In conversation with RECREIO, writer Jeff Kinney explained the relationship between Greg Heffley’s plot, from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, and his own life
With the holidays approaching, the question arises: what is the best way to enjoy your days away from school? For Greg Heffley, the protagonist of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, the recipe is simple, after all, resting and staying away from the scorching summer sun are the perfect combination!
However, in the 19th volume of the story that appears with the subtitle “Baita Lambança”, released in Brazil by VR Editora, is where he discovers that the addition of ingredients he didn’t expect will make things much more complicated.
It turns out that Greg will have to reunite with his family, which is too big, in a beach house, which is too small, since his grandmother has one wish: “to create happy memories and celebrate her 75th birthday with those she loves”, as the book’s synopsis says, which will challenge you to deal with the family confusion and frustrations that this new arrangement has brought, as well as putting you in a real test of patience.
Still, what older fans must already imagine is that this family trip — somewhat messed up — is inspired by reality, as it is no secret that the writer and cartoonist of the literary franchise, Jeff Kinneyseeks elements from his own story to build the plots of the pages and, in an interview with RECREIO, he said that for “Diário de um Banana: Baita Lambança”, the idea came from memories of similar experiences he lived with his family.
I drew on memories of many family vacations where we did the same thing. I even recently had a family vacation where I had to sleep on a slowly deflating air mattress in a hallway. That’s the kind of experience I like to write about in my books,” Kinney said.
In the plot, Greg will have to deal with family traditions and try to unravel the mysteries of each relative, all while conflicts are generated! Even if it’s a mess, in the end, everything will be fine, after all, situations serve as a learning experience, as it teaches you to adapt to unexpected scenarios, in addition to strengthening bonds with those whose connection emerged as soon as you were born.
“I think my books are like mirrors into children’s lives. Children can recognize themselves in Greg and some of the other characters, and perhaps learn to laugh at themselves and their circumstances. I think children feel validated and seen by my books,” Kinney said about how books can help little ones deal with life’s difficulties and challenges.
As much as it is contained chaos and full of good humor, Kinney argues that even if Greg’s original recipe didn’t turn out as he imagined, there is a way to ensure a good family vacation: “a little personal space and a little freedom.”
“When you’re a kid, you don’t have a lot of freedom during the holidays. I think kids are happy when they can make some choices for themselves,” he explained.
The secret of success
It is worth remembering that, in addition to “Baita Memonça”, Kinney released another 18 volumes of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, whose stories became a real success among children and young people, even winning the title of bestseller in the New York Times. This is because more than 250 million copies were sold worldwide, 14 million of which in Brazil alone!
With the emergence of new plots and the constant appreciation of the public, Greg Heffley no longer existed only in book illustrations, gaining animated and even live-action versions, through the six cinematographic works inspired by the books, and the musical created in 2022.
However, the first book was published 17 years ago, and even though the stories are always new, seeing the same title on the shelves for so long could tire readers, which does not happen with the plot of Kinney for one reason: the coherence of ideas, according to the author himself.
“I think the secret to keeping readers is consistency. A cartoon is like a promise — when you read one of my books, you know how Greg is going to act, because you know his character. That’s why the best characters in Cartoons have lasted for generations – they are well-defined and there is something to their character”, explained Kinney about the success of the work.
More than that, almost two decades of writing and illustrating narratives about the same character could also bring creative difficulties to Kinneyor bringing the end of the literary series closer, which once again seems to be far from a reality, as the writer not only revealed the secret to continuing to produce new titles but also exposed the premise of the next release.
“The secret is to continue discovering areas that have not yet been fully explored”, he began explaining. “My next book, book 20, will be about Greg’s birthday. Every child knows what it’s like to have a birthday—the anticipation, the excitement, and sometimes the disappointments that come with it. I’m trying to explore the feelings a child has on every aspect of life,” concluded Kinney.
Source: Recreio
