Order of Book Series
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Karen Hesse Books in Order

Karen Hesse has written 26 books, published between 1991 and 2022. The first book is Wish on a Unicorn (1991) and the newest is Granny and Bean (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
26
Published
1991–2022
Pages on record
2,675 in 15 of 26 books
Reading time
45–67 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,675 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 15 of 26 titles with a page count on record.

See all 26 books in order Printable Karen Hesse checklist

Karen S. Hesse, born August 29, 1952, is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often set in the past. Out of the Dust (1997) took the Newbery Medal. The catalogue lists 26 books from Wish on a Unicorn (1991) to Granny and Bean (2022), among them Letters from Rifka (1992), Phoenix Rising (1994), A Time of Angels (1995) and The Music of Dolphins (1996). Subjects name children's fiction, family life, diaries, sisters and cousins. The books run to a median of 161 pages, and the catalogue marks the run dormant.

How many Karen Hesse books are there?

Karen Hesse has 26 books, released between 1991 and 2022.

Karen Hesse Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 26 Karen Hesse 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 Wish on a Unicorn by Karen Hesse (1991)
  2. Cover of Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse (1992)
  3. Cover of Lavender by Karen Hesse, book 1 of the Chapter series (1993)
  4. Cover of Poppy's Chair by Karen Hesse (1993)
  5. Cover of Lester's Dog by Karen Hesse (1993)
  6. Cover of Sable by Karen Hesse, book 2 of the Chapter series (1994)
  7. Cover of Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse (1994)
  8. Cover of A Time of Angels by Karen Hesse (1995)
  9. Cover of The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse (1996)
  10. Cover of Just Juice by Karen Hesse (1998)
  11. Cover of Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse (1999)
  12. Cover of A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin by Karen Hesse, book 16 of the Dear America series (1999)
  13. Cover of The Stowaway by Karen Hesse (2000)
  14. Cover of Witness by Karen Hesse (2000)
  15. Cover of Young Nick's Head by Karen Hesse (2001)
  16. Cover of Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse (2003)
  17. Cover of The Cats In Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse (2004)
  18. Cover of The Young Hans Christian Andersen by Karen Hesse (2005)
  19. Cover of Spuds by Karen Hesse (2008)
  20. Cover of Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse (2008)
  21. Cover of Safekeeping by Karen Hesse (2012)
  22. Cover of My Thumb by Karen Hesse (2016)
  23. Cover of Night Job by Karen Hesse (2018)
  24. Cover of Granny and Bean by Karen Hesse (2022)
  1. 1
    Wish on a Unicorn1991 · 108 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1991108
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Letters from Rifka1992 · 148 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1992148
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    LavenderChapter #11993 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199364
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Poppy's Chair1993 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199332
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Lester's Dog1993 · confirmed 1/4
    1993–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    SableChapter #21994 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199464
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Phoenix Rising1994 · 182 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1994182
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    A Time of Angels1995 · 250 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1995250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Music of Dolphins1996 · confirmed 1/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Out of the Dust1997 · 227 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1997227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Just Juice1998 · 144 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1998144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Come On, Rain!1999 · confirmed 1/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia MartinDear America #161999 · confirmed 2/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Stowaway2000 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Witness2000 · 161 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000161
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Young Nick's Head2001 · 296 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2001296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Aleutian Sparrow2003 · 156 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2003156
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Cats In Krasinski Square2004 · confirmed 1/4
    2004–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Young Hans Christian Andersen2005 · confirmed 1/4
    2005–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Spuds2008 · confirmed 1/4
    2008–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Brooklyn Bridge2008 · 229 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2008229
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Safekeeping2012 · 294 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2012294
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    My Thumb2016 · confirmed 1/4
    2016–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Night Job2018 · confirmed 1/4
    2018–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Nights with Dad2018 · confirmed 1/4
    2018–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Granny and Bean2022 · confirmed 1/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Karen Hesse 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.

Chapter in order

2 books
  1. 1. Lavender
  2. 2. Sable

Dear America in order

1 book
  1. 16. A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin

Standalone books

23 books

23 Karen Hesse titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Karen Hesse books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 26 Karen Hesse books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with Karen Hesse

Start with Wish on a Unicorn (1991), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Karen Hesse book?

Granny and Bean (2022) is the newest Karen Hesse book released so far.

Is there a new Karen Hesse book coming?

No next Karen Hesse 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 Karen Hesse has won

Wikidata records 1 award for Karen Hesse. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Newbery Medal1998Won

Karen Hesse at a glance

Paused
No new Karen Hesse title has appeared for 4 years. The last was published in 2022.
Release pace
Karen Hesse books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
2,675 pages across the 15 of 26 books with a recorded length, a median of 161 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Karen Hesse books, 13 of 26, were published in the 1990s.

What the Karen Hesse books are about

23 of the 26 Karen Hesse 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 16 of 23. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.