Book world to get "Wimpy" on October 12 (reminder)

(Relaxnews)

The latest installment in the blockbuster children's book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney will be released on October 12.

Diary of Wimpy Kid: Dog Days will get a 4 million first edition printing, which is just 20 percent less than the record-setting first-run of the current smash hit The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

The book, which features many illustrations by the author, will be released in Japan and most of North and South America on October 12, the UK on October 13 and January 1 in the Middle East and the Caribbean, according to the publisher, Amulet Books.

The book has a hardcover retail price of $13.95 (€9.45) but is available at websites like Amazon for $7.67 (€5.20), Waterstone's for £5.59 (€6.10) and carries a retail price of ¥1,315 (€10.10) in Japan.

Many bookstore chains across the US, such as Borders and Waldenbooks, are planning noon release parties for children on October 12 (a midnight release party might make the kids cranky).

The only details about the new book thus far are that courage-challenged Greg Heffley gets a pet.

A movie of the first Wimpy Kid book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, is slated for release April 2010.

Since the series debuted in 2007, the four previous Wimpy Kid releases have sold more than 21 million copies combined worldwide.