Boarding schools book series in reading order

by Enid Blyton

by R.A. Spratt

by Ally Carter

by Sophie Cleverly

by Maureen Johnson

by Seanan McGuire

by Brittany Cavallaro

by Lauren Brooke

by Suzanne Selfors

Enid Blyton

957 books• 42 series

Enid Blyton (11 August 1897 to 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer and one of the best-selling authors of children's literature, with more than 600 million copies sold and translations into ninety languages. Blyton wrote on education, natural history, fantasy, mystery and biblical stories. Noddy, the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, the Five Find-Outers and Malory Towers are the best-remembered Blyton books, and St Clare's, Mary Mouse and Toyland Stories are also listed. The catalogue opens with The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies (1924), and The Naughtiest Girl in the School (1930) and The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair (1937) follow. Titles dated after Blyton's death also appear, up to Stories of Wonders and Wishes (2023).

R.L. Stine

589 books• 64 series

Robert Lawrence Stine, born October 8, 1943, is an American novelist who writes horror fiction for children. Goosebumps, the series Stine created, sold more than 400 million copies in 35 languages and grew into a franchise of two television series, video games, comics and two feature films. Fear Street, Stine's horror sequence for teenagers, passed 80 million copies and was adapted for film. Stine has been called the Stephen King of children's literature. The listing runs to 590 titles, from How to Be Funny (1978), published as Jovial Bob Stine, to How to Train Your Dummy, scheduled for 2027.

Kieran Scott, born 11 March 1974, is an American author who also publishes as Kate Brian. Under the Kate Brian name come chick lit books such as The Princess and the Pauper, The Virginity Club, Sweet 16, Fake Boyfriend and the Private series. Books under Scott's own name include She's So Dead to Us, Brunettes Strike Back, Geek Magnet and I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader, a YALSA Teens Top Ten nominee. The catalogue subjects include boarding schools, high schools, cliques and teenage girls, and the listing runs from 1998 to 2026.

Jenny Nimmo is a British children's author, born in England on 15 January 1944, who has lived mostly in Wales for four decades. Jenny Nimmo's output covers fantasy and adventure novels, chapter books and picture books. The Magician Trilogy (1986-1989) draws on Welsh myth, and Children of the Red King (2002-2010) follows schoolchildren with magical powers. The Snow Spider, first of the Magician books, took the Nestle Smarties Book Prize and the 1987 Tir na n-Og Award. The catalogue lists 65 books from The Bronze Trumpeter (1974) to Secret Creatures (2020).

Sophie Cleverly writes children's mystery fiction for grades 6 to 8. Twin sisters, boarding schools, schools and missing persons are the recorded subjects. Two series carry the name, Scarlet and Ivy and the Violet Veil Mysteries. The Lost Twin (2015) opens the catalogue of 9 books and A Case of High Stakes (2024) is the newest, with The Whispers in the Walls, The Dance in the Dark and Lights Under the Lake in between. The five volumes with a recorded length run to a median of 320 pages.

Maureen Johnson

23 books• 4 series

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.

Cecily Von Ziegesar

34 books• 5 series

Gossip Girl (2002) opens Cecily von Ziegesar's catalogue and is the series she is best known for. Thirty-four titles are listed between 2002 and 2020, including You Know You Love Me (2002), All I Want is Everything (2003), Because I'm Worth It (2003), I Like It Like That (2004), Nobody Does it Better (2005) and Nothing Can Keep Us Together (2005). The It Girl, Gossip Girl: The Carlyles, the Gossip Girl manga graphic novels and a set of standalone novels divide the rest, ending with Cobble Hill (2020). Teenage girls, wealth, private and boarding schools and dating run through the subjects. Von Ziegesar is American and was born in 1970.

Unicorns, magic, boarding schools and friendship are the subjects of the 20 catalogued books of Julie Sykes, published between 2019 and 2022 for readers in grades 1 to 3. Each sampled title pairs two names, as in Sophia and Rainbow (2019), Ava and Star (2019) and Sienna and Sparkle (2022). Sykes, a UK-based children's author with over 100 books, often collaborates with Linda Chapman and also writes as Summer Waters and Skye Waters.

