Order of Book Series
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Cynthia Lord Books in Order

Cynthia Lord has written 20 books, published between 2006 and 2023. The first book is Rules (2006) and the newest is Home Away From Home (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
20
Published
2006–2023
Pages on record
1,484 in 13 of 20 books
Reading time
25–37 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,484 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 13 of 20 titles with a page count on record.

See all 20 books in order Printable Cynthia Lord checklist

Cynthia Lord is an American children's author whose first novel, Rules (2006), was a 2007 Newbery Honor book and won the Schneider Family Book Award. Scholastic published that debut. Lord's 20 catalogued books include Touch Blue (2010), Half a Chance (2014) and A Handful of Stars (2015). Lord's series are Hot Rod Hamster, Shelter Pet Squad and Book Buddies, and subjects include pets, animal shelters, volunteers and friendship. Home Away From Home (2023) is the latest title.

How many Cynthia Lord books are there?

Cynthia Lord has 20 books, released between 2006 and 2023. They include 3 series and 7 titles listed outside any series.

Cynthia Lord Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 20 Cynthia Lord 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 September 2026.

  1. Cover of Rules by Cynthia Lord (2006)
  2. Cover of Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord, book 1 of the Hot Rod Hamster series (2010)
  3. Cover of Happy Birthday Hamster by Cynthia Lord, book 2 of the Hot Rod Hamster series (2011)
  4. Cover of Jelly Bean by Cynthia Lord, book 1 of the Shelter Pet Squad series (2014)
  5. Cover of Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord (2014)
  6. Cover of Monster Truck Mania! by Cynthia Lord, book 3 of the Hot Rod Hamster series (2014)
  7. Cover of Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race! by Cynthia Lord, book 4 of the Hot Rod Hamster series (2014)
  8. Cover of Hot Rod Hamster and the Awesome ATV Adventure! by Cynthia Lord, book 5 of the Hot Rod Hamster series (2015)
  9. Cover of Paloma by Cynthia Lord, book 3 of the Shelter Pet Squad series (2016)
  10. Cover of Borrowing Bunnies by Cynthia Lord (2019)
  11. Cover of Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord (2019)
  12. Cover of Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord, book 1 of the Book Buddies series (2021)
  13. Cover of Marco Polo Brave Explorer by Cynthia Lord, book 2 of the Book Buddies series (2022)
  1. 1
    Rules2006 · 200 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2006200
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Hot Rod HamsterHot Rod Hamster #12010 · confirmed 1/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Touch Blue2010 · confirmed 1/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Happy Birthday HamsterHot Rod Hamster #22011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Jelly BeanShelter Pet Squad #12014 · 125 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2014125
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Half a Chance2014 · 218 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2014218
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Monster Truck Mania!Hot Rod Hamster #32014 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201440
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race!Hot Rod Hamster #42014 · confirmed 1/4
    2014–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    MerlinShelter Pet Squad #22015 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2015128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    A Handful of Stars2015 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2015192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Hot Rod Hamster and the Awesome ATV Adventure!Hot Rod Hamster #52015 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201532
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Hot Rod Hamster and the Haunted Halloween Party!Hot Rod Hamster #62015 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201532
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    PalomaShelter Pet Squad #32016 · 125 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2016125
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Hot Rod Hamster and the Very Best PrizeHot Rod Hamster #72016 · confirmed 1/4
    2016–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Hot Rod Hamster Meets His Match!Hot Rod Hamster #82016 · confirmed 1/4
    2016–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Borrowing Bunnies2019 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201940
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Because of the Rabbit2019 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2019192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Ivy Lost and FoundBook Buddies #12021 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/4
    202180
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Marco Polo Brave ExplorerBook Buddies #22022 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/4
    202280
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Home Away From Home2023 · confirmed 1/4
    2023–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Cynthia Lord series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Cynthia Lord 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.

Shelter Pet Squad in order

3 books
  1. 1. Jelly Bean
  2. 2. Merlin
  3. 3. Paloma

Book Buddies in order

2 books
  1. 1. Ivy Lost and Found
  2. 2. Marco Polo Brave Explorer

Standalone books

7 books

7 Cynthia Lord titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Cynthia Lord books in order?

You only need to read Cynthia Lord books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Cynthia Lord

Start with Hot Rod Hamster (2010), the first Hot Rod Hamster book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Rules (2006).

What is the newest Cynthia Lord book?

Home Away From Home (2023) is the newest Cynthia Lord book released so far.

Is there a new Cynthia Lord book coming?

No next Cynthia Lord book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Cynthia Lord at a glance

Paused
No new Cynthia Lord title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
Release pace
Cynthia Lord books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
1,484 pages across the 13 of 20 books with a recorded length, a median of 125 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Cynthia Lord books, 16 of 20, were published in the 2010s.

What the Cynthia Lord books are about

16 of the 20 Cynthia Lord 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 11 of 16. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.