These are series that have been enjoyed by many middle school students at Dalton over the years.  Bracketed numbers are used when there are distinct suggested grade levels, whether to indicate the minimum readership maturity (some books are best encountered when the readers are older) or to indicate the maximum grade level appeal (for titles that are specifically meant for younger readers.)  The lack of bracketed numbers indicate readability and appeal for all grade levels.

QUICK LINKS TO GENRES

[Fantasy] [Suspense and Horrors] [Classics]
[Realistic Fiction] [Science Fiction] [Adventures] [Nonfiction]

FANTASY

• Abhorsen (Garth Nix) [5+]
  Sabriel – Lirael – Abhorsen
• Amulet (Kazu Kibuishi – Graphic Novels) [4-6]
  The Stonekeeper – The Stonekeeper’s Curse – The Cloud Searchers – The Last Council – Prince of the Elves
• Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer)
  The Arctic Incident – The Eternity Code – The Opal Deception – The Lost Colony – The Time Paradox – The Atlantis Complex – the Last Guardian
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (Gene Luen Yang – Graphic Novels)
  Avatar: The Promise – Avatar: The Search – Avatar: The Rift – Avatar: Smoke and Shadow
  
• The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Jonathan Stroud) [5+]
  The Amulet of Samarkand – The Golem’s Eye – Ptolemy’s Gate
• Beka Cooper (Tamora Pierce) [6+]
  Terrier – Bloodhound – Mastiff 
• The Belgariad (David Eddings) [6+]
  Pawn of Prophecy – Queen of Sorcery – Magician’s Gambit – Castle of Wizardry – Enchanter’s End Game
• Chrestomanci Books (Diana Wynne Jones)
  Charmed Life – The Lives of Christopher Chant – The Magicians of Caprona – Witch Week – Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci – Conrad’s Fate – The Pinhoe Egg
• Chronicles of Prydain (Lloyd Alexander)
  The Book of Three – The Black Cauldron – Castle of Llyr – Taran Wanderer – The High King
• The Dark is Rising Sequence (Susan Cooper)
  Over Sea, Under Stone (prequel) – The Dark is Rising -Greenwitch – The Grey King – Silver on the Tree
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor)
  Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Days of Blood and Starlight – Dreams of Gods and Monsters  [6+]
• Discworld Universe (Terry Pratchett)
  Too many titles to list all here but perhaps start with Wee Free Men or The Color of Magic
• Earthsea (Ursula LeGuin) [6+]
  A Wizard of Earthsea – The Tombs of Atuan – The Farthest Shore – Tehanu
• Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Patricia Wrede)
  Dealing with Dragons – Searching for Dragons – Calling on Dragons – Talking to Dragons
• The Grimm series (Adam Gidwitz)
  A Tale Dark and Grimm – In a Glass Grimmly – The Grimm Conclusion
• Half Bad (Sally Green)
  Half Bad – Half Wild – Half Lost
  
• Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)
  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – Harry P0tter and the Deathly Hallows
• The Heroes of Olympus (Rick Riordan)
  The Lost Hero – The Son of Neptune – The Mark of Athena
• His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman) [5+]
  The Golden Compass – The Subtle Knife – The Amber Spyglass
• The Immortals (Tamora Pierce)
  Wilde Magic –  Wolf Speaker – Emperor Mage – The Realmsof the God
• The Inheritance Cycle (Christopher Paolini)
  Eragon – Eldest – Brisingr – Inheritance
  
• Keys to the Kingdom (Garth Nix)
  Mister Monday – Grim Tuesday – Drowned Wednesday – Sir Thursday – Lady Friday – Superior Saturday – Lord Sunday
• Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) [6+]
  Hobbit (prequel) [4+] – Fellowship of the Ring – The Two Towers – The Return of the King
• The Lost Years of Merlin (T.A. Barron)
  The Lost Years of Merlin – The Seven Songs of Merlin – The Fires of Merlin – The Mirror of Merlin – The Wings of Merlin
• Magic Circle (Tamora Pierce)
  Tris’s Book – Sandry’s Book – Daja’s Book – Briar’s Book
• Misborn (Brandon Sanderson) [6+]
  The Final Empire – The Well of Ascension – The Hero of Ages 
• The Mortal Instruments (Cassandra Clare)
  City of Bones – City of Ashes – City of Glass – City of Fallen Angels/Clockwork Angel (prequel)
  
