Pirates book series in reading order

by Justin Somper

by Chris Bradford

by John Flanagan

by Elisabetta Dami

by Eve Bunting

by Paul Stewart

by L.A. Meyer

by Liz Kessler

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.

Elisabetta Dami

309 books• 22 series

Elisabetta Dami, born 1 January 1958, is an Italian children's author known for the Geronimo Stilton book series. The catalogue credits Dami with 309 books from 1998 to 2026. Titles from 2000 include Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, Attack Of The Bandit Cats and Four Mice Deep in the Jungle. Other listings include Geronimo Stilton: Thea Stilton, Mouseford Academy, Kingdom Of Fantasy, Geronimo Stilton Cavemice, Geronimo Stilton Spacemice and Creepella von Cacklefur. Subjects include mice, journalists, time travel and humorous stories. The Legend of Chocolate Hills (2026) is the newest title.

Chris Bradford is an English author and black belt martial artist, best known for the Young Samurai children's series. Puffin published the first Young Samurai book, The Way of the Warrior, in 2008, and Disney bought the rights that year. Seven further books followed, and a ninth, The Return of the Warrior, marked the series' tenth anniversary in 2018. The Bodyguard series began in 2013 with Hostage, in which teenage bodyguard Connor Reeves protects the US president's daughter. Other series include Ninja, Virtual Kombat, Bulletcatcher and Soul Hunters, and Lunar (2023) is the newest title.

Justin Somper

13 books• 4 series

Justin Somper is a British author of children's novels, known for the Vampirates and Allies & Assassins sequences. Somper's 13 catalogued books stretch from The Pyramid Plot (1993) to Sword Echoes (2026), taking in Demons of the Ocean (2006), Tide of Terror (2007), Blood Captain (2008), Black Heart (2009), Empire of Night (2010), Immortal War (2011), Allies & Assassins (2013) and A Conspiracy of Princes (2015). Catalogue subjects record pirates, vampires, twins, seafaring life and princes. Michelle Bates and Mark Fowler each share a credit on 1 title.

Rafael Sabatini

50 books• 2 series

Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950) was an Italian-born British writer of romance and adventure novels. The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926) were the bestsellers, and several of the novels reached the screen in both silent and sound versions. Sabatini produced 34 novels, eight short story collections, six works of non-fiction, uncollected short stories and several plays. Fifty titles are catalogued from The Lovers of Yvonne (1902) onward, with pirates, the French Revolution, the Renaissance and Italy among the subjects.

Terry Deary

340 books• 41 series

Terry Deary is a British children's author, born in 1946, best known as the writer of the Horrible Histories series. Deary has written 351 books, which have sold more than 38 million copies in over 45 languages, and has ranked among Britain's best-selling authors since 1994. In 2012 Deary was the tenth most-borrowed author in British libraries, and Books for Keeps magazine named Deary the Outstanding Children's Non-Fiction Author of the 20th Century. The catalogue lists 340 titles from Teaching Through Theatre (1977) onward, including the True Stories and Tudor Terror series.

Adam Blade is the name used by a small collective of authors who write Beast Quest, along with Team Hero, Beast Quest: New Blood and Space Wars. Beast Quest has sold more than 11 million copies. The catalogue lists 288 Adam Blade books from 2007 to 2024, opening with titles such as Ferno The Fire Dragon, Sepron The Sea Serpent and Cypher the Mountain Giant (all 2007) and reaching Pirano the Water Dragon (2024). Monsters, quests, heroes and cyborgs appear in the subjects, along with the fictional characters Tom, Elenna and Max.

Brad Strickland, born William Bradley Strickland on 27 October 1947, is an American writer mainly of fantasy and science fiction, using the name Brad Strickland for all but one novel, written as Will Bradley. Strickland's The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008) concluded the Lewis Barnavelt series created by John Bellairs, and Johnny Dixon also appears among the catalogue's characters. The catalogue lists 63 books from To Stand Beneath the Sun (1986) to The Stone, the Cipher, and the Shadows (2022). Series include Pirate Hunter, Thaumia, Mars Year One, Grimoire, King Kong of Skull Island and Dinotopia Digest. Subjects include children's fiction, magic, pirates, dogs and the supernatural.

