Will Mara Books in Order
Explore Will Mara books in order, with quick summaries, series guides for kids and adults, and clear suggestions on the best place to start.
Last updated: July 11, 2026
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Will Mara books in publication order
27 books
What's Up with the New Principal?
by Will Mara
1999
Brian and his friends decide the new principal has to go, so they launch a campaign of practical jokes to drive him out. The problem is that Mr. Collins is much harder to rattle than they expected.
Wave
by Will Mara
2005
A terrorist plot goes wrong and sends a tsunami racing toward Long Beach Island. As the disaster closes in, the novel follows a coastal community facing panic, loss, and impossible choices.
The Draft
by Will Mara
2006
After his team's star quarterback is badly injured, a hard-driven general manager becomes obsessed with landing the first pick in the NFL draft. What follows is a tense scramble of deals, leverage, and last-minute power plays.
The Cut
by Will Mara
2007
A contract standoff with a star tight end throws training camp into chaos. As a ruthless coach uses desperate free agents for leverage, careers and loyalties start to unravel behind the scenes of pro football.
Deer
by Will Mara
2008
A straightforward introduction to deer, explaining their bodies, habitats, diet, and survival skills. It gives young readers a closer look at an animal they may have seen but not really understood.
The Comeback
by Will Mara
2008
The Miami Dolphins are a mess, and a new owner turns to an old-school former coach to save them. He inherits a gifted but bitter roster, and the fight to rebuild the team becomes a test of pride, leadership, and survival.
The Innkeeper
by Will Mara
2010
This nonfiction book introduces the life of a colonial innkeeper, from daily chores to the guests and gossip that passed through the door. It shows how an inn worked as both a business and a community hub.
Scorpions
by Will Mara
2011
This compact animal guide explores scorpion anatomy, habitats, diet, and hunting behavior. It is a good choice for readers drawn to strange, tough creatures and the ways they survive.
The Gemini Virus
by Will Mara
2012
A vicious new infection erupts without warning and starts killing fast. Scientists race to understand it while one family flees toward safety, not realizing they may be heading straight toward the source.
Bats
by Will Mara
2013
Bats may seem mysterious, but this book breaks down how they live, move, and find food. It covers anatomy, habitats, diet, and the special skills that help them thrive at night.
Frame 232
by Will Mara
2013
Sheila Baker inherits a film that may reveal new truth about the Kennedy assassination, and suddenly dangerous people are on her trail. Billionaire investigator Jason Hammond steps in as history, conspiracy, and grief collide.
Owls
by Will Mara
2013
A simple, engaging look at owls and the tools that make them such effective hunters. Young readers learn about owl anatomy, habitats, diet, and special skills.
Rabbits
by Will Mara
2013
This short nature book introduces rabbits through their bodies, behavior, homes, and food. It is a friendly starting point for readers curious about a familiar backyard animal.
Blue Jays
by Will Mara
2014
An accessible guide to blue jays, from their bright coloring to their behavior and diet. The book helps young readers notice what makes these common birds so distinctive.
Cardinals
by Will Mara
2014
A quick, clear nature profile of cardinals, covering their appearance, habits, habitats, and food. It is a useful first guide to one of the most recognizable backyard birds.
Robins
by Will Mara
2014
This introduction to robins looks at where they live, what they eat, and how they raise their young. It turns a very familiar bird into something worth watching more closely.
Woodpeckers
by Will Mara
2014
Young readers learn how woodpeckers use their beaks, claws, and habits to survive. The book covers anatomy, habitat, diet, and the behavior that makes these birds so easy to hear and spot.
The Nevada Testament
by Will Mara
2016
When a family uncovers notes tied to Howard Hughes and his lost will, the discovery brings gunmen to their door. Jason Hammond follows the trail into old Vegas, buried money, and a conspiracy that refuses to stay buried.
Fallout
by Will Mara
2017
As a brutal storm bears down, a nuclear emergency begins to spiral out of control. The novel turns a modern infrastructure nightmare into a fast, frightening disaster story with very human stakes.
The Story of Civil Rights
by Will Mara
2018
A clear introduction to the long fight for equality in the United States, from slavery and segregation to marches, speeches, and new laws. It also shows how civil rights work continues in the present.
Albert Einstein
by Will Mara
2019
This young readers biography follows Albert Einstein from his curious childhood to the ideas that changed modern science. Along the way, it connects his family life, travels, troubles, and breakthroughs into one clear story.
I'm an Activist
by Will Mara
2019
This reader explains what activism is and how people, including kids, can speak up for change. Real examples and simple guidance make civic action feel understandable, practical, and close to home.
A Pool of Deathly Blue
by Will Mara
2021
Twins Madison and Mason dive into their backyard pool and surface somewhere impossible. Trapped in an abandoned town, they uncover the ghostly aftermath of Chernobyl and realize escape may not be simple.
The Other
by Will Mara
2021
Alex thinks his great-grandmother is confused when she insists his name is David. Then he finds photographs of himself taken years before he was born, and an ordinary life starts to feel very wrong.