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Rick Riordan)
  The Lightning Thief – The Sea of Monsters – The Battle of the Labyrinth – The Titan’s Curse – The Last Olympian
• The Queen’s Thief (Megan Whelan Turner) [6+]
  The Thief – The Queen of Attolia – The King of Attolia – A Conspiracy of the Kings
• The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Michael Scott)
  The Alchemist – The Magician – The Sorceress – The Necromancer – The Warlock – 
• Song of the The Lioness (Tamora Pierce)
  Alanna: the First Adventure – In the Hand of a Goddess – The Woman Who Rides Like a Man – Lioness Rampant

Suspense/Horror Stories

• 39 Clues (Rick Riordan and other authors) ** [4-6]
  The Maze of Bones – One False Note – The Sword Thief – Beyond the Grave – The Black Circle – In Too Deep – The Viper’s Nest – The Emperor’s Code – Storm Warning – Into the Gauntlet – Vespers Rising
• Alex Rider Adventures (Anthony Horowitz)
  Stormbreaker – Point Blank – Skeleton Key – Eagle Strike – Scorpia – Ark Angel – Snakehead – Crocodile Tears – Scorpia Rising
  
• Cirque du Freak (Darren Shaan)
  Cirque du Freak – The Vampire’s Assistant – Vampire Mountain – Tunnels of Blood – Trials of Death – Vampire Prince – Hunters of the Dark – Allies of the Night – Killers of the Dawn – The Lake of Souls – Lord of the Shadows – Son of Destiny
• The Enemy (Charlie Higson) [5+]
  The Enemy – The Dead – The Fear – The Sacrifice – 
• Face on the Milk Carton (Caroline B. Cooney)
  Face on the Milk Carton – Whatever Happened to Janie – The Voice on the Radio – What Janie Found
• The Gallagher Girls (Ally Carter)
  I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You – Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy – Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover – Only the Good Spy Young
• The Gatekeepers (Anthony Horowitz)
  Raven’s Gate – Evil Star – Nightrise – Necropolis
• The Hardy Boys (Franklin Dixon)
  The Tower Treasure – The House on the Cliff – The Secret of the Old Mill – The Missing Chums – Hunting for Hidden Gold – The Shore Road Mystery – … and more
• Hercule Poirot Mysteries (Agatha Christie) [5+]
  Murder in Mesopotamia – The A.B.C. murders – Murder in Mesopotamia – Evil under the sun – … and others
• Jane Marple Mysteries (Agatha Christie) [5+]
  A Pocket Full of Rye – Three Blind Mice and Other Stories – … and others
• Johny Dixon Mysteries (John Bellairs)
  The Curse of the Blue Figurine – The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt – The Spell of the Sorcerer’s Skull – The Revenge of the Wizard’s Ghost – The Eyes of the Killer Robot – The Trolley to Yesterday – The Chessmen of Doom – Secret of the Underground Room – The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie
• The Last Apprentice (Joseph Delaney)
  Revenge of the Witch – Curse of the Bane – Night of the Soul Stealer – Attack of the Fiend – Wrath of the Bloodeye – Clash of the Demons
• Lewis Barnavelt Mysteries (John Bellairs)
  The House with a Clock in Its Walls – The Figure in the Shadows – The Letter, the Witch and the Ring – Ghost in the Mirror
  
• Maximum Ride (James Patterson) [5+]
  The Angel Experiment – School’s Out Forever – Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports – The Final Warning – Max – Fang
• The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart)
  The Mysterious Benedict Society – The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey – The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma – The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict 
• Nancy Drew (Carole Keene)
  The Secret of the Old Clock – The Hidden Staircase – The Bungalow Mystery – The Mystery at Lilac Inn – The Secret at Shadow Ranch – The Secret of Red Gate Farm – … and more
  