Linda Chaikin, born 1943, writes Christian historical fiction and sometimes publishes as L. L. Chaikin. Recovery of the Lost Sword (1990) opens a catalogue of 38 books that closes with Jewel of the Pacific in 2013. Nine series divide it, including Dawn of Hawaii, Heart of India, Royal Pavilions, the Egypt Trilogy, Trade Winds and Silk House. The Crusades, pirates, the Second World War and frontier pioneer life supply the historical settings, and the 1990s were Chaikin's peak decade.

Dave Barry

56 books• 7 series

Dave Barry writes humour, most of it non-fiction. The catalogue holds 56 titles, from The Taming of the Screw (1983) through Dave Barry's Bad Habits (1985), Dave Barry Slept Here (1989), Dave Barry Turns Forty (1990) and Dave Barry Talks Back (1991) to Class Clown in 2025. The Peter and the Starcatchers and Never Land children's books, written with Ridley Pearson, sit beside the essays.

Bertrice Small

58 books• 9 series

Bertrice Small wrote historical romance on a large scale, much of it around the O'Malley family in the Skye O'Malley Saga and Skye's Legacy. The Border Chronicles, the Friarsgate Inheritance, the Silk Merchant's Daughters, the Wyndham Saga and the World of Hetar, where magic enters, fill out a catalogue of 58 books. Publication runs from Love Wild and Fair and The Kadin (1978) to Serena in 2014.

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.

Carrie Ryan has 18 books in the catalogue and two series, Forest of Hands and Teeth and Map to Everywhere. The first listed title is The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2009), and The Dead-Tossed Waves (2010) and The Dark and Hollow Places (2011) follow. Catalogue subjects include zombies, horror stories, fantasy, pirates, magic, sisters and children's fiction. Into the Winds (2020) is the newest title, and the catalogue marks Ryan's list as likely complete.

Paul Stewart

79 books• 13 series

Paul Stewart, born June 1955, writes children's books and works with the illustrator Chris Riddell on three series: The Edge Chronicles, the Free Lance novels and Far-Flung Adventures. The catalogue begins with The Thought Domain (1988) and The Weather Witch (1989). Stewart's other series include Blobheads, Football Mad, Muddle Earth Trilogy, Barnaby Grimes, Wyrmeweald and Spinechillers. Fantasy, quests, knights and soccer stories are among the subjects.

Elizabeth Singer Hunt has 14 catalogued children's books, published from 2007 to 2011 and graded for grades 1 to 3. Subject tags name the fictitious character Jack Stalwart and cover spies, the secret service, pirates, buried treasure and kidnapping. The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur (2007) is the first title and The Mission to Find Max (2011) the last. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa, The Caper of the Crown Jewels and The Deadly Race to Space are among the others. The median book is 128 pages long.

Heather Graham is the name under which Heather Graham Pozzessere, an American writer born on 15 March 1953, publishes mainly romance fiction; Shannon Drake is a further pen name. Graham's work has been published in about 25 languages, with more than 75 million copies printed. The catalogue records 311 books from Tender Taming (1983) to Destiny Rising (2026). Krewe of Hunters, Harrison Investigation, Cafferty & Quinn, Alliance Vampires, Keepers: L.A., New York Confidential and Finnegan Connection are among the Graham series. Subjects span historical, paranormal, contemporary and suspense romance.

Johanna Lindsey wrote historical romance across pirates, Vikings, the English aristocracy and the American west. Captive Bride (1977) opens a catalogue of 57 books, and the Malory-Anderson family novels are the best known strand, alongside the Reid family, the Viking Haardrad family, Sherring Cross and the Ly-San-Ter books. The run closed in 2019 with Temptation's Darling.

