ND Wilson Books in Order
Explore N.D. Wilson books in order, with short summaries, series guides, standalone picks, and clear tips on where to start across his fantasy and kids' books.
Last updated: July 12, 2026
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ND Wilson books in publication order
22 books
Right Behind
by ND Wilson
2001
This early satire takes aim at end-times blockbuster fiction and pushes its setup into full absurdity. It's short, goofy, and built for readers who enjoy parody more than solemn apocalypse.
100 Cupboards
by ND Wilson
2007
Henry York discovers one hundred tiny cupboards hidden in his bedroom wall, and each one opens onto something strange. What begins as curiosity quickly becomes a portal fantasy about family secrets, danger, and worlds pressing close together.
In the Time of Noah
by ND Wilson
2007
Before the flood, giants rule and the world has gone bad. This picture book follows Noah's obedience from building the ark to gathering the animals and waiting for dry land under God's promise.
Leepike Ridge
by ND Wilson
2007
After slipping away on a foam raft, Tom Hammond is swept beneath Leepike Ridge and trapped in a maze of underground caves. What he finds there could change his life, if he can survive long enough to get home.
The Dragon and the Garden
by ND Wilson
2007
This picture book retells Eden with vivid, tactile detail, from the beauty of the garden to the sudden menace of the serpent. It's a simple, striking way to introduce the story of the Fall to young readers.
Dandelion Fire
by ND Wilson
2008
Henry decides to follow the cupboards in search of the truth about his past. The journey pulls him across worlds and straight toward the dark power gathering in Endor.
Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl
by ND Wilson
2009
Wilson's first nonfiction book is a lively, personal meditation on creation, mortality, and seeing the world with wonder. It mixes theology, humor, and close observation rather than moving like a standard argument.
The Chestnut King
by ND Wilson
2010
Henry's discovery of the cupboards has awakened Nimiane, an undying witch who threatens every connected world. To stop her, he must find the Chestnut King and face a question with no easy answer.
The Dragon's Tooth
by ND Wilson
2011
Cyrus and Antigone Smith are running a worn-out motel when a tattooed old man dies in their care, their brother disappears, and they are pulled into Ashtown, a secret order guarding relics, monsters, and ancient enemies.
The Drowned Vault
by ND Wilson
2012
Nearly a year after joining Ashtown, Cyrus and Antigone are blamed for losing the Dragon's Tooth and forced into a desperate hunt for Dr. Phoenix. What they uncover is older, stranger, and far more dangerous than one enemy.
Empire of Bones
by ND Wilson
2013
Cyrus and Antigone head deep beneath Ashtown, into caves, tombs, and buried chambers, searching for help against rising threats. The deeper they go, the more the series leans into ancient history, old loyalties, and claustrophobic danger.
Hello Ninja
by ND Wilson
2013
This playful board book follows a small ninja through a busy day of globe-trotting bedtime adventure. It's light, rhythmic, and built for little readers who like mischief, movement, and pretend play.
The Sword of Abram
by ND Wilson
2013
When kings capture Lot, Abram rides out to bring him home. Wilson turns the biblical rescue into a brisk picture-book adventure filled with chariots, danger, and a clear sense of Abram's faith.
Blah Blah Black Sheep
by ND Wilson
2014
Blah Blah doesn't act like the rest of the flock, and nobody quite knows what to do with him. When danger comes to the farm, his odd courage becomes exactly what the others need.
Boys of Blur
by ND Wilson
2014
Charlie moves to a Florida town where kids chase rabbits through burning cane fields and football feels easy afterward. Then he and his cousin Cotton start uncovering swamp secrets that are older and darker than anyone admits.
Ninja Boy Goes to School
by ND Wilson
2014
A young boy heads to kindergarten armed with full ninja confidence and very questionable school strategy. The result is a funny picture book about imagination, energy, and the chaos that follows.
The Legend of Sam Miracle
by ND Wilson
2016
Sam Miracle is a foster kid with two bad arms and dreams that feel more like memories. When time walkers, prophecies, and a relentless enemy close in, Sam and Glory race through yesterday to protect tomorrow.
The Door Before
by ND Wilson
2017
Hyacinth Smith finds a dangerous door, two boys from another world, and a witch-queen bent on ruin. This prequel reaches back to the beginning of the larger conflict behind the 100 Cupboards books.
The Song of Glory and Ghost
by ND Wilson
2017
Sam and Glory are still chasing the damage left by the Vulture, and now even time itself feels unsafe. To save a friend, they must trust Ghost and discover powers they barely understand.