• Regarding the … (Kate Klise) [4-6]
  Regarding the Fountain – Regarding the Sink – Regarding the Trees – Regarding the Bathrooms – Regarding the Bees
• The Roman Mysteries (Caroline Lawrence)
  The Thieves of Ostia – The Secrets of Vesuvius – The Pirates of Pompeii – The Assassins of Rome – The Dolphins of Laurentum – The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina – The Enemies of Jupiter – The Gladiators from Capua – The Colossus of Rhodes – The Fugitive from Corinth – The Sirens of Surrentum – The Charioteer of Delphi – The Slave-girl from Jerusalem – The Beggar of Volubilis – The Scribes from Alexandria – The Prophet from Ephesus – The Man from Pomegranate Street
• Ruby Redfort (Lauren Child)
  Ruby Redfort: Look into My Eyes – Ruby Redfort: Take Your Last Breath – Ruby Redfort: Catch Your Death
• The Secret series (Pseudonymous Bosch) [4-6]
  The Name of This Book Is Secret – If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late – This Book Is Not Good For You – This Isn’t What It Looks Like – You Have to Stop This
• A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)
  The Bad Beginning – The Raptile Room – The Wide Window – The Miserable Mill – The Austere Academy – The Ersatz Elevator – The Vile Village – The Hostile Hospital – The Carnivorous Carnival – The Slippery Slope – The Grim Grotto – The Penultimate Peril – The End
• Sherlock Holms (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
  The mysterious adventures of Sherlock Holmes – The extraordinary cases of Sherlock Holmes – The great adventures of Sherlock Holmes – The hound of the Baskervilles
• Sisters Grimm (Michael Buckley) [4-6]
  Fairy-Tale Detectives – The Unusual Suspects – The Problem Child – Once Upon a Crime – Magic and Other Misdemeanors – Tales from the Hood – The Everafter War
• The Sports Beat series (John Feinstein)
  Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery – Vanishing Act: Mystery at the U.S. Open – Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl – Change-up: Mystery at the World Series – The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game – Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics 
• Witch Series (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor) [5+]
  Witch’s Sister – Witch Water – The Witch Herself – The Witch’s Eye – Witch Weed
• Young Bond (Charlie Higson)
  Silver Fin – Blood Fever – Double or Die – Hurricane Gold – By Royal Command – Danger Society

Classics

• Betsy-Tacy (Maud Hart Lovelace)
  Betsy-Tacy – Betsy-Tacy and Tib – Betsy and Tacy Go over the Big Hill – Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown – Heaven to Betsy – Betsy in Spite of Herself – Betsy Was a Junior – Betsy and Joe
  Betsy and the Great World – Betsy’s Wedding
• The Borrowers (Mary Norton) [4-6]
  The Borrowers – The Borrowers Afield – The Borrowers Afloat – The Borrowers Aloft – The Borrowers Avenged
• Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Prince Caspian – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  The Silver Chair – The Horse and His Boy – The Magician’s Nephew – The Last Battle
  
• Color Fairy Books (Andrew Lang)
  The Blue Fairy Book – The Red Fairy Book – The Green Fairy Book – The Rainbow Fairy Book – … and others
• Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) [6+]
  Little Women – Little Men – Jo’s Boys
• Mary Poppins (P.L. Travers)
  Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins Comes Back – Mary Poppins Opens the Door – Mary Poppins in The Park – Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane – Mary Poppins from A to Z – Mary Poppins and the House Next Door
• Moomintrolls (Tove Jansson)
  Comet in Moominland – Finn Family Moomintroll – Moominpappa’s Memoirs – Moominsummer Madness – Moominland Midwinter – Tales from Moominvalley –
  Moominpapa at Sea – Moominvalley in November
• Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)
  The Wizard of Oz – The Marvelous Land of Oz – Ozma of Oz – Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz – The Road to Oz – The Emerald City of Oz – The Patchwork Girl of Oz – Tik Tok of Oz – The Scarecrow of Oz – Rinkitink in Oz – The Lost Princess of Oz – The Tin Woodman of Oz – The Magic of Oz – Glinda of Oz

