We read a lot in this house and cultivating a family of readers can be hard. It takes effort. Yet it is effort we feel is worth the end result. We’ll share some ideas soon on how we “grow readers,” but picking the right book for kids is a great start.
Even though a book may be labeled “good” in the press or on school lists doesn’t mean it is the right fit for your child. In fact, forcing a child to read a book they don’t enjoy or placing in front of them stories that don’t capture their minds can backfire – big. (Save that for school assignments, not leisure reading.)
Luckily, there are a ton of great books out there and many of those are part of series! What better way to grow a reader than to introduce them to an entire world of characters that continue to offer stories throughout many books and journeys?
We have compiled a HUGE list of chapter book series for kids. Most of these we are intimately familiar with, some we don’t have personal experience with at all, so feel free to leave your recommendations.
If you are ever in doubt about whether the content is appropriate for your child, start with reviews at Common Sense. Also, ask your child what they want to read. Allowing them a choice can be a powerful tool to spark their desire. Then head to your local library and get started.
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Our Huge List of Chapter Book Series for Kids
CHAPTER BOOK SERIES FOR YOUNGER READERS
By John Erickson This lovable mutt declares himself the head of ranch security, with his smarter-than-he-seems sidekick, Drover. The first two books are a little slow, but then Hank really finds his voice. These books work on many levels with twists of phrase and misused words combined with silly capers and misunderstandings. There are dozens of these books. |
By Megan McDonald Judy Moody’s little brother has a series all his own, and it is fantastic! Stink’s imagination will appeal to any kid, and parents will love the whimsy. This is one of our favorites to read to our littlest. There are at least 6 stand-alones, with more on the way as well as a combined story with Judy. |
By Jacqueline Jules We are always surprised these books aren’t more popular! Freddie lives with his mom in an apartment and the caretaker, who tinkers with inventions, creates amazing tennis shoes that only Freddie wears (and knows about!). This proves that even the most ordinary seeming kid can be a superhero. There are 6 of Freddie’s books. |
By Kate DiCamillo DiCamillo has a special place in our family’s heart. We haven’t met a book of hers that we haven’t just loved. These very easy chapter books are great introductions for younger readers with stories of a sweet, clueless pig who loves toast and her even-more-clueless but lovable owners. There are 6 of these so far, but we hope DiCamillo isn’t done with Mercy yet! |
By Barbara Park Junie is a kindergartner with problems both relatable and adorable. This is a New York Times Bestseller for a reason. There are now 28 in this popular series! |
By Dav Pilkey If your child tends towards the graphic novel, this is a nice way to ease in to longer chapter books. Ricky is a mouse who, with the help of his robot, saves the world…or at least his pieces of it. The writing will not remind you of Mark Twain but, hey, it’s fun! We know of 9 books in this series. |
By Marjorie Weinman Sharmat He solves neighborhood mysteries with his dog while stopping to eat all the pancakes he can. The plots are simple yet adorable; the characters fantastically quirky. There are 26 books in this series. |
By Jeff Brown He gets smushed so he is completely flat – but he makes the best of it! He travels around the world, sometimes mailed in an envelope, to solve mysteries. This is a great way to introduce your child to the world. There are 14 Flat Stanley books. |
By Mary Pope Osborne We have already mentioned this series in our Chapter Books for Preschoolers article, but there are so many of these to get lost in. Jack and Annie travel through varies times in history, meeting figures and history-makers, by way of a magic tree house left to them by Morgan and Merlin of Camelot. There are a LOT of these – and they keep coming! |
By Gertrude Chandler Warner Spoiler Alert: they don’t live in the boxcar long. But they do go on to have fabulous mystery-solving adventures of the tamest type. The characters belie the 1942 publish dates as girls are demure and domestic while the boys brave out to take care of the damsels. Yet they are very clean and fun. The series is quite fun but, eventually, Warner is no longer the author and they are written by others, where they lose a little of their shine. |
By A.A. Milne These are forever favorites. If you have never read the books, you must. The movies and series on television based on these are sweet, but the books are perfection. We also mention Pooh books in Chapter Books for Preschoolers and Great Audible Books for Families. We know of 4 books on Pooh Corner, and they are great library additions. |
By Tedd Arnold Honestly, these will be either incredibly popular with your children or not resonate at all. The illustrations are silly yet well done. A boy and a fly form an unlikely friendship and engage in various adventures. There are 21 books in the series. |
