Nicola Berry Books in Order

Most readers today know Liane Moriarty for her gripping adult dramas, where dark secrets fester behind the closed doors of seemingly perfect neighborhoods. But before she became a household name for domestic suspense, she turned her imagination toward the stars. The Nicola Berry series, also widely known as The Space Brigade, captures a very different and playful side of her storytelling. It swaps suburban intrigue for intergalactic chaos, bringing her signature wit to a younger audience.

The story centers on Nicola Berry, a completely average Australian schoolgirl who has no idea that her life is about to change. She isn't waiting for a letter from a wizarding school, nor does she possess secret superpowers. Her days are filled with the mundane struggles of school and siblings until a tall, strange man arrives with a shocking proposal. He hails from the planet Globagaskar and insists that he needs an "Earthling Ambassador" to help solve a crisis that his own people cannot handle.

Nicola is surprisingly the right person for the job.

She doesn't go it alone, of course. The series thrives on the dynamic of the "Space Brigade," a ragtag team that accompanies Nicola on her travels across the galaxy. This group includes her friends, her brother, and—in a twist that adds plenty of humor—an annoying rival who manages to tag along. They aren't just passengers; they are essential to navigating the bizarre social hierarchies and confusing physical laws of the worlds they visit.

The adventures themselves are wonderfully absurd and imaginative.

In the first installment, the threat isn't a death ray or a scary monster in the traditional sense. Instead, a spoiled princess from another world has decided to turn Earth into her personal garbage dump. It is a hilarious yet high-stakes premise that forces Nicola to use her wits rather than weapons. Later journeys take the crew to even stranger locales, including a planet where chocolate is strictly forbidden—a nightmare scenario for any kid with a sweet tooth.

Moriarty writes these stories with a clear respect for her readers' intelligence. The planets Nicola visits often mirror the oddities of our own world, gently poking fun at bureaucracy, silly laws, and the adults who enforce them. The tone balances the genuine tension of saving the world with the lighthearted fun of discovering new ones.

Underneath the spaceships and telepathy, the heart of the series remains grounded in friendship and confidence. It suggests that you don't need to be the loudest or strongest person in the room to make a huge difference. Sometimes, being practical, kind, and brave enough to speak up is all that is required to save the galaxy.