Diary of a Wimpy Kid series creator visits Boston Public Library

Boston Public Library’s 2014 Lowell Lecture Series welcomes Diary of a Wimpy Kid series author and illustrator Jeff Kinney on Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m. Kinney will speak in Rabb Lecture Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. The Lowell Lecture Series runs through May and features beloved authors and illustrators, noted scholars in the children’s literature field, and experts who bring the love of writing and reading to children in groundbreaking ways.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has more than 120 million copies in print in 44 countries around the world. The ninth book in the series is scheduled for release on November 4, 2014. The month of April is designated as Wimpy Kid Month, and Kinney will not only celebrate the month at the Boston Public Library on April 27 but will reveal the cover of book nine in a webcast the next morning, Monday, April 28, at 9 a.m. Diary of a Wimpy Kid won Favorite Book at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards four times, and Kinney was twice voted Author of the Year at the Children's Choice Book Awards. Kinney was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World and is the creator of Poptropica.com, a virtual world for kids.

All Lowell Lectures take place in Rabb Lecture Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square. Book sales and signings follow the lectures, and readers of all ages are invited to ask questions of the speakers. The full schedule and video highlights from past lectures in the series are available at www.bpl.org/lowell. The Lowell Lecture Series is generously sponsored by the Lowell Institute, established in 1836 with the specific mission of making great ideas accessible to all people, free of charge. The series is presented in partnership with the Boston Public Library Foundation, which provides funding for programs such as this for all ages, expanded resources for the library system, and restored and improved spaces, all in the name of advancement of learning.

Boston Public Library’s Lowell Lecture Series continues in May with an appearance by Maria Tatar. Fans of folklore will enjoy Tatar’s lecture on Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. She is the author of Classic Fairy Tales, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, The Annotated Peter Pan, and Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood and contributes frequently to the New Yorker and the New York Times. Tatar is the John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, where she chairs the program in Folklore and Mythology. She is currently at work on a volume of African American folktales.

About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY 
Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-four branches, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning. To learn more, visit www.bpl.org.