By Beverly Cleary You may remember these from your youth! Ramona is a rambunctious child with a knack for trouble while Beezus is her poor, misunderstood older sister. Nearly every child can relate to one or the other, if not both, of the characters. These are filled with love and acceptance. There are 12 books in the series. |
By Wendy Mass You simply have to read these to understand them. Archie’s dad is a taxi driver…for outer space (which Archie learns for the first time on Take Your Child to Work Day)! They are chosen to protect and aid a master space crime fighter, who is a very large cat with a surly attitude. So far, there are 6 books in this far out series. |
Ricky Ricotta
FUN CHAPTER BOOK SERIES FOR KIDS
By Louis Sachar Sachar is a genius (check out his three-book series that starts with Holes for more evidence). These stories transcend age with a funny wit and a straight-faced humor. Also, check out the Audible version of this book as it is one of our family favorites. There are 5 books in this series. |
By Donald J. Sobol No idea how we pulled these out of the memory vaults of our youth, but our third-grader gobbled them up. The kid detective here is so smart! There are 22 books total. |
By Cressida Cowell Our kids never took to these books. We are not sure why – whether it was the somewhat dark nature or just not understanding the antics of the Vikings – but the books really are well written and funny! You might be surprised to learn there are 20 books in the series, with 12 main stories and a few spinoffs. |
By Annie Barrows These books are about friendship above all else, even if Ivy & Bean “knew from the instant they saw each other they could never be friends.” The way these two help each other out during various catastrophes is charming. There are 10 books in the series. |
By Ron Roy We love these three main characters who are funny (Ruth Rose dresses in one color each day, depending on her mood) yet solve quite interesting crimes in a quiet, safe neighborhood. The main series does, indeed, go A to Z but there are spin-off series to be swept up by, too. |
By John D, Fitzgerald All the notes say that if kids love Roald Dahl (which, for some reason, we don’t really take to him in our family), this is sure to be a hit. But don’t wait to prove that before picking these up! As the reviews say, The Great Brain is really a con man – at only 10 years old! There are 8 books in the series. |
By Jeanne Birdsall Apparently, Birdsall set out to write a children’s book inspired by her role models: Alcott and Nesbit. These stories of four girls, plus a father and a dog, and the family dynamics between strong yet very unique girls are well-written. Alcott would be proud. There are 5 books with over one million copies sold. |
By David A. Kelley For kids who love baseball, one very smart girl and her cousin sidekick solve a different mystery at the most famous ballparks around the nation while sharing history. Look for 15 different parks to get Kate’s sleuthing skills! |
By Trenton Lee Stewart These amazing children join together to overcome the fact that they are either orphans or unwanted. They form a strange and wonderful society. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like more are to be written, but thankfully, we have these. There are 6 books to enjoy. |
By Megan McDonald As said earlier, Stink has a really special place in our family’s heart, but that doesn’t mean that Judy’s praise isn’t well earned. This is for kids older than those the Stink series appeal to, but Judy’s attitude and humor always hit kids in a spot they know. She is smart and strong. Just has 13 of her own books, with more to come. |
By Chris Grabenstein This 3-book series combines a love of books and reading with puzzles and games. For our oldest, this is a perfect combination. The loony Lemoncello, creator of games and reminiscent of Wonka, builds his own state-of-the-art library and games ensue. Another brilliant addition: each book has a puzzle inside for the reader to solve! |
By James Patterson along with Chris Grabenstein (of Lemoncello Library fame) Yes, James Patterson. We get them as soon as they come out and our librarian keeps us updated on these ones. My son laughs at these while also learning about acceptance and following who you are. There are 3 so far, but please keep going Mr. Patterson! Note: Patterson has another series aimed towards Middle Schoolers that we have not yet tried. |
By Jon Sceiszka Sceiszka has changed the face of children’s books, pushing the envelope in the genre with some great results: like this series that my children can’t get enough of. These books involve science and humor – REAL science! There are 6 books so far and we can’t wait for more! |
By Jane O’Connor Fancy Nancy grows up! We have boys, so they never really dove into this (nurture v nature debate for another day, please) but the mom in the house loves them! Who wouldn’t love a smart girl who sleuths it out with the best of them!? But with the Nancy Drew references, it may be most enjoyable for the adult readers. Nancy has 8 books. |
ADVENTURE AND FANTASY CHAPTER BOOK SERIES FOR KIDS
This is where we spend so much of our time.
And while many of these books are being made into or are already movies and screen adaptations, please oh please do read the stories.