Karen Robards has written historical romance, contemporary romance and romantic suspense across 56 catalogued books. Island Flame (1981) opens the list, followed by Sea Fire (1982), Forbidden Love (1983), Amanda Rose (1984), Dark Torment (1985) and To Love a Man (1985). Dr. Charlotte Stone, the Banning Sisters and Jessica Ford head series inside a catalogue otherwise made of standalone novels. The Moonlight Runner is the newest title, and Robards remains actively publishing.

Ted Bell, born Theodore Augustus Bell III (July 3, 1946 – January 20, 2023), was an American suspense novelist. Bell's New York Times bestselling spy thrillers feature Lord Alexander Hawke and include Hawke (2003), Assassin (2004), Pirate (2005), Spy (2006), Warlord (2010) and Phantom (2012). Nick of Time (2000) is the first catalogued book and Warmonger (2026) the newest; Nick McIver Adventures Through Time is a second series, and time travel appears in the subjects. Before writing novels, Bell served as president and chief creative officer of the Leo Burnett Company in Chicago and later as vice chairman and worldwide creative director of Young & Rubicam.

Tanith Lee

132 books• 22 series

Tanith Lee was a British writer of science fiction and fantasy, born 19 September 1947, who died on 24 May 2015, leaving more than 90 novels and 300 short stories. Death's Master (1980) made Lee the first woman to take the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, the August Derleth Award, and Lee also won several World Fantasy Awards plus lifetime achievement honours from the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker awards. Lee wrote the Blake's 7 episodes "Sand" and "Sarcophagus", poems, and the picture book Animal Castle (1972). The catalogue lists 132 books from The Betrothed (1968) to The Earth is Flat (2023), including The Birthgrave (1975) and Don't Bite the Sun (1976). Series include Tales from the Flat Earth, Secret Books of Paradys, Claidi Journals, Blood Opera and Piratica.

Connie Mason, who also publishes as Cara Miles, writes historical romance: more than fifty novels and novellas, set in American and overseas locales. Romantic Times named Mason Story Teller of the Year in 1990 and gave a Career Achievement award in the western category in 1994. The catalogue holds 64 books from Tender Fury (1984), the first published work, to Between a Rake and a Hard Place (2014), with series including Delaney, Royal Rakes, Beyond the Horizon and Flame. Mason lives in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and the list is marked likely complete.

Liz Kessler, born 15 October 1966, is an English children's author. Emily Windsnap, a half-mermaid, is the central figure of Kessler's most notable series. The catalogue holds 32 books from 2003 to 2025, opening with The Tail of Emily Windsnap (2003) and reaching Emily Windsnap and the Crystal Caves (2025). Other series are Philippa Fisher and Poppy, and the subjects include mermaids, fairies, magic and friendship.

Franklin W. Dixon is the author name on the Hardy Boys books, and the catalogue lists 473 titles under the Dixon name from 1927 to 2023. The Tower Treasure, The House on the Cliff and The Secret of the Old Mill all date from 1927. Dixon series include Hardy Boys Casefiles, Hardy Boys Adventures, Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers, Hardy Boys: Secret Files and Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mystery, plus the Ted Scott Flying Stories. Undercover Bookworms (2023) is the newest title.

Eve Bunting, born Eve Bolton, was a Northern Irish-born American writer of more than 250 books who lived from December 19, 1928, to October 1, 2023. Bunting wrote fiction and non-fiction, mainly novels for children and young adults, and also wrote the text of picture books. Many of the books are set in Northern Ireland, where Bunting grew up, while others range in subject from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. The Two Giants (1971) was Bunting's first book. Series in the catalogue include Frog and Friends, Horse Stories, Dinosaur Machines and Pirate Captain's Daughter, and subjects include animals, horses, stories in rhyme and mystery stories.