Maureen Johnson Books in Order: All 23 books (2004

Maureen Johnson writes young adult fiction, much of it mystery. Born in 1973, the American novelist has 23 catalogued books running from The Key to the Golden Firebird (2004) to The Velvet Knife (2026). Three series anchor the list: Truly Devious, Shades of London and Little Blue Envelopes, the last opening with 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005). Boarding schools, murder, ghosts and grief recur across the books. Johnson co-wrote the holiday romance Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle, and contributed novellas to the anthologies The Bane Chronicles, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and Ghosts of the Shadow Market.

The Truly Devious series follows Stevie Bell, a teenager who enrolls at Ellingham Academy, a boarding school where a kidnapping and murder took place in the 1930s. The story alternates between the historical case and Stevie's present-day investigation of it.

How many Maureen Johnson books are there?

Maureen Johnson has 23 books, released between 2004 and 2026. They include 4 series and 9 titles listed outside any series.

Maureen Johnson 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.

Shades of London in order

4 books

1. The Name of the Star
2. The Madness Underneath
3. The Boy in the Smoke
4. The Shadow Cabinet

Little Blue Envelopes in order

2 books

1. 13 Little Blue Envelopes
2. The Last Little Blue Envelope

Scarlett in order

2 books

1. Suite Scarlett
2. Scarlett Fever

Standalone books

9 books

9 Maureen Johnson titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Maureen Johnson books in order?

You only need to read Maureen Johnson books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Maureen Johnson

Start with Truly Devious (2018), the first Truly Devious book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Key to the Golden Firebird (2004).

What is the newest Maureen Johnson book?

The Velvet Knife (2026) is the newest Maureen Johnson book released so far.

Is there a new Maureen Johnson book coming?

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

Maureen Johnson at a glance

Still publishing: Maureen Johnson published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace: Maureen Johnson books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length: 4,174 pages across the 12 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 366 pages each.
Busiest decade: Most Maureen Johnson books, 8 of 23, were published in the 2020s.

What the Maureen Johnson books are about

18 of the 23 Maureen Johnson 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 6 of 18. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

Children's fiction 6 of 18 books
Schools 6 of 18 books
Boarding schools 5 of 18 books
Murder 4 of 18 books
Family life 3 of 18 books
Ghosts 3 of 18 books
High schools 3 of 18 books
Mystery & detective 3 of 18 books
Actors and actresses 2 of 18 books
Artists 2 of 18 books
Aunts 2 of 18 books

Maureen Johnson Books in Order