Realistic Fiction

• Alice (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor) [5+]
  The Agony of Alice – Alice in Rapture, Sort Of – Reluctantly, Alice – All But Alice – Alice in April – Alice In-Between – Alice the Brave – Alice in Lace – Outrageously Alice – Achingly Alice – Alice on the Outside – The Grooming of Alice – Alice Alone – Simply Alice – Patiently Alice – Including Alice – Alice on Her Way – Alice in the Know – Dangerously Alice – Almost Alice – Intensely Alice – Alice in Charge – Incredibly Alice – Alice on Board – Now I’ll Tell You Everything 
• Anastasia Krupnik (Lois Lowry)
  Anastasia Krupnik – Anastasia Again! – Anastasia, At Your Service – Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst – Anastasia on Her Own – Anastasia Has the Answers – Anastasia’s Chosen Career – All About Sam – Anastasia at This Address – Attaboy, Sam! – Anastasia Absolutely – See You Around, Sam! – Zooman Sam
• Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snugging (Louise Rennison) — [7+]
  Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snugging – On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God – Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas – Dancing in My Nuddypants : Even Further  Confessions of Georgia Nicolson -Away Laughing on a Fast Camel – Then He Ate My Entrancers – Startled by His Furry Shorts – Stop in the Name of Pants
• Camp Confidential (Melissa Morgan) [4-5]
  Natalie’s Secret – Jenna’s Dilemma – Grace’s Twist – Alex’s Challenge – TTYL – RSVP – Second Time’s the Charm – Wish You Weren’t Here – Best {Boy} Friend Forever – Over and Out – Falling In Like – Winter Games – A Fair To Remember – Hide and Shriek – Reality Bites – Golden Girls – Freaky Tuesday – And the Winner is… –  Charmed Forces – Suddenly Last Summer – Reunion – Extra Credit – Politically Incorrect
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney) [4-5]
  Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Rodrick Rules – The Last Straw – Dog Days – Cabin Fever
• Dork Diaries (Rachel Renee Russell) [4-5]
  Tales From a Not-So-Fabulous Life – Tales From a Not-So-Popular Party Girl – Tales From a Not-So-Talented Pop Star – How to Dork Your Diary – Tales From a Not so Graceful Ice Princess – Tales From a Not So Smart Miss Know-It-All – Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker – Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star
  
• Gaither Sisters (Rita Williams-Garcia)
  One Crazy Summer – P.S. Be Eleven – Gone Crazy in Alabama
• Hatchet series (Gary Paulson)
  Hatchet – Brian’s Hunt – Brian’s Return – Brian’s Winter – The River
• Jack Henry (Jack Gantos)
  Jack Adrift (4th grade) – Jack on the Tracks (5th Grade) – Heads or Tails (6th Grade) – Jack’s New Power (7th Grade) – Jack’s Black Book (8th Grade)
• Joey Pigza (Jack Gantos)
  Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key – Joey Pigza Loses Control – What Would Joey Do? – I Am Not Joey Pigza – The Key That Swallowed Joye Pigza
• Million Dollor (Dan Gutman) [4-5]
  The Million Dollar Shot – The Million Dollar Kick – The Million Dollar Goal – The Million Dollar Putt – The Million Dollar Strike
  
• The Mother Daughter Book Club (Heather Vogel Frederick) [5-7]
  The Mother-Daughter Book Club – Much Ado About Anne – Dear Pen Pal – Pies and Prejudice – Home for the Holidays – Wish You Were Eyre
• Origami Yoda (Tom Angleberger) [4-6]
  The Strange Case of Origami Yoda – Darth Paper Strikes Back –  The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee – Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue! – Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus
• Pink and Green series (Lisa Greenwald) [4-6]
  My Life in Pink and Green – My Summer of Pink and Green – Pink and Green Is the New Black
• Princess Diaries (Meg Cabot) [5+]
  Princess Diaries – Princess in the Spotlight – Princess in Love – Princess in Waiting – Princess in Pink – Princess in Training – Party Princess – Princess on the Brink – Princess Mia
• The Tapper Twins (Geoff Rodkey)
  The Tapper Twins go to War (With Each Other) – The Tapper Twins Tear Up New York –  The Tapper Twins Run for President (to be published in September, 2016)
  
• The Winnie Years (Lauren Myracle) [4-6]
  Ten – Eleven – Twelve – Thirteen – Thirteen Plus One 
• Willow Falls (Wendy Mass) [4-6]
  11 Birthdays – Finally – 13 Gifts – The Last Present – Graceful

Science Fiction

• Amulet (Kazu Kibuishi)
  The Stonekeeper – The Stonekeeper’s Curse – The Cloud Searchers – The Last Council – Escape from Lucien
• Divergent (Veronica Roth) [6+]
  Divergent – Insurgent – Allegiant
  
• Dune (Frank Herbert) [6+]
  Dune – Dune Messiah – Children’s of Dune – God Emperor of Dune – Heretics of Dune – Chapterhouse: Dune
  
• Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)  [5+]
  Ender’s Game – Ender in Exile – Speaker for the Dead – Xenocide – Chidren of the Mind –
  
