Two great writers, Jeff Kinney and Niall Ferguson, will visit Shenzhen Book City’s CBD Store in Futian District on April 30 to talk about their books.

Kinney, the author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, is a U.S. cartoonist. He has made a movie appearance in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” film as Holly Hills’ father.

In 1998, Kinney brought up the idea of a middle-school weakling named Greg Heffley, who writes illustrated stories about his personal life. In 2004, FunBrain and Kinney released an online version of the story, titled “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” He worked on his book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher in New York.

In 2006, during the New York Comic Con, Kinney signed a multi-book deal with publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc., to turn “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” into a print series. The book became an instant hit, with the online version receiving about 20 million views as of 2007. When many online readers requested a printed version, Kinney agreed, and in April 2007, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” was published. To date, 14 “Wimpy Kid” books have been released, including a do-it-yourself book and a movie diary. In 2009, Time magazine named Kinney one of the World’s Most Influential People. In 2016, the series won a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Book.

Ferguson, the author of “Kissinger: 1923-1968: The Idealist,” is a British historian and political commentator. He is currently a senior research fellow at Jesus College, Oxford, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and visiting professor at the New College of the Humanities. Previously, he was also the Laurence Tisch professor of history at Harvard University. Ferguson writes and speaks about international history, economic and financial history and imperialism. He is known for his provocative, contrarian views. Ferguson’s books include “Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World,” “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World” and “Civilization: The West and the Rest.”

The “Kissinger” book is based on unprecedented access to his private papers. The book starts with a quote from a letter which Kissinger wrote in 1972. It examines Kissinger’s life from being a refugee and fleeing Germany in 1938, to serving in the U.S. army as a “free man” in World War II, to studying at Harvard. The book also explores the history of Kissinger joining the Kennedy administration and later becoming critical of its foreign policy, to supporting Nelson Rockefeller on three failed presidential bids, to finally joining the Nixon administration. The Economist wrote in a review that the book is “of engrossing scholarship.”

Jeff Kinney’s event

Time: 10 a.m., April 30

Venue: Big Steps, North Zone (北区大台阶)

Niall Ferguson’s event

Time: 3 p.m., April 30

Venue: Big Steps, South Zone (南区大台阶)

Add: Shenzhen Book City’s CBD Store, 2014 Fuzhong Road 1, Futian District (福田区福中一路2014号深圳书城中心城)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(SD News)