Doctor Proctor Books in Order

The Doctor Proctor books are comic adventure stories set in a slightly skewed version of modern Oslo. At the center is Doctor Victor Proctor, an eccentric inventor waiting for his big break, who teams up with sensible neighbor Lisa and her tiny, loudmouthed friend Nilly.

Everything kicks off when the children help him perfect a powder that makes people fart with impressive force. Ordinary doses give you spectacular but harmless blasts, while the super powered Fartonaut powder can literally rocket someone into the sky. The early books lean into the sort of gross, gleeful humor that eight to twelve year olds tend to love, but there is always a sweet streak underneath.

What starts as a joke about fart powder quickly turns into a series about friendship, courage and standing up to bullies.

Each volume drops the trio into a new over the top crisis. They tangle with ruthless businessman Mr Thrane, fend off sewer dwelling aliens, race through the Paris sewers in a time travelling bathtub, and even chase Norway’s stolen gold reserve all the way to London, where a crooked billionaire has melted it into a soccer trophy. On the way there are nods to pop music, silly wordplay, and a lot of slapstick chaos involving hippos, baboon like creatures and explosive sports matches.

Later books broaden the canvas a little more. In the Christmas adventure, the king of Norway has literally sold the rights to the holiday to Mr Thrane, who plans to ban Christmas for anyone who cannot spend enough money at his department stores. Doctor Proctor, Lisa and Nilly respond the only way they know how: by finding Santa, bending time, and using science, stubbornness and fart powder to make sure the holiday belongs to everyone again.

Across the series, Nesbø lets his imagination run wild while keeping the emotional beats simple and warm. Kids get a mix of cartoonish danger and genuine stakes, often tied to fairness, friendship or feeling different. Adults reading along will spot plenty of sly jokes, but the books stay squarely on the side of children who want stories that are fast, funny and just a little bit anarchic.