On tour: Meet the author Jeff Kinney

8 October 2015 Books+Publishing

Jeff Kinney is the author of the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series, including the latest instalment Old School (Penguin, November). He will join Andy Griffiths for a two-hour event at the SWF Children’s Festival of Moving Stories in Sydney on 8 November.

What would you put on a shelf-talker for your latest book?

Can a modern-day kid survive in an old-fashioned world? Read this hilarious book to find out!

What are you reading right now?

Good to Great (Jim Collins, Random House), a management book. I have a regular job as a creative director at Poptropica.

What are you planning to read next?

Good question! I’m looking forward to reading some books about 1980s basketball.

Which book do you always recommend?

The Devil in the White City (Erik Larson, Bantam), The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (Bill Bryson, Black Swan) and Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell, Penguin).

What was the defining book of your childhood?

Probably Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (Macmillan).

If you were a literary character you’d be …

At my worst, Greg Heffley. At my best, Bilbo Baggins.

What’s your favourite book adaptation (film, television or theatre)?

I think all of the Dennis Lehane adaptations are good.

What’s your favourite books website or blog?

Goodreads, although it’s tough to read the scathing ‘Wimpy Kid’ reviews.

Hardback, paperback or digital?

I own a bookstore so hardback!

Facebook or Twitter?

I have a love/hate relationship with social media, but probably Facebook, because it’s a more comprehensive tool.

In 50 years’ time books will be …

On shelves in my bookstore and thousands of others across the nation.

Category: Features