It’s a big year for Kinney and Abrams Books, which publishes “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Not only is book 20 on the horizon, but they’re also approaching 300 million copies sold.

Every school book fair proudly featured copies of the newest “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book. On the playground, kids recycled jokes from the books, or brought out the dreaded “Cheese Touch.” ...