Adam Gidwitz Books in Order
Explore Adam Gidwitz books in order, with concise summaries, series background, and simple suggestions for choosing the right place to start next.
Last updated: July 15, 2026
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Adam Gidwitz books in publication order
13 books
A Tale Dark and Grimm
by Adam Gidwitz
2010
Hansel and Gretel leave their own fairy tale and wander through eight more, meeting witches, dragons, warlocks, and worse. As they search for a safer life, the siblings learn that taking charge of their fate can be frightening work.
In a Glass Grimmly
by Adam Gidwitz
2012
Jack and Jill set off on a perilous quest through twisted tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Between terrifying creatures, strange kingdoms, and bad choices, the pair must learn who they are before the story decides for them.
The Grimm Conclusion
by Adam Gidwitz
2013
Jorinda and Joringel enter a dangerous tangle of fairy tales inspired by stories such as Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin. As old characters return and the threats grow stranger, they must find the courage to shape an ending of their own.
So You Want to Be a Jedi?
by Adam Gidwitz
2015
This interactive retelling of The Empire Strikes Back puts the reader in Luke Skywalker's place. As Luke trains with Yoda on Dagobah, Leia and Han flee Darth Vader, and the reader gets a few lessons in the difficult work of becoming a Jedi.
The Inquisitor's Tale
by Adam Gidwitz
2016
In 1242 France, three children and their resurrected greyhound flee persecution while trying to save sacred texts from destruction. Told by travelers at an inn, their quest brings knights, a king, a dragon, and a showdown at Mont Saint-Michel.
Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot
by Adam Gidwitz
2018
Film crews and logging machinery descend on Muckleshoot territory in Washington, putting elusive Sasquatches at risk. Elliot and Uchenna must outthink the Schmoke Brothers, dodge media attention, and protect the creatures hiding among the towering firs.
The Basque Dragon
by Adam Gidwitz
2018
Elliot, Uchenna, Jersey, and Professor Fauna cross the ocean to the Basque mountains, where a dragon has disappeared. Finding it means facing a kidnapper with an unknown plan and deciding whether this rescue is more than the team can handle.
The Creature of the Pines
by Adam Gidwitz
2018
New student Elliot meets daring Uchenna and odd Professor Fauna on a trip to the Pine Barrens. After encountering a Jersey Devil, they join a secret society and try to save the creature from the greedy Schmoke Brothers.
The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande
by Adam Gidwitz
2020
A bloodless cow draws the Unicorn Rescue Society to Laredo, near the Texas-Mexico border. With local kids and their family as allies, Elliot and Uchenna race to protect a mysterious chupacabra while easing tensions in a divided community.
The Madre de Aguas of Cuba
by Adam Gidwitz
2020
Cuba is in drought, and the legendary water serpent known as the Madre de Aguas has vanished. Elliot, Uchenna, and Professor Fauna search for it while the Schmoke Brothers dump strange pink sludge into Havana's sewers.
The Secret of the Himalayas
by Adam Gidwitz
2021
When a school newspaper photo reveals what may be a unicorn horn in the Schmoke Brothers' home, Elliot, Uchenna, and Professor Fauna head to northern Pakistan. In the Himalayas, they must find and protect the creatures before the brothers do.
Max in the House of Spies
by Adam Gidwitz
2024
Sent from Berlin to England as danger closes in on Jewish families, radio-whiz Max Bretzfeld wants only to find his parents. With a kobold and dybbuk on his shoulders, he pursues an impossible plan: train as a British spy.
Max in the Land of Lies
by Adam Gidwitz
2025
Max returns to Berlin as a British spy with forged papers and a mission to infiltrate Nazi radio headquarters. But his parents are still missing, Nazi intelligence is watching, and even clever training may not be enough to get him out alive.
Where to start with Adam Gidwitz
For dark fairy-tale adventures: A Tale Dark & Grimm → In a Glass Grimmly → The Grimm Conclusion
For history, humor, and a big quest: The Inquisitor’s Tale
For younger, globe-trotting fantasy: The Creature of the Pines → The Basque Dragon → Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot
For World War II spy suspense: Max in the House of Spies → Max in the Land of Lies
Adam Gidwitz sub-series and character series
A Tale Dark & Grimm books in order
Explore this seriesOperation Kinderspion books in order
Explore this seriesStar Wars: The Empire Strikes Back books in order
Explore this seriesThe Unicorn Rescue Society books in order
Explore this series
Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot
by Adam Gidwitz
2018The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 3
The Basque Dragon
by Adam Gidwitz
2018The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 2
The Creature of the Pines
by Adam Gidwitz
2018The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 1
The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande
by Adam Gidwitz
2020The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 4
The Madre de Aguas of Cuba
by Adam Gidwitz
2020The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 5
The Secret of the Himalayas
by Adam Gidwitz
2021The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 6
The Unicorn Rescue Society books in chronological order

The Creature of the Pines
by Adam Gidwitz
2018The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 1
The Basque Dragon
by Adam Gidwitz
2018The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 2
Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot
by Adam Gidwitz
2018The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 3
The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande
by Adam Gidwitz
2020The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 4
The Madre de Aguas of Cuba
by Adam Gidwitz
2020The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 5
The Secret of the Himalayas
by Adam Gidwitz
2021The Unicorn Rescue Society, Book 6
Standalone Adam Gidwitz books
Author bio
Adam Gidwitz was born in San Francisco and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He writes books for young readers that mix adventure, history, scary folklore, jokes, and characters who have to make hard choices.
Before he wrote full-time, Gidwitz taught in Brooklyn for eight years. He spent a lot of time telling stories to students, and their requests for more helped push him toward writing his first novel.
A stint as a substitute librarian also gave him an important nudge.
While looking for something to read aloud to a class, he picked up a collection of old Grimm fairy tales. The stories were stranger, rougher, and more violent than the softened versions many children know. That discovery led to A Tale Dark & Grimm, his 2010 debut, which sends Hansel and Gretel out of their familiar tale and through a forest full of other dangerous stories.
He followed it with In a Glass Grimmly and The Grimm Conclusion. The three books borrow characters, situations, and sharp edges from old folklore, but Gidwitz tells them with a chatty narrator and a willingness to pause for a joke just when things get creepy. Readers who like fairy tales with real danger, odd creatures, and a little gross-out humor often start there.
Then he took a big turn into medieval France with The Inquisitor’s Tale. Set in 1242, the novel follows three children from very different backgrounds, plus a dog, as they flee persecution and protect a sacred book. It won a Newbery Honor, and it shows another side of his work: careful historical research paired with fast scenes, big questions, and moments that keep the story from becoming too solemn.
He likes putting young people in the middle of large, messy worlds.
That approach also shapes The Unicorn Rescue Society, a lighter, globe-spanning adventure series about two students, their eccentric teacher, and the mythical creatures they try to protect. The books bring in folklore from different places while keeping friendship, curiosity, and the occasional impossible rescue at the center.
More recently, Gidwitz wrote the Operation Kinderspion novels, beginning with Max in the House of Spies. These World War II stories follow a Jewish boy sent from Berlin to England who wants desperately to find his parents and becomes caught up in British espionage. They carry real historical weight, but magic, humor, and Max’s quick-thinking voice make room for hope.
Gidwitz still performs and retells creepy, funny fairy tales for young audiences through his podcast, Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, and at school visits. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, daughter, and their dog, Lucy Goosey.
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