We’ve all had those times where we felt fate had a hand in our encountering an old friend. And the last place I ever expected to run across a college buddy was People magazine.

I actually have no interest in celebrity gossip. But a back issue was the only reading material available when I was getting my nails done one rainy day this spring. And sandwiched in between Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears was a blurb on Jeff Kinney.

Jeff’s first children’s book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was the must-read hit this summer. It’s about a rather geeky kid named Greg Heffley and his immature antics and quests to be popular in—or at least survive—middle school. The book, filled with cartoon drawings, really puts you in the mindset of a preadolescent who’s hopelessly misunderstood by his parents, friends, and the world at large.

Jeff’s biography doesn’t mention this, but Greg Heffley bears a strong resemblance to Igdoof, a very popular cartoon published in The Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s student newspaper, where we worked together several years ago. After graduation, Jeff moved to Boston, and he shopped a version of that strip to cartoon publishers to no avail. He told me a while back he was experimenting with a book and online comic strip, but we’d lost touch shortly afterward.

As it turned out, Jeff was experimenting with Greg’s tales of misadventures online while designing children’s games at Funbrain.com. But he credits sheer luck in meeting his editor at Harry N. Abrams publishers, who immediately saw the potential of this book.

The book’s currently number one on the New York Times’ children’s chapter book bestseller list, where it’s been hovering near the top since it came out this spring. Jeff’s gotten a five-book contract from Abrams and is hard at work on a sequel, when he’s not opening fan mail and letters from teachers happy to have found an inspiration for their reluctant readers.

Jeff’s story is another example of someone rewarded for passion and persistence. Check out my Q and A with him under Five Questions on our home page. We can’t wait to see where Greg Heffley goes next… personally, I’m hoping for a guest appearance by Igdoof.

Joetta Sack-Min, Associate Editor