Full disclosure: both of our kids found Lemony Snicket books way too creepy to continue. There certainly is a dark, fatalistic feel to these books. But the kids always find a way to stay together and be stronger than whatever life throws at them. This is a series of 13 books, plus a Netflix series. |
By Chris Colfer Who knew that the kid from Glee was even better at writing?! The forest where fairytales and characters are turned topsy-turvy is stunning, A teacher at school started us on this series, and we are so sad it is done. All 6 books are worth rereading. |
By Soman Chainani Universal is making this into a movie. The plot is a little confusing but, to start, two girls are sent to magical school. One for good and one for evil – but completely the opposite of what was expected. So they try to switch. (Kind of like Wicked but not really.) There are 4 books plus a handbook (because it’s a little confusing). |
By J.K Rowling Obviously. Because this world will never get old. The first time we read Book 1 to our son, we were so excited to share it with him it was tear-jerking. (Are we dorks? Don’t answer that.) |
By Brandon Mull Another magical world, hidden, with mythical creatures and the aching for freedom. We know of 6 books in this series. |
By Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black Also a film (nothing is sacred). This book about an unlocked door that brings them to fairies and goblins is fantastic for all genders and nearly all ages (although our readers told us the goblins get a little scary). The complete series has 5 books. |
By Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson What a wonderful concept! We all know Peter Pan, but how did he get to the island and become the boy who never grows up? How did he take Hook’s hand? How did he meet Tinkerbell? This is the backstory. Note that this is not light and airy. It has some fairly dark parts (especially for Dave Barry), but nothing that is too far out there. There are 5 books in the series, but your child may feel fulfilled after one as it answers all the biggest questions. |
By Cornelia Funke A girl suddenly finds herself the hero of a world come alive by the reading of story outloud. (Anyone else think of The Neverending Story?). This is a trilogy. |
By Erin Hunter We found this series because a little girl, age 8, stopped us at the library and said, pointing with her purple fingernail, that this was the best series EVER. She then walked us through the whole plot and series. Well, my oldest started the books that day and we haven’t seen him since. There are so many books and different series that it is nearly impossible for someone over the age of 30 to keep track. |
By Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl is a rich, genius kid who is learning boundaries and who he is and gets himself into some scrapes, despite himself. The twists on technology and invention are fun! There are currently 6 books in this series. |
By Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis The New York Times loves these books. And for good reason. The most stunning aspect is the illustrations. But beyond that, this epic story on the edge of the Portland woods is great. There are 3 books in the Wildwood Chronicles. |
We would almost warn you AGAINST these as it will be expensive. The books, written by a range of authors (but the first is the ingenious hero of our household, Rick Riordan), come with cards that have clues and are wildly collectible. There is the main series and many spinoff series, so have fun but be warned! |
By Rick Riordan Stay away from the movie because it can not possibly do this fantastic series justice. A dream is to take the family to meet Rick Riordan some day. The gift he has given us with his writing for kids is indescribable. Percy’s adventures are as much for mom and dad as they are for kids. There are three different series, with many books in each, but read them all. And let’s hope they never stop. |
By Tui Sutherland We originally discovered this series through National Geographic Kids Magazine. This series follows different dragons and clans through many battles and stories. And don’t be deceived: just because these are dragons does not mean they are for boys alone! Book 11’s release is incredibly exciting. |
By Susan Cooper This was the Harry Potter series to an entire generation before Harry and his remarkable scar came along. Will Stanton has a special gift that he discovers, thinking he was an ordinary boy when, in truth, he has the power to save the world from darkness. There is a reason these books from the early 1970s have lasted generations and won numerous awards. |
By Margaret Peterson Haddix The world of Haddix’s mind has become so captivating that the author has begun to write characters in different books for different grade levels (she has a recommended breakdown on her website). These series are definitely for older readers but the topic is so intriguing there is a reason why many schools select it as required or encouraged reading. It’s the future, the population police are on the look out for children not allowed. The series starts with one of these children, the third-born, hidden away for safety. |
CLASSIC CHAPTER BOOK SERIES FOR KIDS
By Gary Paulsen Pauslen writes a fabulous survival story. Unlike My Side of the Mountain (see below), the main character here is forced into the situation by circumstances. The entire saga has 5 books. |
By C.S. Lewis Not all of these are created equal. And remember that Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe is actually Book 2. So you may want to start there as it is certainly the most captivating. But don’t stress if your child doesn’t read all of these. There are 7 books in the series. (How many have you read?) |
By L.M. Montgomery These fantastic books about coming-of-age and finding yourself aren’t just for girls! Anne is so winning and ridiculously over-the-top that most kids can relate, even if there isn’t a lot of action. There are 8 books in the complete set. Then, when you finish those, move on to Emily of New Moon (a three book series). |
