Mark Haddon Reading Order

4 books (1994–2001)

Mark Haddon's Agent Z series comprises four complete novels published between 1994 and 2001. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Agent Z Goes Wild and continuing through Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader, Agent Z and the Penguin From Mars, and Agent Z and the Killer Bananas. This finished series offers a complete reading experience without ongoing installments.

Start with Agent Z Goes Wild, the first of 4 books in the Agent Z series.

#	Title
1	Agent Z Goes Wild 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Agent Z and the Penguin From Mars 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Agent Z and the Killer Bananas 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2009–2015)

Mark Haddon's anthology series consists of three complete works published between 2009 and 2015. The collection includes Ox-Tales: Fire, Six Shorts, and The BBC National Short Story Award 2015. These non-fiction anthologies should be read in publication order to experience them as intended.

Start with Ox-Tales: Fire and read in order.

#	Title
1	Ox-Tales: Fire 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Six Shorts 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The BBC National Short Story Award 2015 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1994–2026)

Mark Haddon's non-fiction series spans three books published between 1994 and 2026, with the series remaining ongoing. Begin with The Ultimate Hush-Hush Handbook / Secret Agent Handbook and proceed in publication order through Stop What You're Doing and Read This! (co-authored with Michael Rosen, Jeanette Winterson, and Zadie Smith) and Leaving Home. These works should be read sequentially as they were released.

Start with The Ultimate Hush-Hush Handbook / Secret Agent Handbook and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Ultimate Hush-Hush Handbook / Secret Agent Handbook 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Stop What You're Doing and Read This!(With: Michael Rosen,Jeanette Winterson,Zadie Smith) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Leaving Home 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1988–2002)

Mark Haddon's Picture series comprises 11 complete books published between 1988 and 2002, designed for early readers. The titles include Gilbert's Gobstopper, the Baby Dinosaurs subseries, and several other stories featuring imaginative scenarios and illustrations. Readers should follow the books in publication order, beginning with Gilbert's Gobstopper, as this series was created to support children's literacy development through sequential, age-appropriate narratives.

Start with Gilbert's Gobstopper, the first of 11 books in the Picture series.

#	Title
1	Gilbert's Gobstopper 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Toni and the Tomato Soup 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	A Narrow Escape for Princess Sharon 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Baby Dinosaurs at Home 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Baby Dinosaurs at Playgroup 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Baby Dinosaurs in the Garden 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Baby Dinosaurs on Holiday 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Footprints on the Moon 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Sea of Tranquility 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Ocean Star Express 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Ice Bear’s Cave 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2003–2010)

Mark Haddon's Plays series consists of two complete works published between 2003 and 2010. The first entry is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: The Play, a collaboration with Simon Stephens, followed by Polar Bears. These works should be read in publication order.

Start with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: The Play(With: Simon Stephens) and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: The Play(With: Simon Stephens) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Polar Bears 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2019–2019)

3 books (2013–2024)

Mark Haddon has published three collections of short stories between 2013 and 2024, with the series remaining ongoing. These standalone story collections should be read in publication order, beginning with The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea, followed by The Pier Falls and Other Stories, and then Dogs and Monsters.

Start with The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Pier Falls and Other Stories 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Dogs and Monsters 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (1994–2019)

Mark Haddon's eight standalone novels were published between 1994 and 2019, with the series now complete. These independent works should be read in publication order, beginning with Boom! and concluding with The Porpoise. Each novel stands alone and can be enjoyed without reading the others, though following the chronological publication sequence allows readers to experience Haddon's evolving style across the quarter-century span.

Start with Boom!, the first of 8 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Boom! 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Gridzbi Spudvetch! 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Real Porky Philips 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Titch Johnson 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	A Spot of Bother 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Red House 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Porpoise 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible