"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author Jeff Kinney has a lot on his plate. Not only is Kinney releasing a new book in his popular children's series every year, he's also writing and producing movies, and he's working to revitalize a Massachusetts downtown space where his beloved bookstore stands.

"I'm really lucky I get to work in like four different areas. I get to be a movie producer, a screenwriter, I get to be a builder, a town planner and I get to be an author," Kinney said in a new interview with WBZ-TV. "For someone who's got Attention Deficit Disorder qualities, it's really good for me to have lots of things to do."

His new book that came out Tuesday is titled "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper." It's the 20th book of the series that follows Greg Heffley, who journals his way through the trials and tribulations of middle school. 

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper."  

"'Partypooper' is about Greg's parents forgetting his birthday, which is a kid's worst nightmare," Kinney said.

Nearly two decades into the book series that has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide, Kinney says readers have asked if Greg will ever grow up.

"The thing about cartoon characters is that they can't really change. There's something that's reliable, like Charlie Brown always has to miss the football," Kinney said. "He can't really develop because cartoon characters are like a security blanket to kids and to their adult fandom."   

An Unlikely Story

In 2015 Kinney opened An Unlikely Story, a bookstore, cafe and event space in Plainville where he lives with his family. Kinney shared on a podcast last year that the bookstore is not profitable, losing six figures a year.

Even so, Kinney tells WBZ-TV now that "the store is doing very well." Last weekend, crowds braved bad weather to see an event featuring filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and "The Notebook" author Nicholas Sparks. 

 "We had a line that went up the block, around the bend, it was about a half a mile long in the rain right before a nor'easter," Kinney said. "The fans love [the bookstore] and so we've decided to expand."

Plainville Square plans

Kinney has bought up properties around the store in an effort to turn depressed city blocks into a thriving downtown space.

"There's going to be a beer garden, there's going to be an anchor restaurant, a town green and some other things as well," he said. 

A Facebook page for Plainville Square said in September that the food and beer garden is targeting a spring 2026 opening. The "Guild Garden" is envisioned as a family friendly hangout spot around five shipping containers that will be used to serve food and drinks and host performances.

"There's been a lot of forward progress and I really credit the town selectmen and the town planner who's really helped us to kind of move forward," Kinney said. "Those things can get really tricky but everybody's paddling in the same direction and everybody wants this development."