its initial week of publication, edging out Decision Points, which sold 437,000 copies.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2011 American comedy film directed by David Bowers in his live-action directorial debut and based on Jeff Kinney's 2008 book of the same name. It stars Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Peyton List also have prominent roles.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of family comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. The series consists of four live action films and three animated films.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a 2012 American comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Peyton List, Grayson Russell, and Karan Brar also have prominent roles. It is the third installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series. It was released by 20th Century Fox on August 3, grossing $77 million in the box office, and like its predecessors, it received mixed reviews.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck is a children's novel written by Jeff Kinney and the eighth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on November 5, 2013. In this book, Greg's best friend Rowley ditches him, and Greg struggles to make new friends. On Easter, he finds a Magic 8 Ball and attempts to change his luck by using it to make decisions for him and cheat at school. Hard Luck received generally positive reviews from critics and was the bestselling book of 2013.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a children's novel written by Jeff Kinney and is the ninth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. On April 28, 2014, Kinney announced the book's name and the color of its cover. The book was released on November 4, 2014, in the USA. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down is the eleventh book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. The book was unveiled during the 2016 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Virtually Live Event. The book was published on November 1, 2016.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a 2017 American road comedy film written and directed by David Bowers and cowritten by the books' author Jeff Kinney. It serves as a standalone sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, and the fourth installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and the final live-action film in the franchise. It was based on the ninth book of the same name, with elements of the seventh, eighth, and tenth books in the series. It is also the only live-action installment in the series not to feature the cast members from the first three films. It instead features a completely different cast, and the plot follows the Heffleys as they go on a road trip to Meemaw's 90th birthday party, without realizing the various calamities that will occur along the way.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway is the twelfth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. The book was unveiled during the 2017 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Virtually Live Event which was live streamed via YouTube as part of the 10th anniversary of the first book. The book was published and released on November 7, 2017. The book is about Greg and his family flying to a resort called Isla de Corales for Christmas. The Heffleys went there because that was the place where Greg's mom & dad went for their honeymoon.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown is the 13th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It was published on October 30, 2018. The story takes place soon after the events of The Getaway, in the winter and centers on a snowball fight in protagonist Greg Heffley's neighborhood. The Meltdown was advertised through a live book tour by Kinney. Upon release, the novel sold several hundred thousand copies and received positive reviews from critics.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End is the 15th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It was published on October 27, 2020. The story follows protagonist Greg Heffley and his family as they vacation in a recreational vehicle (RV). It received many positive reviews and was a best-seller for several weeks following its release. The book was promoted with a pool-party themed drive-through event. The book was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which influenced the writing.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2021 animated comedy film directed by Swinton Scott from a screenplay by Jeff Kinney, based on his 2007 book of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the book, following the 2010 live-action film, while serving as the first fully-animated reboot in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, and the fifth installment overall. The film stars the voices of Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Chris Diamantopoulos, Erica Cerra, and Hunter Dillon.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot is the sixteenth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It was released on October 26, 2021. The story follows Greg Heffley as he reluctantly signs up for basketball. It received generally positive reviews and was a best-seller for several weeks following its release. The book is followed by three books, Dïper Overlode, No-Brainer and Hot Mess, which is hitting stores on October 22.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2022 animated comedy film directed by Luke Cormican from a screenplay by Jeff Kinney, based on his 2008 book of the same name. It is a sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021) and is the second adaptation of Rodrick Rules following the 2011 live-action film, while also being the second fully-animated film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and the sixth installment overall. Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Chris Diamantopoulos, Erica Cerra, and Hunter Dillon reprise their roles as characters from the first film, while Ed Asner posthumously portrays Grandpa Heffley. The film is one of Asner's final voice acting roles recorded shortly before his death on August 29, 2021 and is dedicated to his memory.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is a 2023 animated Christmas comedy film directed by Luke Cormican. It is the seventh installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, the third animated feature, and the first adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney. Wesley Kimmel replaced Brady Noon as Greg Heffley, while Hunter Dillion, Erica Cerra and Chris Diamantopoulos reprised their roles as Rodrick, Susan and Frank respectively. Ethan William Childress is replaced by Spencer Howell in the role of Rowley.