Do you have to read a series in order?

In an episode series, every book is a whole adventure. The same characters come back, the jokes are the same kind, and nothing big carries over from one book to the next. A child can pick up book 9 at the library and enjoy it, then go back for book 1 later. These are the easiest series to borrow, because whatever is on the shelf will do.

• Babymouse, ages 7–10
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid, ages 8–12
• Magic Tree House, ages 6–9
• Pizza and Taco, ages 5–8
• Yotsuba&!, ages 6–12
• Narwhal and Jelly, ages 6–9
• Phoebe and Her Unicorn, ages 8–12
• Squish, ages 7–10
• Owly, ages 5–8
• Agent Moose, ages 6–9
• Pea, Bee, & Jay, ages 6–10
• Ricky Ricotta, ages 4–9
• Max Meow, ages 7–10
• Mr. Wolf's Class, ages 7+

Some series are one story cut into parts. Each book picks up where the last one stopped, often on a cliffhanger, and the big questions are only answered at the end. Starting in the middle means meeting characters who already know each other and secrets that were set up earlier. These are worth borrowing in order, and worth checking which number the library has before you go.

• 5 Worlds, ages 8–12
• Amulet, ages 8–12
• Bone, ages 8–12
• Cleopatra in Space, ages 8–12
• The Bad Guys, ages 6–10
• The Last Kids on Earth, ages 8–12
• Wings of Fire, ages 8–12
• Zita the Spacegirl, ages 8–12
• Hilo, ages 8–12
• Mighty Jack, ages 9–13
• Lightfall, ages 8–12
• The Tea Dragon Society, ages 7–11
• Space Boy, ages 10+
• Ham Helsing, ages 8–12

Most series sit in between. Each book has its own adventure, but friendships grow, running jokes build up and the odd book refers back to an earlier one. A child can start anywhere and follow along, and a child who reads in order gets more of the jokes. If they started in the middle and loved it, let them keep going and fill in the early ones after.

• Dog Man, ages 7+
• Cat Kid Comic Club, ages 7+
• Big Nate, ages 8–12
• Bunny vs Monkey, ages 8–12
• Captain Underpants, ages 6–10
• CatStronauts, ages 6–10
• Chi's Sweet Home, ages 8–12
• Click, ages 8–12
• Hilda, ages 7–11
• Lunch Lady, ages 7–10
• Berrybrook Middle School, ages 10+
• InvestiGators, ages 7–10
• The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels, ages 8–12
• Smile, Sisters and Guts, ages 8–12
• Sunny, ages 8–12
• Real Friends, ages 9–13
• Bird & Squirrel, ages 7–10
• The Cardboard Kingdom, ages 9–12
• Sanity & Tallulah, ages 8–12
• Stuntboy, ages 8–12

For an episode series, take it. For a mixed series, take it too, and tell your child the early books are there to find later. For one long story, it is worth waiting or putting book 1 on hold, because a child who starts in the middle of a long story often gives up, not because the book is hard but because nothing makes sense yet. A few minutes reading the series page's order answer together saves a lot of that.

Look at the back cover and the first page. Words like part one or the story continues are a sign of one long story. A blurb that only describes this book's problem usually means an episode. The surest test is the last page of book 1: if it ends on a question, read them in order.

Every series page on Peabody answers the order question near the top, in a sentence written for that series. The checklist below it remembers which books your child has read, on this device only, and My shelf gathers every series in one place with the next one to read.