Wimpy isn’t the word you would use to describe a Jeff Kinney book tour. The latest tour for the author of the best-selling “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books began Tuesday in Boston, Mass. After a stop in nearby Plainville, where Kinney lives, he heads to nine U.S. cities. In mid-November, he’s on to Europe — six countries in 21 days.
Considering “The Meltdown” is No. 13 in the series, you might expect Kinney’s next book to be “Diary of a Weary Writer.” But instead of slowing down, the author is changing up what he does when he meets his many fans. He’s doing a few typical talks and book signings, but Kinney is also putting on a show.
“We thought it would be really fun to change the idea of what a book signing is,” Kinney said in a recent phone conversation.
The hour-long “Meltdown Show” will feature costumes, cartooning and a chance to stump the author on “Wimpy Kid” trivia. The idea is for kids to participate, not just watch.
“It’s all driven by a wheel, a spinning wheel that chooses what our next activity will be,” Kinney said. Because the show is new territory for the author, “this could go terribly wrong,” he said.
The setting for the show and the new book is an epic snowball battle. Kinney remembers such neighborhood battles while growing up in Fort Washington, Md.
“We would do all the work of building the snow fort, and some bigger kids would come and take it over,” he said. “I remember getting my face stuffed in the snow. I remember people putting snow in my hat and shoving it on my head.”
The book, which went on sale Tuesday, has main character Greg Heffley and his friend Rowley Jefferson fighting for survival as they are caught between rival groups of neighbors.
“It’s a really different kind of ‘Wimpy Kid’ book,” Kinney said. “It’s a war book. Greg’s neighborhood turns into a war zone.”
Greg’s survival really isn’t in question, especially when Kinney confirms that he has no plans to end the series.
