What reading level is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are at a grades 5–7 reading level (average grade level 5.8), and HootRated recommends the series for ages 9–12. There are 18 books in the series.

What order should I read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books?

Read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in series order: Book 1: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg records his experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.; Book 2: Greg Rules; Book 4: Dog Days; Book 5: The Ugly Truth; Book 7: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel; and 13 more. 4 more books have no confirmed series number and are listed after the numbered books by publication date.

What age is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series appropriate for?

HootRated recommends Diary of a Wimpy Kid for ages 9–12. Content is gentle to moderate (HootRated intensity 1–3 out of 5). Intensity varies from book to book, so check individual ratings in the list above.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books in Order

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an 18-book series by Jeff Kinney for ages 9–12, at a grades 5–7 reading level, with gentle to moderate content (HootRated intensity 1–3 out of 5).

Books: 18; In series order
Reading level: Grades 5–7; Average grade level 5.8
Recommended ages: Ages 9–12; From HootRated age ratings
Content intensity: Gentle to moderate; HootRated 1–3 out of 5 · avg 1.4

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Reading Order

All 18 Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, numbered in series order; books without a confirmed series number follow, by publication date.

#	Title	Reading Level	Ages	Content
1	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Greg records his experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship. 2007	Level 5-6	9-12	Mild
2	Greg Rules 2008	Level 5	9-12	Gentle
4	Dog Days 2009	Level 6-7	9-12	Moderate
5	The Ugly Truth 2010	Level 6-7	9-12	Mild
7	Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Third Wheel 2012	Level 7	9-12	Gentle
8	Hard Luck Diary of a Wimpy Kid #8	Level 5-6	9-12	Gentle
9	Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Old School 2015	Level 5-6	9-12	Mild
10	Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Double Down to jeff, 2016	Level 6	9-12	Gentle
12	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway 2017	Level 6	9-12	Gentle
13	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball 2019	Level 6-7	9-12	Gentle
14	The Deep End 2020	Level 6-7	9-12	Gentle
15	Diary of a wimpy kid Big shot 2016	Level 6-7	9-12	Gentle
16	Big Shot (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #16) 2021	Level 5-6	9-12	Gentle
18	Diary of a Wimpy Kid No Brainer 2023	Level 5-6	9-12	Gentle
Also in the series (no confirmed series number)
—	Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw 2009	Level 5-6	9-12	Mild
—	The wimpy kid movie diary How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood 2010	Level 6-7	9-12	Gentle
—	The wimpy kid movie diary The Next Chapter 2017	Level 6-7	9-12	Gentle
—	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown 2020	Level 5-6	9-12	Mild

Content Intensity Across the Series

Varies

Content intensity ranges from Gentle to Moderate across the series.

#14

First book Latest book

Series books grow with readers — but that's also the trap. Most series start at one reading level and one content intensity and drift upward over the course of the run. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (18 books by Jeff Kinney) lands at a grades 5–7 reading level, with average content intensity 1.4/5. Intensity varies from book to book, so check individual ratings in the list above.

The reading-order table above lists every book with per-volume reading level, age and intensity ratings so you can spot any escalation before it catches your reader off guard. For a deeper dive into how we score text difficulty vs. emotional weight separately — and why series readers especially benefit from that split — see our methodology page.

All Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Jeff Kinney