The Last of the Lost Boys
by ND Wilson
2018
Alex thinks his life is ordinary until he learns he is tied to Sam and Glory's war across time. When an ambush turns him into something dangerous, history itself starts to come apart.
Hello, Ninja. Goodbye, Tooth!
by ND Wilson
2021
Wes loses his tooth outside, and finding it calls for a proper ninja mission. With Georgie at his side, he turns a small childhood crisis into an easy early-reader adventure.
Hello, Ninja. Hello, Stage Fright!
by ND Wilson
2021
Wes promised to play drums at Georgie's recital, but nerves hit before the show starts. By pretending to be ninjas, the two friends turn stage fright into one more problem they can tackle together.
Where to start with ND Wilson
If you want portal fantasy first: 100 Cupboards → Dandelion Fire → The Chestnut King
If you want secret societies and buried relics: The Dragon's Tooth → The Drowned Vault → Empire of Bones
If you want time travel and western weirdness: The Legend of Sam Miracle → The Song of Glory and Ghost → The Last of the Lost Boys
If you want a fast standalone adventure: Leepike Ridge → Boys of Blur
If you're reading with younger kids: Hello Ninja → Ninja Boy Goes to School → Blah Blah Black Sheep
ND Wilson sub-series and character series
100 Cupboards books in order
Explore this seriesAshtown Burials books in order
Explore this seriesOld Stories books in order
Explore this seriesOutlaws of Time books in order
Explore this seriesStandalone ND Wilson books

Right Behind
by ND Wilson
2001
Leepike Ridge
by ND Wilson
2007
Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl
by ND Wilson
2009
Hello Ninja
by ND Wilson
2013
Blah Blah Black Sheep
by ND Wilson
2014
Boys of Blur
by ND Wilson
2014
Ninja Boy Goes to School
by ND Wilson
2014
Hello, Ninja. Goodbye, Tooth!
by ND Wilson
2021
Hello, Ninja. Hello, Stage Fright!
by ND Wilson
2021
Author bio
N.D. Wilson was born and raised in Moscow, Idaho, and he still lives there, just a block from where he was born. That small-town base matters in his work. Even when his stories open doors to other worlds, they usually begin with a kid in a very real house, field, cave, or roadside town.
He has said he wanted to be a writer as early as sixth grade, after a family evening built around a documentary about the English language. He grew up in a bookish household, attended a classical school from kindergarten through high school, and later earned a master's degree in liberal arts from St. John's College in Annapolis. He also taught literature for a time, which helps explain why his books feel full of old stories, old words, and old arguments that are still alive.
He likes stories with trapdoors in them.
A lot of readers first meet him through 100 Cupboards. That series starts with Henry York finding hidden doors in a Kansas bedroom wall, then opens into a stranger, darker portal fantasy about family, courage, and worlds pressing against each other. Readers tend to remember the way Wilson mixes the ordinary and the eerie, dusty floorboards and ancient magic in the same scene.
He took that same love of buried history and scaled it up in The Dragon's Tooth and the wider Ashtown Burials books. Those novels throw Cyrus and Antigone Smith into a secret order of explorers, relic keepers, and very old enemies. They move quickly, but they also enjoy odd details, lost civilizations, mythology, and the sense that the world is older and wilder than it looks.
Then there is Outlaws of Time, which swaps hidden doors for time walkers, prophecy, and western-flavored chaos. Sam Miracle, Glory, and the Vulture give those books a faster, twistier energy. For readers who want a standalone, Leepike Ridge is still one of his clearest entry points, a cave adventure with real momentum. Boys of Blur goes weirder, mixing football, Florida muck, and swamp folklore into something half ghost story, half coming-of-age tale.
He also writes for younger children. Hello Ninja is playful and rhythmic, while Ninja Boy Goes to School leans into mischief and imagination. His Old Stories picture books, including The Dragon and the Garden and In the Time of Noah, retell biblical episodes with vivid, physical detail rather than flat summary.
His nonfiction works much the same way. Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl and later Death by Living look at the world with humor, wonder, and a strong theological bent. He has also worked in film and television, and Hello Ninja became a Netflix series.
Across all of it, certain things keep returning: hidden worlds, old stories, brave children, dangerous beauty, and families that matter. These days he still lives in Moscow with his wife and their five children, and he has kept moving between books, teaching, coaching, and screen work. He does not seem especially interested in staying in one lane.
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