Courage book series in reading order

by John Flanagan

John Flanagan

37 books• 6 series

John Flanagan writes fantasy adventure for readers in grades 6 to 8. The Ruins of Gorlan (2004) opens Ranger's Apprentice, which extends into The Royal Ranger and The Early Years; the Brotherband Chronicles are a second series, and seafaring life and pirates sit in the subject tags. Thirty-eight titles are catalogued through Ambush at Sorato (2024). Apprentices, heroes, courage and friendship recur across the books.

Veronica Roth

27 books• 12 series

Divergent (2011) opens the catalogue of Veronica Roth, an American novelist and short story writer born August 19, 1988. Sales of the Divergent trilogy exceed 35 million copies worldwide. Insurgent (2012), Allegiant (2013) and Four (2014) follow early in the list, which counts 28 titles through Seek the Traitor's Son (2026). Carve the Mark, Curse Bearer and Sixth Faction are the other named series. Dystopias, courage, identity and social classes appear among the subject headings.

StacyPlays is the name on a four-book children's adventure series: Guardians of the Taiga (2018), Escape to the Mesa (2019), Expedition on the Tundra (2020) and Sentinels in the Deep Ocean (2021). A girl and the wolves she lives among carry the story through forest, desert, tundra and ocean. The books are written for middle-grade readers at around 224 pages, and no fifth title has appeared since 2021.

Brene Brown

18 books• 1 series

Shame, vulnerability, courage and resilience are Brene Brown's subjects, treated as psychology and self-improvement rather than fiction. Women & Shame (2004) is the earliest catalogued title, followed by I Thought It Was Just Me (2007), Daring Greatly (2012) and Rising Strong (2015). Dare to Lead names a series within the catalogue, which runs to 18 books through Strong Ground in 2025.

G.A. Henty wrote historical adventure stories for young readers. The catalogue holds 109 Henty titles, opening with A Search for a Secret (1867) and closing at The Plague Ship (2002). War, military history and the conduct of life are the recurring subjects, and much of the work sits in England and the wider British past. Early titles include The March to Magdala (1868), Out on the Pampas (1870) and The Young Franc Tireurs (1872).

Fern Michaels was the pen name of Mary Ruth Kuczkir, born Mary Ruth Koval on April 9, 1933, who died on November 12, 2025. The American novelist wrote romance and thrillers, including the Texas quartet, the Captive series, Family Blessings, Pretty Woman and Crown Jewel. Michaels's output passed 200 books with an estimated 150 million copies sold. The catalogue lists 190 titles, from Pride and Passion (1975) to A Season of Secrets (2026). Series include the Sisterhood, Godmothers, Men of the Sisterhood, Lost and Found, Vegas, Kentucky and Twin Lights. Female friendship, vigilantes and revenge appear among the subject tags.

Barbara Kingsolver

19 books• 6 series

Barbara Kingsolver, born April 8, 1955, is an American novelist, essayist and poet who received the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Demon Copperhead. The catalogue runs to 19 books, from The Bean Trees (1988) to Partita (2026), and includes The Poisonwood Bible (1998), the story of a missionary family in the Congo, and Prodigal Summer (2000). Social justice, biodiversity and the ties between people, their communities and the environment are recurring concerns of Kingsolver's writing. Honours include the National Humanities Medal and, in 2011, the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

Alexander McCall Smith

165 books• 25 series

Sir Alexander McCall Smith, born 24 August 1948, is a Scottish legal scholar and novelist who created The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Born and raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), McCall Smith was Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and worked on medical law and bioethics committees. English-language sales passed 40 million by 2010, with translations into 46 languages. The catalogue lists 165 books from White Hippo (1980) to 2026, including 44 Scotland Street, Isabel Dalhousie, Detective Varg and children's titles.

Wilbur Smith was a British-South African novelist born in Northern Rhodesia. Smith's historical fiction covers four centuries of international involvement in Southern Africa. The catalogue lists 66 books, from When the Lion Feeds (1964) to Flashpoint (2026). Series include Courtney, Jack Courtney, Ancient Egypt, Hector Cross and Prey Zone. Recurring character listings include the Courtney family, Ballantyne and Hector Cross. David Churchill and Tom Harper each share the credit on 1 book. Subjects include Africa, Egypt, revenge, espionage and terrorism.

John Gwynne

14 books• 4 series

John Gwynne writes epic fantasy at length: the median catalogued book runs to 628 pages. Malice (2012) is the earliest of 14 catalogued titles, which take in The Faithful and the Fallen, the Bloodsworn Saga and Wolves of War, and reach The Wolves of War in 2026. Imaginary wars, magic, demons and angels supply the material.

Jennifer Beckstrand writes Christian romance, with subjects including the Amish, Wisconsin, family life and marriage. The catalogue runs to 34 books from Kate's Song (2012) to Annie's August Frolic (2026). Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill is a series, and Huckleberry Hill, Huckleberry Summer and Huckleberry Christmas date from 2014. Amish Quiltmaker, Honeybee Sisters, Petersheim Brothers and Forever After In Apple Lake are other series. Courage and Christmas stories also appear among the subjects.

Lloyd Alexander wrote fantasy for children and young adults. Alexander lived from 1924 to 2007, grew up in Pennsylvania through the Great Depression, and worked across seven decades; 45 books are catalogued here, from And Let the Credit Go (1955) to The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (2007). The Chronicles of Prydain, five high fantasy novels set in the imaginary land of Prydain, is the best known work, and its conclusion, The High King, took the 1969 Newbery Medal. The Westmark Trilogy and the Vesper Holly adventures are Alexander's other series. National Book Awards followed in 1971 and 1982, and the work has been translated into 20 languages.

Jerry Bruce Jenkins, born September 23, 1949, is an American writer who co-wrote the Left Behind series with Tim LaHaye. Jenkins also writes the novels based on The Chosen, the TV series about Jesus. Across more than 200 books, Jenkins covers biography, self-help, romance, mystery and young adult fiction, and 19 novels explore eschatological themes. The catalogue lists 207 books from The Night the Giant Rolled Over (1971) to The Battle for Heaven and Earth (2026). Series include Left Behind: The Kids, Red Rock Mysteries, Margo Mysteries and Wormling.

Cornelia Funke

51 books• 9 series

Cornelia Funke (Cornelia Maria Funke, born 10 December 1958 in Dorsten) is a German author of children's fiction, called Germany's bestselling author for children. Funke worked as a social worker and then a book illustrator, began writing novels in the late 1980s and writes mostly fantasy about children facing adversity. The catalogue lists 51 books from Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (1993) to The Green Kingdom (2025), including Dragon Rider (1997) and The Thief Lord (2000). Inkheart/Inkworld and MirrorWorld are series.

Guardians of Ga'Hoole is one of the series by Kathryn Lasky, an American children's writer born June 24, 1944, who writes for adults as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann. Lasky's children's work also includes Dear America and The Royal Diaries books, Wolves of the Beyond, Sugaring Time and The Night Journey, and honours include a Newbery Honor, the National Jewish Book Award and the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature. The catalogue holds 159 books from I Have Four Names for My Grandfather (1976) to Sacred Light (2026), including Tugboats Never Sleep (1977), The Weaver's Gift (1980) and Beyond the Divide (1983). Horses Of The Dawn, Bears Of The Ice and Camp Princess are further series, and subjects name owls, wolves, diaries and Jews.