Gordon Korman

119 books• 22 series

Gordon Korman is a Canadian writer of children's and young adult fiction whose books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. The catalogue holds 119 titles, from This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall! (1977) to Sleepless (2026). Subject tags cover schools, friendship, humorous stories, adventure, mystery and detective stories, and shipwrecks. Series headings include Swindle Mysteries, Masterminds, Everest, Dive, Titanic, Ungifted and the Monday Night Football Club. Gordon Korman remains actively publishing.

Mercedes Lackey

230 books• 52 series

Valdemar, a country in the world of Velgarth, is the setting for many of Mercedes Lackey's interlinked fantasy novels and trilogies. Lackey, an American writer born on June 24, 1950, brings human and non-human protagonists from many cultures together in the Valdemar books. A second Lackey setting resembles Earth but hides populations of elves, mages, vampires and other mythical beings. Bedlam's Bard follows a young man who works magic through music, SERRAted Edge features elves who race cars, and the Diana Tregarde thrillers star a Wiccan fighting evil. Arrows of the Queen (1987), Arrow's Flight (1987) and Arrow's Fall (1988) are among the listed titles, and Elemental Masters and Five Hundred Kingdoms are further series.

Ally Carter

29 books• 8 series

Spies, thieves and boarding schools furnish Ally Carter's fiction for young readers. The Gallagher Girls series, set at a school that trains teenage spies, runs from 2006 through Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover and Only the Good Spy Young. Heist Society turns to con artists, Embassy Row to diplomatic intrigue, and Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor to a mystery for younger readers. Thirty titles make up the catalogue, which began with the adult novel Cheating at Solitaire (2005).

Gail Carriger

37 books• 13 series

Gail Carriger is an American author of steampunk fiction. Carriger's 37 catalogued books span 1999 to 2024 and cover the Alexia Tarabotti, Finishing School, Custard Protocol and Delightfully Deadly series, plus a Parasol Protectorate manga line and titles issued as G.L. Carriger. Werewolves, vampires, London society and etiquette run through the work, and Carriger remains actively publishing.

Jennifer Estep writes fantasy across 76 catalogued books published between 2007 and 2027. Magic, assassins, psychic ability and boarding schools recur through the subject headings, in urban and paranormal registers. Estep's series include Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy and Mythos Academy: Colorado, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, Black Blade, Bigtime, Galactic Bonds and Section 47, beside standalone novels, short fiction and non-fiction. The list runs from Karma Girl (2007) to Queen of Foxes (2026), and Only Bright Destinies is announced for 2027.

Lisi Harrison

41 books• 10 series

Lisi Harrison is a Canadian author of young adult fiction, known for three series: The Clique, Alphas and Monster High. The Clique (2004) opens a catalogue of 41 titles, with middle schools, cliques, friendship and competition in the subject tags, and monsters, boarding schools and prejudice beside them. Graphic novels, a Clique Summer Collection and the Graveyard Girls follow. Two Truths and a Lion (2023) is the most recent title.

Suzanne Selfors writes fiction for readers in grades 3 to 5. Series include the Imaginary Veterinary, Smells Like Dog and Wedgie & Gizmo, with tie-in work for Ever After High and Spirit Riding Free. The catalogue lists 39 books from To Catch a Mermaid (2007) to Braver (2020), at a median of 240 pages. Schools, pets, magic and fairy tales run through the subject headings.

R.A. Spratt writes humorous fiction for children. Nanny Piggins, a pig employed as a nanny, carries the first run - The Adventures of Nanny Piggins (2009), Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion (2010), Nanny Piggins and the Rival Ringmaster (2011) - and Friday Barnes turns to a schoolgirl detective at a boarding school. The Peski Kids complete the series list. Thirty-two books run from 2009 to Romeo v Juliet (2026).

