Who Is Jeff Kinney?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Patrick Kinney, John Hinderliter (Illustrator)

Even as a kid, everyone thought Jeff Kinney was talented. People loved his drawings, and when he went to college, his comic strip Igdoof was so popular that it spread to other universities! Still, Jeff faced challenges. His cartoons were rejected by syndicates that claimed his art was unprofessional. Then, an idea struck: Jeff would write a journal from the perspective of a child, illustrated with doodles just like a kid might do. And so, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was born--and it was a hit! In this biography, Jeff's brother, Patrick Kinney, provides a knowledgeable look at the life of this best-selling author/illustrator. From Jeff's childhood pranks to his job developing online games, kids will love the chance to learn more about the creator of the popular Wimpy Kid books. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Childrens, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Middle Grade, History

103 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2015

About the author

Brother of Jeff Kinney.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great example of how great the Kinney's are. Not only is this about one of the greatest writers of all time who is publishing his eleventh book in his series Diary of a wimpy kid. Yes it is also written by his brother. they're a legacy! this is definitely a good book to read.

[Mimi Batata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book! I was confused when I saw the author's name XD, but the 'about the author' explained it all! :) The Who Was? series usually does not have an about the author, so that was a funny little change! :)
Have a great day!

[Mramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book is Who is Jeff Kinney.The author of this book is Patrick Kinney.This book falls into realistic fiction Because this book is about a real person and some of the events might not be true.This book is about Jeff Kinney it takes place at the hospital where he was born then as a baby his older brother was not to nice to him as he got older he had pulled pranks on Jeff and he didn't like it. Jeff loved to read throughout his he even asked to go to the bathroom during school. And he didn't go to the bathroom he went to read a book all cold and by himself. And he went on to the university of Maryland where he wanted to be a cartoonist he would write for the newspaper comics at the university of Maryland. When he was becoming a cartoonist he looked up to Lincoln peirce who wort big Nate he found his writing funny. He even wrote a letter to him and asked him for tips to be a better cartoonist. And he replied he had wrote back and told him some inspiring tips. Then he went on to write the book diary of a wimpy kid and have children.I like this book because it has very good detail. And it also explains everything that happened during his life from when he is a kid to when he wrote his books diary of a wimpy kid.I recommend this book to people who like to read about authors. And if you heard of the diary of a wimpy kid series.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this as it's meant for children, so I guess I would say if I was a 12 year old boy (my son), I would give it 4 stars. This bio has a lot of interesting information on Jeff Kinney's career and family life and it is inspirational in terms of how hard he had to work to become a good cartoonist and to get his work noticed. And it paid off!

But I'm knocking a star off (as an adult) because the writing is fairly dull. The good news is that my son didn't notice. :-)

[Heather Shembarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun biography to read about a funny guy. Jeff did not always have it easy. He was one of 4 children and often felt a little left out. He also had a first marriage that ended in divorce. When he tried to get his Diary of a Wimpy Kid published, nobody wanted it for years. After college, Kinney spent 4 years writing more stories for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid, then he spent 4 years creating the rough draft of the book. Finally at a Comic Con, the person in the very last booth liked Kinney's stuff and said it was just what he was looking for. It also was very interesting that Jeff really thought his book would be for adults. He did not intend for it to be geared toward middle schoolers initially. Read the book to also find out his connection to the websites Funbrain and Poptropica. Pick this quick read up to learn a lot about a current, successful author!

[Abigail Wasnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book cause it was very nice to read. Jeff loved reading comics and when he grew up he made books but no one liked it then he started a diary of a wimpy kid and guess what happens will he make will every one like the new book read who is Jeff Kinney

[GoGodzillaGoGo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I like Wimpy kid series. It was funny when I realised that Jeff kinney's brother wrote this book. I thought it was cool that when Kinney made comic inside a comic with Igdoof it started resembling Greg Heffley.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never heard of him; book didn't "send" me either.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read together with my daughter. She seemed to enjoy finding out how Wimpy Kid got its start. It's a great series for those kids that need a little push to read more.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm gonna have to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

[Slow Man · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am surprised to find Jeff Kinney in this series. I have read most of his early books and I used to find it funny but I think i have lost interest in the latest few. I find the story has lost its magic and I don't seem to enjoy it as much as before. On the other hand, I still love Big Nate's comic strips and I hope to read about Lincoln Peirce in this series one day.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for kids . . . a fun biography of Jeff Kinney, the young genius behind the best-selling WIMPY KID series.