By Laura Ingalls Wilder For some reason, these never seem boring. This glimpse into a different era in time grabs kids’ imaginations. Even better? They end up acting it out in the backyard. Well, that seems better than it is when they destroy your trees trying to cut them down and make a house. There are 9 books about the frontier life of Wilder. |
By Jean Craighead George George has our number. Coincidentally, she also wrote Julie of the Wolves, another great book series on survival. This first book is usually required reading in school. Most people don’t know that this is a 5 book series. |
By Madeleine L’Engle Mom’s absolutely favorite book as a child (we will not be watching the movie because mom simply can’t do it, the book is too sacred). These are fabulous to read together and discuss, especially as Charles Wallace goes through what he does. A trilogy (plus two more kind of related). |
By Franklin W. Dixon We had to keep a list in our journal about which ones we read. They are just similar yet different enough to run together, Plus, there are something like 60 of these books. |
By Carolyn Keene Move over Nancy Clancy because you have nothing on this original. She changed and shaped the way an entire generation of girls felt about themselves. The first 56 are the “classics.” |
By Marguerite Henry These are the ultimate horse stories. There is so much love and respect for the animals while still showing the interaction between them and the humans they live with. These 8 books not only tell the original, captivating story of the horse that tamed some children, but also of the generations of wild horses behind her. |
By Brian Jacques The battles and worlds created by these little furry beings can seem somewhat dry at first, not much action compared to today’s standards. But they draw you in. We are so glad our friend reminded us of these. Apparently, there are 22 books in this series. |
By J.R.R. Tolkien It is hard to know when a child is ready for this life-changing series (is that too strong?) but everyone must read it. Especially before seeing the movies. Four books in this famous series. |
“NOT GREAT WRITING BUT WILL GET THE KIDS READING” SERIES
By Jeff Kinney These books just keep going and the mix between modern-day (sometimes crass) situations kids can relate to and simple illustrations make them addictive, These have become something of a phenomenon. There are currently 16 books. |
By Ryder Windham Maybe it’s because we have a house full of boys, but there was much distress when LEGO announced it was discontinuing Bionicles. These books give backstory on all the different Bionicles – and are very confusing to parents but not so much to a 7-year-old boy. Right now, there are 3 books. Been waiting to see if these will be continued. |
By Dav Pilkey Recognize the author? (See Ricky Ricotta, above). These books are pretty crude for our sensibilities (Wedgie Woman, etc) but if you need to get your kid reading, don’t be shy. Children usually love the humor in these. There are 12 books. |
By Lincoln Peirce Fun, and not very complicated. The 17th book was recently released. |
By Lauren Tarshsis These books aren’t about character development, but they are a really interesting way to have children interact with and visualize historical events. There are 16 books, and we enjoyed the Chicago Fire particularly (which is a weird sentence to write). |
Big Nate
CHAPTER BOOK SERIES CURRENTLY ON OUR LIST TO TRY
We haven’t tried any of these yet, so there won’t be commentary, but they caught our eye…
By James Riley |
By John Flanagan |
By Neil Patrick Harris |
By Jacqueline West |
By Suzanne Collins (yes, of Hunger Games) |
By Jenny Nimmo |
If you have thoughts or recommendations we didn’t include, please drop them below. Knowledge is power.
And happy reading!
I would like to recommend The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson.
Adding it to the list, thank you!
I would recommend “The Sisters Grimm” series by Michael Buckley and Peter Ferguson. It is a twist on the fairy tales and Mother Goose stories of old. My son LOVES the series. I think there are about 10 so far. Highly recommend.
Also a great series that I read and bought was “The Unwanteds” by Lisa McMann. There are 6 in this series. She started a new set of books from this series. Again wonderful and very engaging. There are some darkish topics but not really scary.
One, not great, but definitely engaging for young readers is the Rainbow Magic Fairy Series by Daisy Meadows. There are a ton of books. Not great writing but for the beginner reader who is ready for some easy chapter books these are good.
My daughter loved Ivy and Bean as well as Haddix. We have pretty much everything Rick Riordan has written (so good).
We are truly hoping that some day we can interview Rick Riordan on here (no reason not to dream big, right?!). He is the best. Adding the others on our list, too! Thank you so much for such great recommendations.
Treasure Hunters by James Patterson is another great series.
James Patterson is fantastic. We will have to look into this one – thanks so much for the recommendation!
My 9 yr old son enjoys graphic novels and shies away from “regular” chapter books. I look forward to using this list to hopefully give him another series to love. For the record, his favorite GN series books are The Three Thieves, by Scott Chantler, and the Giants Beware! series by Jorge Aguirre.
My 12 yr old son is reading Ranger’s Apprentice and really likes it. It is helping him move on from series like Wimpy Kid and Big Nate, and really, it was time fro him to move on.
We just bought a Percy Jackson graphic novel and the Wings of Fire graphic novel hasn’t been put down since it was brought home! And we will have to check out Ranger’s Apprentice. It sounds like a life-changing series! 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment!
My son just discovered the Michael Vey series. There are seven of them. He cannot put them down!
We just looked those up – they look great! Definitely right up our alley. Thanks!