Chris Grabenstein Books in Order
Chris Grabenstein has written 54 books, published between 2005 and 2026. The first book is Tilt-a-Whirl (2005) and the newest is Mr. Lemoncello's Wondermous Christmas Gift (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 54
- Published
- 2005–2026
- Confirmed
- 3 of 54 titles
- Pages on record
- 6,429 in 22 of 54 books
Chris Grabenstein is an American author who writes for adults and for children, the children's books often with collaborator James Patterson. Grabenstein's first novel, Tilt-a-Whirl, appeared in 2005; the John Ceepak mysteries are the police-procedural strand, set in New Jersey. On the children's side sit Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Welcome to Wonderland, the Haunted Mystery books, Dog Squad and The Smartest Kid In The Universe. Fifty-seven books are catalogued through 2026, the newest being Mr. Lemoncello's Wondermous Christmas Gift.
Source: Wikidata
Mr. Lemoncello's Library follows children locked inside a library overnight, designed by gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello, who must solve a series of puzzles and challenges to escape.
How many Chris Grabenstein books are there?
Chris Grabenstein has 54 books, released between 2005 and 2026. They include 12 series and 8 titles listed outside any series.
Chris Grabenstein Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 54 Chris Grabenstein books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.
- 120053212/4
- 220063842/4
- 320063222/4
- 420073962/4
- 520073102/4
- 6The Christmas Tree Thief2008 · confirmed 2/42008–2/4
- 720083252/4
- 820083042/4
- 92009–2/4
- 1020093422/4
- 112010882/4
- 122010–2/4
- 132010–2/4
- 142011–2/4
- 152011–2/4
- 162012–2/4
- 17The Explorers' Gate2012 · confirmed 2/42012–2/4
- 1820123362/4
- 192013–2/4
- 202013–2/4
- 21Don't Call Me Christina Kringle2013 · confirmed 2/42013–2/4
- 2220133182/4
- 23The Island of Dr. Libris2015 · confirmed 2/42015–2/4
- 2420162842/4
- 2520163203/4
- 2620173002/4
- 272017–2/4
- 2820182952/4
- 29Seven Steps to Success2018 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/420182242/4
- 30Shine!2019 · confirmed 2/42019–2/4
- 3120193042/4
- 3220192882/4
- 33No More Naps!2020 · 40 pages · confirmed 2/42020402/4
- 3420203042/4
- 35Stuck2020 · confirmed 2/42020–2/4
- 3620202882/4
- 3720213362/4
- 382021–2/4
- 392022–2/4
- 40Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library: The Graphic NovelMr. Lemoncello's Library Graphic Novels #12023 · confirmed 2/42023–2/4
- 412023–2/4
- 422023–2/4
- 432024–2/4
- 442024–2/4
- 452024–3/4
- 462025–2/4
- 47Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics: The Graphic NovelMr. Lemoncello's Library Graphic Novels #22025 · confirmed 2/42025–2/4
- 482025–2/4
- 492025–2/4
- 502025–2/4
- 512026–2/4
- 522026–2/4
- 532026–2/4
- 542026–3/4
Chris Grabenstein series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
Chris Grabenstein books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
John Ceepak Mystery in order
9 books- 1. Tilt-a-Whirl
- 2. Mad Mouse
- 3. Whack A Mole
- 4. Hell Hole
- 5. Mind Scrambler
- 6. Rolling Thunder
- 7. Ring Toss
- 8. Fun House
- 9. Free Fall
Stinky's Stories in order
6 booksHaunted Mystery in order
4 booksWelcome to Wonderland in order
4 booksSmartest Kid In The Universe in order
3 booksChristopher Miller Holiday Thrillers in order
2 booksDog Squad in order
2 booksMr. Lemoncello's Library Graphic Novels in order
2 booksMs. Pennypickle's Puzzle Quest in order
2 booksStandalone Plays
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Riley Mack in order
1 bookOcean's Eleven in order
1 bookMurdle Jr. in order
1 bookStandalone books
8 books8 Chris Grabenstein titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Chris Grabenstein books in order?
You only need to read Chris Grabenstein books in order within each series: the books listed here span 12 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Chris Grabenstein
Start with Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2013), the first Mr. Lemoncello's Library book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Tilt-a-Whirl (2005).
What is the newest Chris Grabenstein book?
Mr. Lemoncello's Wondermous Christmas Gift (2026) is the newest Chris Grabenstein book released so far.
Is there a new Chris Grabenstein book coming?
No next Chris Grabenstein book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Chris Grabenstein has won
Wikidata records 1 award for Chris Grabenstein. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given. Award data is sourced from Wikidata.
Chris Grabenstein at a glance
- Still publishing
- Chris Grabenstein published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Chris Grabenstein books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 6,429 pages across the 22 of 54 books with a recorded length, a median of 307 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Chris Grabenstein books, 22 of 54, were published in the 2020s.
When Chris Grabenstein books were published
Publication distribution by decade, showing when Chris Grabenstein titles appeared. 2010s was the most productive decade with 22 titles.
54 books total across 3 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.
What the Chris Grabenstein books are about
33 of the 54 Chris Grabenstein books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 14 of 33. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Children's fiction 14 of 33 books
- Police 8 of 33 books
- Schools 5 of 33 books
- Books and reading 4 of 33 books
- Ghosts 4 of 33 books
- Hotels, motels, etc 4 of 33 books
- New Jersey 4 of 33 books
- Contests 3 of 33 books
- Friendship 3 of 33 books
- Hotels, motels 3 of 33 books
- Libraries 3 of 33 books