How did it happen? How did easy-going computer geek Kinney create a new Charlie Brown for our modern age? Few men could be more different from "Peanuts" creator Charles M. "Sparky" Schulz. Schulz grew up in Depression era Minnesota, walking to school in minus thirty degree weather. Foraging for pencils and ink in the town dump. Dancing for pennies outside his father's barber shop. Setting his mangy junkyard dog on the kids who tormented him throughout his early years.

While Schulz' early life was like the Charles Bronson movie HARD TIMES, Jeff Kinney's was laid back and almost aristocratic. Schulz had to count every penny that came from the family barber shop, and never did get beyond a high school education. Jeff Kinney played with computers as a child and easily got a scholarship to a fancy college. Schulz was drafted into the U.S. Army in World War II, and as a German-American wrestled with bitter, complex issues of loyalty. (Snoopy tries over and over to shoot down the Red Baron, but never quite succeeds.) Jeff Kinney eased his way into greatness while keeping a prosperous day job as a computer programmer.

Schulz created a gang of kids endlessly thirsty for knowledge, and capable of enormous introspection. Where Linus and Charlie Brown might typically debate the meaning of life or the finer points of St. Paul's epistles, Greg Heffley and his pal Rowley never go much beyond how to avoid wedgies in gym class. The humor is loose, and easy, but it never goes too far beyond slapstick. Greg is a born shirker and delights in goofing off. Charlie Brown is a born worrier and carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Greg is shockingly incurious for a child, while Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang are fascinated by everything from the life of Beethoven to the First World War. It's amazing how Kinney has managed to challenge the old masters with his loose, easy, wet noodle hero, who comes across more as a torpid garter snake than a tragic hero.

The Wimpy Kid books are great fun, but comparing them to Peanuts is like comparing Neil Simon to William Shakespeare, or Laurence Welk to Duke Ellington. And isn't it strange how the cover illustration on this little biography makes Kinney look almost . . . Satanic?

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Who Is Jeff Kinney? so that I can share it at Children’s Book Club. At our last meeting, which was our first meeting, one of our members shared passages from one of the Wimpy Kid Diaries with the group. He is a huge Wimpy Kid reader/fan. I asked if he had read Jeff Kinney’s biography and he sent an arrow through my heart when he said he wasn’t interested in reading it. I responded with more questions such as: You don’t want to know where his ideas come from?, Does he have siblings and/or kids that influence his work? NO!
I have not read a Wimpy Kid Diary but enjoyed this young man’s enthusiasm and love for the series he has read over and over. At our next meeting, I’m going to share a couple of tidbits from Who Is Jeff Kinney written by his younger brother, Patrick. I have hope that he will chose to read it.
I found the book to include great information on Jeff Kinney’s let-downs and successes in his career and personal life. His valuable lessons and outlook can give his readers something to reflect on and relate to in their own lives.

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread 2019 audio book. Great read!

These books are so great!

[Joey Oborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells a lot about Jeff Kinney and his family and his timeline from child to when he dies (Great Book)!

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me in the library: Sees this book and think, "Do I really want to read this?" "Yep!"

Lol I admit, I was a huge fan of Jeff Kinney when I was about 9, and now, six years later, I see a book about him and read it. But honestly, what 9-10 year old kid wasn't obsessed with his books at a point in time? I haven't read one of them in a hot minute myself, but I think what the DOAWK books really symbolize is how simplistic, funny drawings and cringy lines is what can really get kids to read; what revolutionizes their reading journey. Jeff Kinney now 20 books later, seems to know what his readers want and makes it happen for them, which proves the dedication this guy has! There were some things I did not know about him in this book, such as how the creator of Big Nate gave him advice on his comics early on! Again, look how big those books have gotten!

