‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ author Jeff Kinney entertains and delights

PINE PLAINS — Oblong Books & Music brought fans of the best-selling “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series face to face with author Jeff Kinney to celebrate the series’ 13th book, “The Meltdown,” at Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School on Thursday, Nov. 1. 

Oblong Books & Music owner Dick Hermans said they were fortunate to have Kinney as a guest.

Families knew they were in for a fun night when they saw an enormous purple bus with Kinney’s “Wimpy Kid” cartoons printed from one end to the other. A long line soon formed in front of the building. Guests could purchase the newest book at the check-in table. By the end of the night, a total of 700 people attended the show, 400 of whom were children.

As he waited in line with his family, 8-year-old Leo Green admitted how excited he was to meet the author.

“I just can’t wait to get the new book,” he said, adding the third book in the series, “The Last Straw,” was his favorite.

The auditorium quickly filled up. Across the stage was a set made of white cardboard “snow forts,” white beach balls for “snowballs” and enlarged posters of Kinney’s familiar drawings. 

With 13 books published in 11 years, Kinney said he felt like he gave the same speech at every show he did, so for the evening’s main event, he wanted to put together something different.

With an animated wheel projected on the auditorium screen, Kinney hosted an imaginative game show with categories ranging from Trivia Challenge and  Drawing with Jeff to Battle Royale, Wimpy Around the World and more. 

When the wheel landed on Dance Off, Kinney reminded readers of the embarrassing dance scene in the second book and said, “Tonight, parents, you have a chance to embarrass your child.”

While the children booed at first, Kinney said the winner of the dance off would receive an invitation to tour his studio in Plainville, Mass., with their child and three of their child’s friends. After four parents were brought on stage and music started playing, contestants broke into their goofiest dance moves before a winner was chosen by a show of applause.

Kinney also passed around a microphone in a green catch box and challenged students to see how many questions could be asked and answered in three minutes. As students posed their questions, the author revealed the origin behind the title “The Meltdown,” his career before becoming and author, the 13 buses he had for each book and the upcoming date for the 14th book in the series. 

Kinney also demonstrated how to draw his protagonist Greg Heffley on his iPad and invited a student to give it a try. With his books published in 59 different languages, he shared how his career has given him a chance to travel and meet readers across the world.

Kinney revealed that he originally wrote the series for adults to give them a glimpse into the life of a middle-schooler, and after asking how many parents read the books with their children, he called up two parent-child combo teams to compete in a trivia challenge.

For the night’s final extravaganza, the students were eager to stage a snowball fight on the stage. With four students behind one snow fort and four parents behind the other, the Battle Royale was not only a fiercely fun fight enjoyed by participants and the audience alike, but a perfect way to bring the show to an end.