EPIC ADVENTURES AWAIT!
Jeff Kinney’s beloved characters Rowley Jefferson and Greg Heffley are reimagined in an epic quest: Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure, releasing 7th April, 2020
London (February 13th, 2020) – Puffin announced today the forthcoming publication of Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure, a new novel by global bestselling author Jeff Kinney. Publishing on 7th April, 2020, in hardcover, ebook, and audio editions, Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure will be released in 20 countries, including the UK. This will be followed by the publication of the fifteenth title in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in Autumn 2020.
In Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure, Wimpy Kid’s Rowley Jefferson imagines an adventure story of epic proportions. Readers will join Rowley’s creations, “Roland the Kind” and his best friend, “Garg the Barbarian,” as they leave the safety of their village and embark on a quest to save Roland’s mom from the White Warlock. Will our heroes survive? Wimpy Kid fans will find out as these best friends embark on their first fantasy adventure.
Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Penguin Random House Children’s, says, “We are thrilled to announce the follow-up to Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, from our magnificent bestselling author Jeff Kinney, which is a huge release for Puffin this year. Jeff delighted audiences in 2019 with the introduction of Rowley Jefferson’s hilarious perspective, and we are excited to see this fresh direction extended further in 2020 with a new epic fantasy story. Infused with Jeff’s trademark humour and inventive illustrations, I’m confident that Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure will guarantee laughter from its readers, immersing them into a new world of fun, adventure and imagination, bringing the joy of reading to thousands of children.”
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure is the follow-up to Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, which was published in April 2019 and follows the undauntedly cheerful Rowley Jefferson as he takes on the role of biographer, recording his best friend Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley’s life story. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid spin-off book, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid immediately reached #1 in the UK children’s chart and spent 9 weeks at #1 in total. Globally, the book immediately reached #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, and in every country in which it was published.
Author and Illustrator, Jeffy Kinney, says, “It was incredibly exciting to write a fantasy story from the imagination of Rowley Jefferson and I hope awesome friendly fans around the world have a lot of fun reading it!”
More than 200 million copies of the books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series have been sold globally. Published in 2007, the first book was an instant bestseller and has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication and through the release of the fourteenth book, for more than 694 weeks total. The series is now published in 64 languages and 76 editions.
For more information, contact:
Tania Vian-Smith, Deputy PR Director, TVian-Smith@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk / 0207 139 3058
Sophia Dryden, Senior Publicity Manager, SDryden@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk / 0207 139 3634
Notes To Editors
About Jeff Kinney:
Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favourite Book for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Jeff has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story. For more about Wimpy Kid visit https://www.wimpykidclub.co.uk/
About Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Kinney’s work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers on to books. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been a permanent fixture high up in the UK Nielsen Bookscan Charts as well as the USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
More than 200 million copies of the books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series have been sold globally. Published in 2007, the first book was an instant bestseller and has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication and through the release of the fourteenth book, for more than 694 weeks total. The series is now published in 64 languages and 76 editions.
Before the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books were published, stories from the first three books appeared digitally for free on the website www.funbrain.com, where they are still available. Books in the core series by Jeff Kinney include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel (2012), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (2013), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2014), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School (2015), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down (2016), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway (2017), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown (2018) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball (2019). Jeff Kinney has also written and illustrated The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Next Chapter.
Fans can interact with the brand at www.wimpykidclub.co.uk on Facebook at WimpyKidBooksUK and on the YouTube.com/WimpyKid channel, which has over 7 million views and over 58,000 subscribers.
About Puffin:
In 2020 Puffin is celebrating 80 years of inspiring children to dream big by being a loud proud voice for the power of stories.
Since publishing a series of non-fiction in 1940, Puffin has grown to become one of the most iconic children’s entertainment brands in the world. Publishing stories for children from 0 -12 Puffin is home to famous authors, illustrators and children’s brands including Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson, Malorie Blackman, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Snowman and Diary of a Wimpy Kid to name but a few. Many of these stories live beyond the book and have inspired films, music and games.
Puffin is always on the look-out for new talent and is committed to giving children access to stories, through innovative formats and partnerships; ensuring that the magic of imagination passes from one generation to the next.
Dream big, Read Puffin.
Puffin is an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s number one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success.