Wicked! (Morris Gleitzman) Books in Order

The Wicked! books are gleefully over‑the‑top adventures co‑written by Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings. Across six short novels they follow step‑siblings Dawn and Rory as they discover that their small Australian town is under attack from a bizarre villain known as the Appleman.

At the start, Dawn and Rory are more worried about their new blended family than about the end of the world. Their parents have just married, and the kids are stuck sharing a cramped house in Terngabbie, bickering about everything from chores to computer games. Then Dawn sees something monstrous lurking near the rubbish dump – a Slobberer – and Rory has his own close call. The first book, The Slobberers, pulls them into a sprawling conspiracy involving mutant creatures, foul smells and a man with a head like a half‑eaten apple.

Each subsequent volume – Battering Rams, Croaked, Dead Ringer, The Creeper and Till Death Us Do Part – adds a new strand to the Appleman’s plan. Livestock turn murderous, people begin to act like eerie duplicates, everyday objects come alive, and the town fills with ooze, fumes and very bad weather. Adults are mostly oblivious or useless, so it falls to Dawn and Rory to investigate, argue, and repeatedly save each other.

Underneath the jokes and gross‑out set pieces, the series nudges at themes of environmental damage, corporate greed and how quickly communities can be manipulated. Dawn and Rory’s uneasy alliance slowly shifts into genuine loyalty as they learn to trust one another’s strengths.

The six books were originally published in quick succession and are meant to be read in order, almost like one long serial. On this page you’ll find the complete Wicked! reading order, brief descriptions of each instalment and context about how the Appleman’s increasingly wild schemes fit together. If you prefer everything in one go, you can also use this guide when picking up an omnibus edition such as Totally Wicked.