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

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney is at a Grades 5.2–6.5 reading level (average Grade 5.4). Intended for Middle Grades (Ages 9–12). There are 21 books in the series.

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

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has 21 books in order: 1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 2. Greg Rules, 3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 4. The Ugly Truth, 5. Elf Elementary, and 16 more.

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

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is recommended for Middle Grades (Ages 9–12). The average content intensity is 1.1/5.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books in Order

21 books by Jeff Kinney. Reading level: Grades 5.2–6.5. Middle Grades (Ages 9–12).

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 (21 books by Jeff Kinney) lands at reading level Grades 5.2–6.5, with average content intensity 1.1/5. Intensity stays consistent across the series — a kid who can handle the first book can generally handle the rest.

The reading-order table below lists every book with per-volume reading level and intensity badges 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.

Books

Grades 5.2–6.5

Reading Level

1.1/5

Avg. Intensity

Middle Grades

Content Intensity Across the Series

Consistent

Content stays at a steady intensity level throughout the series.

#12

#17

First book Latest book

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Reading Order

#	Title	Reading Level	Content
Book 1	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Mild
Book 2	Greg Rules Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 4	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 5	The Ugly Truth Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Mild
Book 6	Elf Elementary Miller, Edward	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 7	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 9	Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Old School Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 10	Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Double Down Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 11	Frank Einstein and the Evoblaster Belt Jon Scieszka	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 12	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 13	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 14	The Deep End Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 15	Diary of a wimpy kid Big shot Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 16	Big Shot (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #16) Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
Book 17	Untitled Amulet Book Abrams Abrams Books	Level 5-6	Mild
Book 18	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
—	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
—	Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
—	Hard Luck Jeff Kinney	Level 5-6	Gentle
—	The wimpy kid movie diary Jeff Kinney	Level 6-7	Gentle
—	The wimpy kid movie diary Jeff Kinney	Level 6-7	Gentle

All Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Jeff Kinney