The next installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is just around the corner! On Friday, creator Jeff Kinney appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to reveal the details of his next book, Hot Mess, which is the 19th Diary of a Wimpy Kid story.
Hot Mess follows protagonist Greg Heffley through a particularly awkward summer. As both halves of his extended family come together, he gets stuck in the middle—and if the cover of Wimpy Kid #19 is anything to go by, he’s not happy about it. Check out the cover for Hot Mess below.
Abrams editor-in-chief Charles Kochman will edit the next Wimpy Kid book, continuing his longstanding relationship with Kinney. In a statement, Abrams teased a massive publicity campaign for Hot Mess that will include “tasty influencer activity” and “highly interactive and delightfully messy events” hosted by Kinney himself, as well as thematic digital content and print marketing.
Since Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted in 2007, the series has sold more than 290 million books globally across 69 languages and 84 editions. It’s remained on the New York Times bestsellers list for 16 years and is one of the top five bestselling book series of all time, for any age. It’s spawned a spin-off book series, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, as well as three animated films on Disney+.
Hot Mess, the 19th installment in Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will hit shelves on October 22, 2024, from Abrams Children’s Books imprint Amulet Books. It will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook (Recorded Books), and it will be released in 27 countries. Pre-orders are available now.
