A SELF-HELP BOOK GIRL, WASH
YOUR FACE.
THERE IS ALSO A CHILDREN'S BOOK
CALLED THE WONKY DONKEY.
THAT'S A TONGUE TWISTER.
ANOTHER ONE IS THE LATEST ENTRY
OF A DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
SERIES.
I TALKED TO THE AUTHOR ABOUT
HIS INSPIRATION FOR THE AWARD-
WINNING BOOKS.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS ONE OF
THE BIGGEST NAMES IN CHILDREN'S
BOOKS, JEFF KENNY, THE MIND
BEHIND THE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
SERIES WHICH SOLD MORE THAN 200
MILLION BOOKS IN 59 LANGUAGE
AND THIS IS HIS 13th BOOK
CALLED THE MELTDOWN, WHICH JUST
HIT SHELVES.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME FOR
YOU.
I AM ON TOUR SO IT IS REALLY
EXCITING.
FOR ANYONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH
THIS SERIES, BRING US UP TO
SPEED.
PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE KIDS OR
NOT FAMILIAR AT ALL.
MY MAIN CHARACTER IS NAMED
GREG AND HE IS A WIMPY KID, HE
IS A LITTLE BIT UNDERPOWERED
AND HE DOES NOT HAVE MUCH
CONTROL OVER HIS OWN LIFE BUT
THE BOOKS ARE UNIQUE BECAUSE
YOU HAVE A MIX OF TEXT,
HANDWRITTEN TEXT, AND THEN
CARTOON DRAWINGS WHICH MAKES IT
KID FOR -- MAKES IT EASY FOR
KIDS TO GET INTO THEM.
WHERE DOES THE INSPIRATION
COME FROM?
CAN'T YOU TELL I AM A WIMPY
KID?
IT COMES FROM EVERYDAY LIFE,
THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME, MY
MEMORIES, MY IMAGINATION, BUT I
AM TRYING TO HOLD A MIRROR UP
FOR KIDS, SO THEY CAN SEE
THEMSELVES IN THESE CHARACTERS.
IS THERE ANY ONE THING IN
YOUR LIFE THAT SPARKED THAT
MOMENT AND THEY SAID I NEED TO
DO THIS?
FOR ME, IT WAS WHEN I USED
TO BE ON THE SWIM TEAM IN
MARYLAND AND EVERY MORNING, I
WOULD GET INTO A COLD POOL AND
SAY THIS IS NOT FOR ME SO IT
ASKED THE COACH IF I COULD GO
TO THE BATHROOM AND I WOULD GO
HIDE IN THE RESTAURANT FOR THE
FULL HOUR AND I WOULD WRAP
MYSELF IN TOILET PAPER AND THAT
IS WHERE GREG WAS BORN.
HOW DID YOU GO ON TO 13
BOOKS?
IT STARTED OFF AND WENT WELL
RIGHT OUT THE GATE AND I
DECIDED TO KEEP GOING AND THE
WONDERFUL THING ABOUT CARTOON
CHARACTERS IS THEY DO NOT AGE
AND THEY DO NOT CHANGE AND I
THINK IT DEPENDS ON OUR CARTOON
CHARACTERS TO BE THERE FOR US.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT
DONALD DUCK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN
DONALD DUCK STOPS.
YOU WANT TO KEEP READING SO
HOPEFULLY IT WILL GO ON FOR
DECADES.
WE HAVE SEEN OTHER CARTOONS
GO ON FOR 50, 60, 70 YEARS.
SPEAKING OF MOTION PICTURES,
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO SEE YOURS
TRANSLATED ON FILM?
IT WAS WILD.
I GET NERVOUS, I GET
BUTTERFLIES.
IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS
STORYTELLERS TO ENTERTAIN THE
AUDIENCE THAT SAT IN THE DARK
THEATER SO I WAS FEELING
NERVOUS.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THIS LATEST BOOK.
THE LATEST BOOK IS CALLED
THE MELTDOWN AND IT IS ABOUT A
WAR ABOUT CONFLICT AND WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN A NEIGHBORHOOD
TURNS FROM A NEIGHBORHOOD INTO
A WINTRY BATTLEFIELD AND
EVERYBODY IS AT ODDS WITH ONE
ANOTHER.
WHY THAT?
I AM TRYING TO LOOK AT
CHILDHOOD THROUGH A DIFFERENT
PRISM AND ALWAYS TRYING TO TELL
STORIES THAT KIDS CAN RELATE
TO.
THERE IS SOMETHING THAT
HAPPENED TO BE GROWING UP, THAT
YOU HAVE YOUR CLASSMATES AND
YOUR REGULAR SCHOOL DAYS AND
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT SNOWED
AND EVERYTHING WAS SHUT DOWN
BUT EVERYBODY BEHAVED
DIFFERENTLY, TOO.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST
SPOT WITH KIDS?
MY FAVORITE IS WHEN A KID
WHO IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM
OR HAS DYSLEXIA REALLY TAKES TO
MY BOOKS AND THEY START THEM ON
THEIR PATH TO READING AND
HITTING FOR KIDS WITH THOSE
CONDITIONS, THEY LIKE THE BOOKS
BECAUSE THE BOOKS GIVE THEM
USUAL CUBES AND THE DRAWINGS
ARE LITTLE ISLANDS BETWEEN TEXT
SO I LIKE IT AND I FEEL VERY
REWARDED WHEN THOSE KIDS LATCH
ONTO MY BOOKS.
IT IS EASY FOR PARENTS TO
FOLLOW ALONG WITH WHAT THEIR
KID IS DOING, TOO.
I THINK SO AND THE BOOKS
GIVE PARENTS AND KIDS SOMETHING
THEY CAN HAVE IN COMMON AND THE
PARENTS CAN TALK ABOUT THEIR
OWN CHILDREN WOULD.
IT IS A GREAT CONVERSATION
STARTER.
SPEAKING STARTERS, THIS BOOK
IS OUT NOW, RIGHT?
IT HAS BEEN OUT FOR A FEW
DAYS.
GO OUT AND GET IT.
WHAT IS YOUR ONE SELLING POINT
ON THIS LATEST BOOK IF YOU
COULD SAY IN ONE SENTENCE?
THERE IS A TWO-PAGE SPREAD
THAT IS AN ATTIC BATTLEFIELD
AND I THINK THAT THAT IS WORK
THE PRICE OF THE BOOK.