• Ender’s Shadow (Orson Scott Card) [5+]
  Ender’s Shadow – Shadow of the Heggemon – Shadow Puppets
• Foundation (Assimov) 
  Foundation – Foundation and Empire – Second Foundation – Foundation’s Edge – Foundation and Earth – Prelude to Foundation – Forward the Foundation
• GONE (Michael Grant)
  Gone – Hunger – Lies – Plague – Fear – Light
• H.I.V.E. (Mark Walden)
  Higher Institute of Villainous Education – The Overlord Protocol – Escape Velocity – Dreadnought – Rogue – Zero Hour – Aftershock – Deadlock
• Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) [6+]
  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – The Restaurant at the End of the Universe – Life, the Universe, and Everything – So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish – The Salmon of Doubt
• Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) [6+]
  Hunger Games – Catching Fire – Mockingjay
• I Am Number Four (Pittacus Lore)
  I Am Number Four – The Power of Six – The Rise of Nine – The Fall of Five – The Revenge of Seven
• Last Survivors (Susan Beth Pfeffer) [6+]
  Life as We Knew It – The Dead and the Gone – This World We Live In – The Shade of the Moon
• Legend (Marie Lu) [5+]
  Legend – Prodigy – Champion
• Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer) [6+]
  Life As We Knew It – The Dead and The Gone – The World We Live In – The Shade of the Moon
• Matched (Ally Condie)
  Matched – Crossed – Reached
• Mortal Engines Quartet (Philip Reeve) [5+]
  Mortal Engines – Predator’s Gold – Infernal Devices – A Darkling Plain
• Pendragon (D.J. MacHale)
  The Merchant of Death – The Reality Bug – The Never War – The Lost City of Faar – Black Water – The River of Zadaa – The Quillan Games – The Pilgrims of Rayne – Raven Rise – The Soldiers of Halla
• My Teacher is An Alien (Bruce Coville) [4-5]
  My Teacher is an Alien – My Teacher Glows in the Dark – My Teacher Fried mY Brain – My Teacher Flunked the Planet
  
• The Time Quintet (Madeleine L’Engle)
  A Wrinkle in Time – A Wind in the Door – A Swiftly Tilting Planet – Many Waters – An Acceptable Time

Adventures

• Five Ancestors (Jeff Stone)
  Tiger – Monkey – Snake – Crane – Eagle – Mouse – Dragon
• Kiki Strike (Kirsten Miller)
  Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City – Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb – Kiki Strike: The Darkness Dwellers
• Ranger’s Apprentice (John Flanagan)
  The Ruins of Gorlan – The Burning Bridge – The Icebound Land – The Battle of Skandia – The Sorcerer in the North – The Siege of Macindaw – Erak’s Ransom – The Kings of Clonmel – Halt’s Peril – The Emperor of Nihon-Ja – The Lost Stories – Royal Ranger
• Redwall (Brian Jacques)
  Redwall – Mossflower – Mattimeo – Mariel of Redwall – Salamandastron – Martin the Warrior – The Bellmaker – Outcast of Redwall – The Pearls of Lutra – The Long Patrol – Marlfox – The Legend of Luke – Lord Brocktree – Taggerung – Triss – Loamhedge – Rakkety Tam – High Rhulain – Eulalia
• Warriors (Erin Hunter) [4-6]
  Into the Wild – Fire and Ice – Forest of Secrets – Rising Storm – A Dangerous Path – The Darkest Hour
• Warriors: The New Prophecy (Erin Hunter) [4-6]
  Midnight – Moonrise – Dawn – Starlight – Twilight – Sunset
  

Nonfiction

• Scientists in the Field (Houghton Mifflin)
  Once A Wolf – The Snake Scientist – The Wildlife Detective – Digging for Bird Dinosaurs – Swimming with Hammerhead Shark – Hidden Worlds – The Woods Scientists – Project Ultraswan – Diving to a Deep Sea Volcano – Tracking Trash – Kakapo Rescue – And many other titles in this series!
• Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales (Graphic Novel) (Nathan Hale)
   One Dead Spy – Big Bad Ironclad – Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood – Donner Dinner Party – The Underground Abductor – Alamo All-Stars 
• Giants of Science (Kathleen Krull/Viking)
  Leonardo da Vinci – Albert Einstein – Charles Darwin – Isaac Newman – Sigmund Freud – Marie Curie 
• Horrible Histories (Scholastic/Scholastic UK)
  Wicked Words – Rowdy Revolutions – Rotten Rulers – Ruthless Romans – Awful Egyptians – Groovy Greeks – Measly Middle Ages – Terrifying Tudors – Slimy Stuarts – Gorgeous Georgians – Vile Victorians – Frightful First World War – Woeful Second World War – And many other titles in this series!