Dear Jeff,
I’ll try to be brief; I promise this will be worth reading.
It has long been established that Greg Heffley, the people surrounding him, and his world do not age. A small subsect of fans protest this, but you have justified this decision in every way possible. And the years have demonstrated the truth of these statements, middle school is an excellent fodder for comedy, and fans continue to be captured by the magic of your series, even 13 years and 14 books in. So do not consider the following critical of your decision to keep Greg in middle school, but instead a proposition from a subsect of your readers.
Greg Heffley, the perpetual middle-schooler, is not as defined and resolute as some people may assume. This character, this persona, has and can be, portrayed in varying ways. To capture what I mean, consider the movies. The original Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies were an iteration, an adaptation, a depiction of a character and a world, tweaked for movie audiences. Greg, and all the characters, were translations of the characters from the books. Aside from the obviously more defined plot arches, the movie features an adaption, an inexact rendering of the ideas, themes, and concepts that make Greg who he is. It’s been said that Zach Gordon and Robert Capron have a little Greg and Rowley in them, but similarly, is true that these depictions of Greg Heffley and Rowley Jefferson have some Zach and Robert in them. I say this to again illustrate that the characters of DOAWK have, and will continue to be, depictions. You highlight this idea in the Long Haul movie diary, when you state that the crew very intentionally changed the appearance and theme of Greg’s room. After three movies of characters who aged, learned, and grew as people, a new movie came out, but on a separate plane. The same reason that much of the current teen audience complained about the movie was exactly why a new, younger, audience loved it so much. This movie not only had a new cast (who did well), but a new direction. Jason Drucker’s Greg was not supposed to be the same as Zachary Gordon’s Greg. This movie did not exist in the chronological sequence of the first three movies.
Even in the books, because the characters are more or less static, and there is continuity but no clear overarching direction of the books, and because they do not age, the characters’ timeline itself becomes muddled, their own chronological sequence is not defined or clear, and thus the only definite, clear, and concrete definition of the characters is their essence. Does Manny ACTUALLY build a house in Wrecking Ball? Maybe or maybe not, but the series does not depend on this question. Does Greg really become a viral meme because a diaper sticks on his hand? If Zachary Gordon’s Greg is not the same as Jason Drucker’s Greg, and Greg of one book does not carry the things that he learned into the Greg of the next, then his character becomes more of an essence and less of a defined being. It could be said that there is no real ‘cannon’ Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
And this is one of the very things that make Diary of a Wimpy kid so wonderful.
The characters represent more than themselves, they represent Patrick Kinney, they represent Jason Drucker, they represent kids and people all around the globe, they represent the common themes, abstract ideas, and motifs of childhood and aging that the collective series touches on.
They represent you, and they represent me. And they can continue to do so, on a wider scope, without losing any of the potency, or the ideas that make Diary of a Wimpy Kid, well, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
My proposition is a new openness to the idea of a high school Greg Heffley.
I am NOT suggesting that Greg should age and move on into high school, in fact, that would ruin some of the fabric of DOAWK. Instead, I am suggesting that a book containing a high school depiction of Greg can exist separately from the original series. And, in fact, I am suggesting that Greg Heffley of any age can be depicted, on separate planes, without compromising the nature of the series.
Jeff, you are the author, and from what I have seen, you juggle a great deal of responsibility, so it is very understandable if these ideas do not materialize, but I encourage you to be open to the opportunity of a high school DOAWK book, to embrace the themes that make Diary of a Wimpy Kid so special and to widen the scope so that aging readers like me can see ourselves in Greg Heffley for -just- a little longer.
David Musser, dedicated fan
(additional notes below)
Now for some final notes
What could be done to keep the new series ‘on a separate plane’?
In the movies, to make clear the distinction, Greg’s room was changed. And practices of this nature would likely be due in a book series. Whether it is materialized through changing the number of pages, adjusting Greg’s diction and tone, or continuing the middle school series parallel with a new one, some distinctions would have to be made to communicate that this Greg is the same, but different.
Why high-school-aged Greg?
There is a tremendous appetite for it. Many current teens and high schoolers see Diary of a Wimpy Kid as an indelible part of their childhood, but no longer see themselves in the pages. And selfishly, I would be absolutely giddy to see a Greg of my age and development.
Is high school as opportune of a time for comedy?
I do not know, but I would argue that Greg’s character is suitable for humor in any number of surroundings. As long as Greg’s essence stays intact, the books would be well on their way to being funny and relatable.
Thank you for reading, Jeff, and thank you for creating a world that brings laughs and joy to so many.
