Old School was published by Amulet Books in 2015. Greg’s town declares an electronics-free week — no phones, no games, no internet — and the experience reveals how completely dependent Greg (and his peers) are on technology. Simultaneously, the school announces a field trip to Hardscrabble Farms, an outdoor education center where students will live “like pioneers” for a week.
The novel directly addresses generational anxieties about screen time and childhood, using Greg’s utter incompetence in the natural world for comic effect while implicitly questioning whether the anti-technology impulse is any more realistic than Greg’s desire to game 24 hours a day.
Collecting Old School
First edition (Amulet Books, New York, 2015): Hardcover with illustrated boards.
Market values:
- First edition, first printing: $15–$25
- Later printings: $5–$10
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
The Screen-Time Debate
The novel captures both sides of the screen-time argument with unusual fairness. Greg’s tech dependence is clearly unhealthy, but the adults who mandate an electronics-free week are portrayed as equally absurd — nostalgic for a past that wasn’t as wholesome as they remember. Kinney avoids taking a side, instead finding comedy in the culture clash.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is Jeff Kinney’s target reader? Kinney aims at 8-to-12-year-olds, but the series has a broader readership that extends to both younger children (attracted by the illustrations) and adults (who appreciate the social satire). Kinney has said he writes jokes that work on two levels — one for children and one for their parents.