Simon Thorn Books in Order

The Simon Thorn series is a middle-grade fantasy adventure about a boy who discovers that the animals around him understand far more than anyone else realizes. Twelve-year-old Simon has always been able to talk to animals, a secret that makes life in Manhattan feel even stranger. Then his mother is kidnapped by a swarm of rats, and Simon learns that his family belongs to a hidden race of people called Animalgams.

Animalgams can shift into animals, and their world is divided into five kingdoms: mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and underwater creatures. Simon is taken to the Animalgam Academy beneath the Central Park Zoo, where he meets other young Animalgams and begins to understand how much of his life has been kept from him.

Nothing about this new world is settled. The kingdoms are divided, old grudges are still active, and Simon's grandfather Orion is determined to take control. Simon's search for his missing mother quickly becomes tied to a much larger struggle over power, family history, and a dangerous weapon that could reshape the Animalgam world.

Simon has a lot to catch up on.

The first book, Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den, introduces the secret world and sends Simon into a rescue mission that reveals surprising truths about his family. In Simon Thorn and the Viper's Pit, he travels with his friends toward the reptile kingdom while Orion's plans become harder to stop. The story keeps building as Simon learns that being connected to a powerful bloodline brings expectations as well as danger.

Simon Thorn and the Shark's Cave takes the group to the underwater kingdom, where Simon races to find another piece of the weapon before Orion can claim it. The setting changes from city streets and hidden schoolrooms to the worlds beneath the sea, but the heart of the series stays the same: Simon is trying to protect his friends, rescue his family, and figure out what kind of leader he wants to be.

These are lively, high-stakes books with animal allies, secret societies, family discoveries, and plenty of close calls. Start with Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den and read in order, since each book follows directly from the last.