NH Book Festival 2026 Children's Keynote speaker Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six–time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, DC, area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

An early version of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted online in May 2004, with daily diary entries appearing until June 2005. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was published in 2007, launching a global phenomenon. Since then, the series has grown to 31 books and has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. Kinney lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. Together, they founded and operate the independent bookstore An Unlikely Story.

Founded to celebrate literacy, conversation, and community, the New Hampshire Book Festival is a free, statewide literary event held each fall in downtown Concord. The festival brings together nationally recognized authors, emerging writers, and book lovers of all ages for a day of panels, conversations, readings, book signings, and more. The annual Keynote for Schoolchildren offers students a rare opportunity to meet and learn from some of today’s most celebrated authors for young readers.