I actually met Jeff Kinney peak Covid lol, for the release of one of the Rowley Jefferson books, and that was absolutely awesome; the book is sitting proudly on my top shelf to this day lol! To me, he's been one of the major kids authors who's egged kids on to read and love it, and Raina Telegemeier is who had 100% popularized graphic novels for kids. That's just really cool! Also, who wouldn't want to visit his bookstore? The thing looks massive 👌 Lol and can we just acknowledge how abnormally hysterical the huge faces on the covers of these "Who Was/Is" books are?! 😅 I can't be the only one! Quick read overall.

[Kryssy · Rating 4 out of 5]

- made comic strips in college but needed a syndicate to pick one up to print in new papers. None liked because drawings looked like middle schooler drew
- Jeff real life younger brother is just like manny
- Laughing at vs with you
- Learned how to be a computer programmer
- How’s by universities to do computer work while in high school
- Mentions events that jeff did that he later writes for greg
- Igdoof got picked up by college newspaper and so popular traveled to other colleges papers. That’s impressive
- Little brother program
- 4 year prep before writing DOAWK
- Greg heffley started on funbrain because jeff worked at the parent website’s company
- Propose book at comic con
- Originally for adults but was posting on funbrain hoping that kids would see it… ??
- Jeff was pretty involved in the movie process
- Why does he work during vacations. He doesn’t HAVE to release a book every year
- Neat idea to make a house a bookstore. He uses his money for other. Not just hoard it like most rich people
- Brother wrote the book which explains why certain facts from his personal life were so specific. Overall, VERY detailed

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good to read. I learned a lot about Jeff Kinney, and what he had to deal with in life I learned that sometimes his thoughts did not get accepted, and sometimes, it was hard. Afte he broke up with his wife, later, he married Julie. It was hard for him to spend time with his family, when he goes away. He also spends so much time drawling the pictures. The good thing is, when he has free time, he always spends it with his family. It shows me how much he cares, even though he is making books for other children. He also got lots of letters from his fans. When he got a computer, he could not come away from it. When he got in trouble, his parents had to take it away. When he was also younger, teachers said how talented he was in drawling. (He was also very smart) When he went to a Military college, people loved his drawlings and comic strips of Igdoof, but he left the college because he wanted to write. Great book!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Kinney always knew he wanted to draw comics. In college he found a modicum of fame with a comic he made for the college paper. He thought for sure that would lead him to syndication. Unfortunately it didn't. The newspapers told him that his comics looked too childish.

It was devastating news but he used it to motivate him to a new project. He could use his comics if they were being told from a child's perspective. He spent four years filling a notebook with ideas. He had a plan to write a 700-1300 page book for adults. (Who in the world would think that was a good idea?!)

Luckily a good editor got a hold of him and saw what could be. He told Jeff it would be a kids' book and it would be 224 pages. Next thing we know, MAGIC!

I love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books so it was fun to read about their creator. It's cool this book was written by his brother.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Kinney is not a name I was familiar with. But as make my way through a series of books about authors and I read Who is Jeff Kinney? by Patrick Kinney (his brother), I learned that I am familiar with some of his work. His best know, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, is a hugely popular kids book that is also quite popular with adults as well. His talent for for drawing was evident even as a child and it matured when he went into college where he came up with a cartoon character named Igdoof. It became popular around campus and then spread to other universities. But his works were initially rejected by various syndicates that said his drawings were too unprofessional. That's when he came up with the idea of writing from the perspective of a kid and illustrated it with childlike drawings. Thus the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was born and Jeff's career began to take off.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently found this nice series of biographies for young readers. Various authors have contributed to this series, which now includes over 160 books. Each book is short (about 100 pages) and gives a good summary of a historical figure. The list of people includes explorers, scientists, painters, authors, musicians; there is a good balance between males and females demonstrating the importance of both genders in the accomplishments of mankind.

