Itch Books in Order

The Itch books follow Itchingham Lofte, known as Itch, a teenager in Cornwall whose big hobby is collecting the elements of the periodic table. That sounds nerdy and harmless until you remember that some elements explode, burn, poison, or glow. In Itch, he comes across a strange rock that may contain a brand-new element, and his quiet obsession suddenly becomes something far more dangerous.

He is not a slick action hero.

That is a big part of the series' charm. Itch is clever, stubborn, and often improvising at speed, but he is still a kid who gets things wrong. His younger sister Chloe is sharp and practical, and his cousin Jack is the kind of ally who will argue with him, rescue him, and refuse to be left out. Their mix of teasing, loyalty, and mild exasperation gives the books warmth, which matters because the stakes rise very quickly.

Cornwall matters more than it first seems. The early books start in a world of school corridors, bedrooms turned into makeshift labs, and coastal roads that feel ordinary until danger arrives. Mayo uses real science as part of the action, so chemistry is not just decoration. It helps create the clues, the threats, and sometimes the only way out. The detail keeps the books grounded without turning them into homework.

Across Itch Rocks and Itchcraft, the story widens from a local mystery into an international chase. Once other people understand how valuable and destructive the new element could be, Itch is pulled into a fight involving security teams, criminal interests, and adults who think they know better. The ongoing thread is not only who wants the element, but who should be trusted with dangerous knowledge in the first place. Itch keeps asking big questions, even when he would probably rather just go back to collecting.

Science gets him into trouble, and science is usually the only thing that can get him back out.

If you like fast young adult adventures with smart problem-solving, close calls, and a hero who wins by thinking rather than by acting cool, this trilogy is easy to settle into. The tone is lively and funny, but the danger feels real. Read it for the chases and explosions, stay for the family chaos, the curiosity, and the idea that learning how the world works can be both thrilling and frightening.