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The Princess In Black Books in Order

Part ofShannon Hale Books in Order

See The Princess in Black books by Shannon Hale in order, with quick summaries, series background, and tips on where to start with Princess Magnolia.

Last updated: July 1, 2026

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The Princess In Black books in publication order

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13 books

1

The Princess in Black

by Shannon Hale

2014

Princess Magnolia looks perfectly proper, but whenever monsters threaten the goat pasture she becomes the Princess in Black. Secret identities, fast action, and silly monsters make this a strong series opener.

2

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party

by Shannon Hale

2015

Princess Magnolia wants a perfect birthday party, but a monster attack keeps pulling her away from the cake and games. She must save the day without letting her guests discover her secret identity.

3

The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde

by Shannon Hale

2016

A wave of ravenous bunny monsters interrupts Princess Magnolia's brunch plans. The Princess in Black and Blacky race to protect the goats before the fluffy invaders eat everything in sight.

4

The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation

by Shannon Hale

2016

After too many late-night monster battles, Princess Magnolia decides she needs a seaside break. Rest proves impossible when trouble follows her, even with the Goat Avenger trying to cover the home front.

5

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate

by Shannon Hale

2017

Princess Magnolia is excited for a playdate, but secret identities and monster trouble make a normal afternoon impossible. A new friendship is tested when keeping the kingdom safe means keeping secrets too.

6

The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare

by Shannon Hale

2018

Princess Magnolia heads to the Interkingdom Science Fair hoping for a normal day of exhibits and excitement. A surprise goo monster changes that fast, and the Princess in Blankets joins the rescue.

7

The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle

by Shannon Hale

2019

A terrible stink is sweeping across the kingdoms, and sword swings are not much help against a smell. Princess Magnolia and her fellow masked heroes have to outthink a very unusual monster.

8

The Princess in Black and the Case of the Coronavirus

by Shannon Hale

2020

In this short special, Princess Magnolia explains the coronavirus in calm, kid-friendly terms. It offers reassurance, practical safety habits, and a gentle reminder that small acts of care help protect a whole community.

9

The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem

by Shannon Hale

2020

A giant stomps through the snow just as Princess Magnolia and her friends are ready for a fun winter playdate. The problem is too big for one hero, so the Sparkle Signal calls in the whole team.

10

The Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess

by Shannon Hale

2022

A day at sea turns into a rescue mission when a mermaid princess asks for help protecting her sea goats from a hungry kraken. Underwater heroics prove trickier than they look.

11

The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink

by Shannon Hale

2023

Princess Magnolia is preparing for a grand ball when a grumpy emu wrecks her plans. Luckily Prince Valerian has a glittery secret identity of his own, and the two heroes may need to team up.

12

The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe

by Shannon Hale

2024

Princess Magnolia is thrilled to care for a kitten until monster alarms keep pulling her away. Each rescue leaves more castle chaos behind, and the tiny troublemaker may be her toughest match yet.

13
New

The Princess in Black and the Trick-or-Treating Trouble

by Shannon Hale

2026

On Halloween night, Princess Magnolia joins the trick-or-treat crowd in a hurry-made Princess in Black costume. When one little monster turns out to be very real, costume confusion becomes a full rescue mission.

The Princess In Black books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party"

    The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party

    by Shannon Hale

    2015The Princess In Black, Book 2
  2. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde"

    The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde

    by Shannon Hale

    2016The Princess In Black, Book 3
  3. Book cover for "The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation"

    The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation

    by Shannon Hale

    2016The Princess In Black, Book 4
  4. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate"

    The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate

    by Shannon Hale

    2017The Princess In Black, Book 5
  5. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare"

    The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare

    by Shannon Hale

    2018The Princess In Black, Book 6
  6. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle"

    The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle

    by Shannon Hale

    2019The Princess In Black, Book 7
  7. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Case of the Coronavirus"

    The Princess in Black and the Case of the Coronavirus

    by Shannon Hale

    2020The Princess In Black, Book 8
  8. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem"

    The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem

    by Shannon Hale

    2020The Princess In Black, Book 9
  9. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess"

    The Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess

    by Shannon Hale

    2022The Princess In Black, Book 10
  10. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink"

    The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink

    by Shannon Hale

    2023The Princess In Black, Book 11
  11. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe"

    The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe

    by Shannon Hale

    2024The Princess In Black, Book 12
  12. Book cover for "The Princess in Black and the Trick-or-Treating Trouble"

    The Princess in Black and the Trick-or-Treating Trouble

    by Shannon Hale

    2026The Princess In Black, Book 13

Series background & context

The idea behind The Princess in Black is simple and very funny. Princess Magnolia looks like the most proper princess in the kingdom, all dresses, manners, sparkle, and perfect posture. Secretly, she is also a masked monster fighter who rides out whenever the monster alarm rings.

Those alarms usually start at the goat pasture, where a hole to Monster Land keeps sending trouble into an otherwise cheerful world. Magnolia has to slip away from tea, parties, and royal visits, change into black, and save the goats before anyone guesses who she really is. A lot of the comedy comes from that quick switching between perfect-princess expectations and full-speed hero work.

The early books focus on Princess Magnolia, her pony Blacky, and the excitable goat boy Duff, who eventually becomes the Goat Avenger. As the series grows, more princesses and princes join the secret-hero circle, each with a different costume, skill set, and way of helping in a crisis. The cast gets bigger, but the books keep their easy rhythm and clear sense of fun.

The monsters are scary enough to be exciting and silly enough to stay fun.

These books are built for readers moving into chapter books. The sentences are manageable, the chapters are short, the repetition helps, and LeUyen Pham's illustrations do a lot of storytelling work. But the series never feels flat or dutiful. The jokes land, the action is real, and the emotional beats are clear. Kids get real suspense without being pushed into something too dark.

What carries the series from book to book is the way it refuses neat either-or categories. Magnolia likes pink things and combat boots. Her friends can be dramatic, shy, practical, messy, or brave in totally different ways. Under all the monster smashing, the books keep making room for kids to be more than one thing at once. That mix of action, warmth, and identity play is a big part of why the series works so well as an early chapter-book world to grow into.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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