My third reading in the series is the biography of Jeff Kinney, an artist, and cartoonist. His biggest success so far in his “illustrative” career is the young reader, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The author of this biographical sketch id Patrick Kinney, Jeff’s younger brother

[Landon Turnbull · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an awesome book that went through the life of Jeff Kinney, which he is most famous for writing the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. The book goes through who Jeff Kinney is as a person, and gives an overview of some important times in his life that shaped him to who he is as an author. The book also goes through the publishing of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series and more about the movie. I think this book could play a very interesting role in an elementary classroom by giving students the oppurtinuty to read about an author that they really enjoy. I would keep this book in my classroom library and recommend it to students that have either read the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series or are interested in reading it.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've now read four of these Who Is/Was books in a row. They are pretty well-written, better than the I Survived Series. As are many books written for 8-12 year olds, they tend to glamorize the person's life and gloss over the troublesome or controversial spots. One thing I've seen in the ones I've just read: Dr. Seuss, Jeff Kinney, Barack Obama, Steven Spielberg. . . they weren't very avid students. They had greater passions to follow than grubbing for points and sucking up to teachers. I think I'll remind my own students of that.

[The Ink Sipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was part of the kids homeschool reading list- they were not overly thrilled with it because it wasn't in their field of interest, but they didn't hate it. The oldest had read some of Jeff's works before and I think the parts of this that related to that hooked them well.

I read it, and given what it is, gave it five stars over all because I think it did well in telling who Jeff is but what I think I related to or enjoyed more was the life lessons and resiliency, as well as the added information about the funnies, Judy Blume, Gary Larson, and others.

[Gage F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gage Fruth’s book review on Who is Jeff Kinney by Patrick Kinney


Jeff Kiney is the creator of Diary of a Wimpy kid.It is a best selling book. This book shows how when Jeff wanted to start his book life, it was hard at first. He faced a lot of challenges. Which is hard but now these books are all over the world. Now he is one of the best selling children's authors in the world.





I would give this book 3 stars because I liked it but I don't think it's for me. I would recommend it to anyone that really likes Jeff Kinney's books. He's a great author.

[Tevyn Bannerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Jeff Kinney was a book told about his life a biography. It had many moments of his life including when he made his first book and what he originally wanted to do. He wanted to be a drawer but instead he made books in the end of the book. Jeff went to college as a drawer for comics so he could become better with his drawing. Jeff had many accomplishes in his life to eventually make famous books.

[aliesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talks about a little boy that grows up with his mom and dad and his dad is a sports cartoonist. After his dad died his mom got very old and they became poor. Jeff Kinney I was a paper boy and he didn’t earn a lot of money. Years passed on and he became a sports cartoonist like his dad. But after his mom died he quit his job got married and went to New York. When he came back he got in a divorce and went back to New York and got married and made his first book DIARY OF A WHIMPY KID

[SU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a wimpy kid is a great success with my 9 year old son and his friends. It’s one of those books that boys don’t want to put down and unfolds the love of reading in all “reluctant readers”.

Having read some of them, we wanted to know more about Jeff Kinney.

It’s a great non-fiction book for fans of the wimpy kid series and the author is Jeff Kinney’s younger brother! I mean, how delightful is that!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I started reading this book, I had no idea who Jeff Kinney was or why he was famous. For some reason I never connected the Wimpy books with his name. He has always been interested in comics from an early age to present day. He got this desire from his father leaving the newspaper open to the comics section every day. The book shows the paths that he took to become a famous writer.

[Leia Skywalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 2023 .For a book a little over a hundred pages , I learned a lot of Jeff Kinney . Which probably shouldn't of surprised me when this book is written by Jeff Kinney's younger brother Patrick Kinney . I never realized how difficult it was to get Diary of a Wimpy Kid published . I was surprised to learn that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was first published as a web comic. I never knew that Jeff Kinney was a game designer . Great book and best information / insight into Jeff Kinney until he decides to write a memoir.