Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the best-selling children’s book series of all time, fusing the worlds of comics and novels into some of the best books for new readers in the 2000s. Ask a child of the 2000s the first book series they obsessively read over and over, and there’s a strong chance you’ll hear Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Where to Start With Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
The answer is simple: start with Book 1, simply titled Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Unlike many long-running series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid reads in a continuous sequence, and jumping in anywhere other than the beginning means missing key character dynamics and running jokes that pay off across the whole run. Plus, considering this is one of the all-time best reads for reluctant readers , starting from the top gives you a clear roadmap (below!) on what to read next.
The types of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books:
- Main Series — The core Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, #1–21. There’s been one new book a year since 2007, so this is always expanding.
- Rowley Jefferson’s Books — Spin-off and companion books starring Greg’s best friend
What Even Are These Books?!
One of my least favorite questions/comments from parents of young readers is whether books with comics are “real” books. Even if they don’t say it out loud, I’ve seen a lot of parents with a look in their eyes that says “Oh, that doesn’t count,” when you mention a child just read every Dog Man book 34,000 times in a night. Listen, I’m biased – my comics read vs people spoken to per week ratio is badly out of whack – but I’m firmly of the mindset that there’s no such thing as bad or lesser reading. So ultimately, how we define the book isn’t as important as kids obsessively reading and activating their imaginations.
That said, what exactly are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books? Comics? Graphic Novels? Illustrated Novels? Regular ol’ books?! On the cover of the first book, you’ll see “a novel in cartoons” and this approximates the hybrid graphic novel approach Jeff Kinney takes in the series. Simply put, they are largely prose novels with a cartoon strip – or two – per page.
So, unlike Dog Man or Raina Telgemeier’s works, these are not fully comic book graphic novels. It’s a blend that encourages a lot of reading, and breaks it up with comics.
How Appropriate is Diary of a Wimpy Kid for Kids?
Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series is laser-focused for middle-grade readers, for as a wide a range as 6 to 12 year olds. Second, third and fourth grade seems to be a real sweet spot for Wimpy Kid, but as always, kids read at different speeds and growth curves so it’s ok if it’s earlier or later.
The work is pretty devoid of controversy – the films have a wee bit more! – with one glaring callout: These kids are stinkers! Essentially, since Calvin took Hobbes on that first sled ride, younger readers everywhere have gravitated to the mischief-making type of protagonist, and Greg Heffley certainly meets the bill (Solemnly to the audience: I’ve met Calvin, and he’s no Calvin!). Listen, your kids are gonna love it, but I’d be lying if I said we haven’t had some conversations about reading for enjoyment vs. emulating all the sarcasm or pranks they may find in these pages.
My Kid Loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid – What Should They Read Next?
After Diary of a Wimpy Kid, my kids all thoroughly recommend Big Nate. Lincoln Peirce’s series about a mischievous 6th grader started life as a comic strip before eventually accelerating to superstardom with deliberately Wimpy Kid-esque illustrated novels.
Related Reading Guides:
The Main Series — Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1–21
All 21 main series books read in sequence. Start at #1 and work your way through! I’ll call out below where you can start sprinkling in the Rowley Jefferson spinoffs.
#14 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball
This marks the point in time when the Rowley Jefferson spinoffs begin publishing. You do not have to jump to that series for any kind of continuity reasons, or to understand story. You simply can if you want to!
Rowley Jefferson’s Books
Finally, we cross into the world of spinoffs! Rowley Jefferson’s awesome friendly journals kicked off in 2019, after the core Diary of a Wimpy Kid series had already reached 14 books. My third-grader assures me that you could really read the Rowley books at any time so long as you have some familiarity with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (aka you read the first book).
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories
If you’re wondering if these Spooky Stories are actually scary, my third-grader (scares easily!) said they are not at all scary except for maybe some of the zombie drawings. I’d check for myself but I was too busy hiding under the couch after he said the word zombie.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Sorted by Publication Year!
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Main Series #1 (2007)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules — Main Series #2 (2008)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw — Main Series #3 (2009)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days — Main Series #4 (2009)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth — Main Series #5 (2010)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever — Main Series #6 (2011)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel — Main Series #7 (2012)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck — Main Series #8 (2013)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul — Main Series #9 (2014)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School — Main Series #10 (2015)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down — Main Series #11 (2016)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway — Main Series #12 (2017)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown — Main Series #13 (2018)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball — Main Series #14 (2019)
- Diary of Greg Heffley’s Best Friend — World Book Day Special (2019)
- Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal — Rowley Jefferson #1 (2019)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End — Main Series #15 (2020)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot — Main Series #16 (2021)
- Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure — Rowley Jefferson #2 (2021)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde — Main Series #17 (2022)
- Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories — Rowley Jefferson #3 (2022)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer — Main Series #18 (2023)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess — Main Series #19 (2024)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper — Main Series #20 (2025)
- Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 — Rowley Jefferson #4 (2025)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight — Main Series #21 (October 2026)
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