PLAINVILLE, Mass. — After no one RSVP'd or showed up to his birthday party, one little Oregon boy got a huge surprise from a Plainville author.
Homeschooled until the age of 8, Mahlon Layne never really had a big kid-filled birthday party. When Mahlon enrolled in school, he decided what he wanted was a party with friends. He decided to make it themed after his favorite book series: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."
"This ninth birthday was supposed to be his year. His special day. His first real party with friends," his mom Kristen wrote in a blog post that went viral.
When nobody RSVP'd, his mother considered canceling the party, but her husband pointed out that many people forget to do so.
"M told me that five of his friends had told him they were coming so I was worried that if I canceled, they would still show up," Kristen wrote.
When the day came, Mahlon was jumping with excitement until the party time arrived - but when no when came, his excitement turned to sadness.
"M hung his head, his tiny shoulders began to shake. "No one came Dad. I guess I'm not very popular at school" and he sobbed," Kristen wrote.
Kristen's blog post went viral and was shared all over the internet, catching the eyes of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author Jeff Kinney, who lives in Plainville.
"I heard about Mahlon's situation just a few days before my new book came out," Kinney said,
His series have become a global book and film phenomenon. He thought his new book would make for a pretty special birthday present - especially since he was the only fan in the world to have it.
Kinney FaceTimed Mahlon and gave him the very first printed copy of "Double Down."
H"e had the book for about two or three days and I heard he really guarded it with his life. I said, 'you can't keep this secret. You can't tell anybody about it or I'll get in trouble,' so he had it to enjoy before anybody else did," Kinney told FOX25.
The surprises didn't end there - on the FaceTime, Kinney chatted with him and showed him where he writes the series.
"I gave him a virtual tour of my studio, which is above my bookstore in Plainville, Massachusetts. I got to spend a lot of time talking to him, which was actually really cool," he
Mahlon now calls Kinney a friend and Kinney does too.
"At the end of the conversation with Mahlon, I said we'll you've got a friend in me, and I think this will be a real friendship," Kinney said.
The two plan to get together in real life when Kinney embarks on his book tour.
If you want to send anything to Mahlon, here is the address:
Mahlon K.
c/o Kristen P. Layne
PO Box 8141
Bend, OR 97708