Highest-Selling Children’s Author Owns Hidden Gem Bookstore in Massachusetts

If you are anything like me, summer months mean finding day trip adventures with the kids. We usually pick one day a week, plan something less than two hours away and make the most of our exploration.

Luckily, living in Southern New England means there are plenty of exciting new things to see or try within the two-hour window, including the popular bookstore An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts.

This hidden gem bookstore is a great place to find your next summer beach read or dig into that required summer reading list, but it also has a major connection to one of the best selling children's series of all time.

If you have a child who has reached third grade, then you have probably heard of and perhaps read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Well, you might be surprised to hear that the author of that series, Jeff Kinney, lives and works in Plainville, MA.

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Kinney and his wife Julie opened An Unlikely Story in May of 2015. Now, 10 years later, it is one of the premiere shops downtown Plainville, featuring an event space, café and will soon be adding a beer garden.

Technically, the beer garden will be across the street from the bookstore at the intersection of Bacon and South streets. The soon-to-be Guild Garden at Plainville Square will feature brews and food from The Guild in Pawtucket, Rhode Island along with non-alcoholic beverages, live music and author events.

An Unlikely Story has lots of authors come through each month as well, in addition to open mic nights, yoga classes and even dance classes. My favorite is its Story, Story Night events, when people are invited to bring a book or writing project and sit in silence enjoying some quiet reading time at the store.

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Whether you need a new book or not, this one-of-a-kind, independent bookstore is worth the short drive to Plainville, MA this summer.

An Unlikely Story 📍 111 South St. Plainville, MA 02762