Boarding schools, coming of age, friendship, dating and the relationships of mothers and daughters and fathers and daughters are the subjects recorded for Emily Franklin. Principles of Love and Chalet Girls are the two series in the catalogue, which holds 22 books published between 2003 and 2026. Liner Notes (2003) opens the run; Piece, Love, and Happiness and The Principles of Love date from 2005; and Love & Other Monsters (2026) is the newest listing. The 2000s hold the most titles, the median book is 256 pages, and Franklin is still publishing.

Ridley Pearson

56 books• 11 series

Ridley Pearson, born March 13, 1953, is an American author of suspense, thriller and adventure books, several of which have made The New York Times Best Seller list. The catalogue lists 56 titles, opening with Never Look Back (1985) and Blood of the Albatross (1986). Undercurrents (1988), Probable Cause (1990) and The Angel Maker (1993) are among the earlier books, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure (2026) is the newest. Series include Boldt & Matthews, Walt Fleming, Risk Agent, Lock and Key, Steel Trapp and Kingdom Keepers. Subject tags name Lou Boldt, Daphne Matthews and police psychologists, alongside children's fiction and fantasy.

Claudia Gray

38 books• 13 series

Claudia Gray is the pen name of Amy Vincent, an American novelist working in science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, cozy mystery, paranormal romance and young adult fiction. Evernight, one of the series Gray is best known for, is also the title of the first catalogued book (2008); Stargazer (2009), Hourglass (2010) and Afterlife (2011) follow. Gray's Star Wars novels include Lost Stars, Bloodline, Leia, Princess of Alderaan, Into the Dark and The Fallen Star. The 38 listed books also cover Firebird, the House of El Trilogy and Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney, and the newest title is The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield (2026). Vampires, boarding schools, witches and ghosts are recorded subjects.

Robin Stevens writes historical murder mysteries for children, and the catalogue counts 17 books from 2014 to 2023. Murder Most Unladylike (2014), also titled Murder is Bad Manners, is the first. Arsenic for Tea, First Class Murder, Jolly Foul Play and Mistletoe and Murder followed, and The Body in the Blitz (2023) is the newest. The Wells and Wong Mysteries, the Ministry of Unladylike Activity and the mini mysteries make up the Stevens series list, with schools and friendship among the subjects.

Charlie Higson

35 books• 7 series

Charlie Higson, born 3 July 1958, is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer who has also written and produced for television. Higson is the author of The Enemy, a young adult post-apocalyptic series, and wrote the first five Young Bond novels. King of the Ants (1992) opens the catalogue of 35 titles, followed by Happy Now (1993), Full Whack (1995) and Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen (1996). The Dalek Factor (2004) appears next, then SilverFin (2005), Blood Fever (2006), Double or Die (2007) and By Royal Command (2008). Spies, zombies, survival and London appear in the subject tags.

Jane B. Mason writes children's books, and the catalogue lists 79 of them between 1993 and 2021. Early entries include Jurassic Park (1993), Apollo 13 (1995) and Balto (1995). Series include Zoey 101, Princess School, Bella Baxter, Rescue Dogs, A Dog and His Girl Mysteries and Tales from the Cryptkeeper. Subjects include dogs, schools, princesses, boarding school students, dinosaurs and superheroes. Sarah Hines Stephens is credited alongside Mason on 4 books, and Gem (2021) is the newest title.

John C. Wright, born October 22, 1961, is an American author of science fiction and fantasy novels. The Golden Age (2002) is the debut novel, and Orphans of Chaos (2005) made Wright a Nebula Award finalist. The catalogue records 47 books through Sinister Syndicate of Space (2026). Series include Golden Oecumene, Count to the Eschaton Sequence, Chronicles of Chaos, Moth & Cobweb, Superluminary and StarQuest, and Null-A Continuum (2008) also appears.

Carmen Reid, a Scottish novelist from Montrose in Angus, writes humorous women's fiction and books for teenagers. Annie Valentine is Reid's series about a personal shopper, and Did the Earth Move? (2003) reached the Sunday Times top ten. Secrets at St Jude's is a young adult series set at a girls' boarding school in Edinburgh. Cross My Heart, a Second World War novel for teenagers, won the Angus Book Award in 2015. The catalogue holds 25 books from Three in a Bed (2002) to How to be Fabulous (2026).