Just about anyone who has children or has been one in recent years surely known the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series. Now, the author of those famed books has made a difference to the local Folsom Library in the form of a generous donation and the help of some quick thinking Folsom youngsters.
Jeff Kinney is the author the Wimpy Kid book series and recently donated over $1800 to the Folsom Public Library following the launch of the book’s latest edition and a special event put on by an area bookstore.
The event was at the end of October just as Kinney was preparing to launch his newest title. Taking place at Sacramento’s Wild Sisters Book Company, hosted Kinney and a local youth game show titled “The No Brainer Show.” The make shift game show, named after the newest Wimpy Kid Book, “No Brainer,” welcomed children and their families to the stage to join in a brain-challenging contest to garner prizes. Among them, a monetary donation from Kinney and a selection of books go to a local library of the participants’ choice.
Many of the questions were associated with the content of the Wimpy Kid book series, along with questions related to popular books of a similar nature and well known to children today. As they answered correctly, contestants racked up winnings for their local libraries.
“We decided to put on a tour in which librarians and libraries are really the centerpiece. These days, especially, librarians have been put in this position where they have to be very courageous, with the constant threat of book bans,” Kinney explained prior to his tour in which he pledged to donate up to $100,000 to various libraries across the states.
Four different contestants playing on behalf of the Folsom Public Library did well in the fun competition. In all, they managed to have enough success to garner a $1850 in donations for Folsom’s library.
“We just see this need and opportunity to celebrate librarians. So that’s what we’re hoping, to bring a lot of joy with us and to really make a point of recognizing how important libraries are to our communities and how much they need to be supported right now.”
After his local appearance, Kinney’s tour travelled to ten other cities across Calfornia and the Pacific Northwest. He wrapped it Bainbridge Island, Washington.
The Folsom Public Library was appreciative of all involved in the event, as well as the donation that will go a long way for the Folsom Public Library.
“We are grateful to Mr. Kinney for his generosity, and we are proud of our awesome library patrons and their support. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is very popular with our readers, and the love for these books was evident in the participation by our patrons in this event,” said Lindsay Melhus, City of Folsom Youth Librarian. “We are looking forward to using the donation to grow our collection and continue to build our programs. Thank you, Folsom Wimpy Kid fans!”