Emma Sanchez Is NOT Moving Away!
by Will Mara
2022
When Izzy learns that her best friend Emma is moving away, she launches Operation Best Friends Forever. Sneaky calls and wild schemes follow, but keeping Emma in town may take more than stubborn determination.
The Secret of Locker 24
by Will Mara
2022
Emily keeps finding Locker 24 hanging open, even though nobody talks about it. Inside is a notebook full of drawings that leads her toward an old bullying case, a dead former student, and a friend who may be in danger now.
They Better Leave Sandra Alone or Else
by Will Mara
2022
Izzy befriends Sandra Hashimoto, a new classmate from Tokyo, and is furious when other kids start targeting her with cruel notes. Her revenge plans only make things messier, and she has to figure out how to help without making it worse.
Where to start with Will Mara
For historical conspiracy thrillers: Frame 232 → The Nevada Testament
For disaster fiction: Wave → The Gemini Virus → Fallout
For football drama: The Draft → The Cut → The Comeback
For spooky middle grade: A Pool of Deathly Blue → The Other → The Secret of Locker 24
For younger readers: They Better Leave Sandra Alone or Else → Emma Sanchez Is NOT Moving Away!
Will Mara sub-series and character series
Animals, Animals books in order
Explore this seriesBackyard Safari books in order
Explore this series
Bats
by Will Mara
2013Backyard Safari, Book 3
Owls
by Will Mara
2013Backyard Safari, Book 1
Rabbits
by Will Mara
2013Backyard Safari, Book 2
Blue Jays
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 4
Cardinals
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 6
Robins
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 5
Woodpeckers
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 7
Backyard Safari books in chronological order

Owls
by Will Mara
2013Backyard Safari, Book 1
Rabbits
by Will Mara
2013Backyard Safari, Book 2
Bats
by Will Mara
2013Backyard Safari, Book 3
Blue Jays
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 4
Robins
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 5
Cardinals
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 6
Woodpeckers
by Will Mara
2014Backyard Safari, Book 7
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Author bio
Will Mara, better known in print as Wil Mara, was born in New Jersey in 1966 and grew up along the Jersey Shore. That coastal background never really left him. It shows up in his fiction, especially when he writes about ordinary people trying to keep their footing while something huge and dangerous rolls in.
As a kid, he was already the sort of person who chased odd interests wherever they led. One of those interests was herpetology. A manuscript on the subject helped him land an editing job at TFH Publications, and that job pulled him into publishing from the inside rather than from the outside.
He stayed in that world for more than twenty years. Mara worked as an editor, production manager, and publishing executive for companies that included Scholastic, Prentice Hall, McGraw-Hill, Marshall Cavendish, and Harcourt Brace. By the time he shifted to full-time writing in 2005, he knew how books were made at every stage, from the first idea to the finished cover.
He doesn't really stay in one lane.
His adult fiction shows the range. Wave imagines a tsunami hitting Long Beach Island after a terrorist plot goes wrong, and it went on to win the New Jersey Notable Book Award. The Gemini Virus takes that same what-if energy into outbreak fiction, while Fallout turns to nuclear disaster. Readers who like these books tend to come for the fast setup and stay for the practical detail, the New Jersey texture, and the feeling that the nightmare on the page seems a little too possible.
He also likes putting pressure on history. In Frame 232, a lost film tied to the Kennedy assassination pulls billionaire investigator Jason Hammond into a dangerous chase. The Nevada Testament follows Hammond into another mystery, this time circling Howard Hughes, a missing will, and people with a lot to lose if the truth comes out. Those books mix conspiracy, grief, and moral stubbornness. Jason Hammond has money and reach, but he is not written as a superhero. He is a wounded man trying to do one decent thing at a time.
For younger readers, Mara has been just as busy. He has written hundreds of children's books, including biographies, science titles, history readers, and fast-moving fiction for reluctant readers. His Twisted books bring paranormal trouble into everyday middle-school life. His nonfiction includes books like Albert Einstein, The Story of Civil Rights, and I'm an Activist, all written with the same plainspoken goal: make the subject clear, keep the pages turning, and never talk down to the reader.
That clear, useful style fits the rest of his work too.
Beyond writing, Mara has spent years speaking in schools and libraries, leading talks on writing and reluctant readers, and working with the New Jersey Center for the Book, where he has served in leadership roles. He has also hosted the Voice of American Libraries podcast. In 2019 he received the Literary Lion Award, and in 2020 he was named New Jersey's Author of the Year.
He lives in New Jersey, and for many years has made his home in Pompton Lakes. What stands out across all the genres is not polish for its own sake. It is curiosity. Mara can write about a football front office, a viral outbreak, a haunted school locker, or Einstein's childhood compass, and the connecting thread is the same: he wants readers to learn something, feel something, and keep going to the next page.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.




















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