Diary of a Wimpy Kid Coming to Disney+
New York, NY (May 27, 2021)—Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Children’s Books, revealed today the title and cover of the eagerly anticipated sixteenth installment in the global bestselling series by Jeff Kinney. Releasing in hardcover and eBook editions, Big Shot (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 16) will be simultaneously published in 28 countries across the world on October 26, 2021. In addition, the story that started it all comes to life in the all-new animated adventure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, streaming this holiday season on Disney+.
In Big Shot, Greg Heffley and sports just don’t mix. After a disastrous field day competition at school, Greg decides that when it comes to his athletic career, he’s officially retired. But after his mom urges him to give sports one more chance, he reluctantly agrees to sign up for basketball. Tryouts are a mess, and Greg is sure he won’t make the cut. But he unexpectedly lands a spot on the worst team. As Greg and his new teammates start the season, their chances of winning even a single game look slim. But in sports, anything can happen. When everything is on the line and the ball is in Greg’s hands, will he rise to the occasion? Or will he blow his big shot? Charles Kochman, ABRAMS editorial director and Kinney’s longtime editor, will edit the new book.
Big Shot will be supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign, including an innovative drive-thru-style book tour that Kinney conceived and produced with ABRAMS for his three previous books published during the pandemic, most recently his global bestseller Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories, the third book in the Wimpy Kid spin-off Awesome Friendly Kid series. The Big Shot campaign will also include partnerships with social media influencers, national advertising, dynamic digital content, and promotions targeting teachers and librarians.
Jeff Kinney is one of the world’s bestselling authors; Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are published in 79 editions in 65 languages and have sold more than 250 million copies globally in just 14 years. Published in 2007, the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was an instant bestseller and has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication and through the release of the fifteenth book and three-book spin-off Awesome Friendly Kid series , for more than 775 weeks total. The series is also a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and IndieBound bestseller lists and is one of the top five bestselling book series—adult and kids—of all time.