Gary Paulsen books in order
American writer
- Lived
- 1939–2021
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 136
- Series
- 5
Gary Paulsen published 26 novels, 45 novellas, 2 short story collections, 3 non-fiction books, 51 children's books and 9 other books, beginning with Mr. Tucket (1969). The 5 series include Mr. Tucket Saga (5 books, starting with Mr. Tucket), Hatchet (5 books, starting with Hatchet) and Murphy (4 books, starting with Murphy). The best-known is Hatchet (1987).
Updated September 2026
Mr. Tucket Saga books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Mr. Tucket (1969) · 2 Call Me Francis Tucket (1995) · 3 Tucket's Ride (1997) · 4 Tucket's Gold (1999) · 5 Tucket's Home (2000)
- 1.
Mr. Tucket (1969)
- 2.
Call Me Francis Tucket (1995)
- 3.
Tucket's Ride (1997)
- 4.
Tucket's Gold (Sep 1999)
- 5.
Tucket's Home (2000)
Hatchet books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Hatchet (1987) · 2 The River (1991) · 3 Brian's Winter (1996) · 4 Brian's Return (1999) · 5 Brian's Hunt (2003)
- 1.
Hatchet (Sep 1987)
- 2.
The River (Jun 1991)
- 3.
Brian's Winter (1996)
- 4.
Brian's Return (Feb 1999)
- 5.
Brian's Hunt (2003)
Murphy books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 Murphy (1987) · 2 Murphy's Gold (1988) · 3 Murphy's Herd (1989) · 4 Murphy's War (1990)
- 1.
Murphy (1987)
- 2.
Murphy's Gold (Mar 1988)
- 3.
Murphy's Herd (1989)
- 4.
Murphy's War (Dec 1990)
Alida's books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Cookcamp (1991) · 2 Alida's Song (1999) · 3 The Quilt (2004)
- 1.
The Cookcamp (Mar 1991)
- 2.
Alida's Song (Jun 1999)
- 3.
The Quilt (2004)
Al Murphy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Murphy's Stand (1993) · 2 Murphy's Ambush (1995) · 3 Murphy's Trail (1996)
- 1.
Murphy's Stand (1993)
- 2.
Murphy's Ambush (May 1995)
- 3.
Murphy's Trail (Sep 1996)
Where to start with Gary Paulsen
Start here
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen's most-read book and the first of the 5 Hatchet books.
Standalone novels in order
Dogsong (1985)
Sentries (1986)
Night Rituals (1989)
Kill Fee (1990)
Canyons (Aug 1990)
Amos Gets Famous (1992)
The Case of the Dirty Bird (Jun 1992)
Dunc Gets Tweaked (Aug 1992)
Dunc's Undercover Christmas (1993)
Eastern Sun, Winter Moon (1993)
Harris and Me (Oct 1993)
The Car (Mar 1994)
Sarny (Sep 1997)
Canoe Days (1999)
The Haymeadow (1999)
Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books (2001)
Tucket's Travels (2003)
Woods Runner (2010)
Fishbone's Song (2016)
How to Train Your Dad (2021)
Novellas in order
Tiltawhirl John (1977)
The Spitball Gang (1980)
The Winter Room (1989)
A Christmas Sonata (1992)
Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass (1992)
Dunc Breaks the Record (1992)
Dunc's Doll (Jun 1992)
Culpepper's Cannon (Jul 1992)
Dunc's Halloween (Sep 1992)
Amos and the Alien (1994)
Dunc and Amos Meet the Slasher (1994)
The Legend of Red Horse Cavern (Sep 1994)
Rodomonte's Revenge (Nov 1994)
The Foxman (1995)
The Rifle (1995)
Escape from Fire Mountain (Jan 1995)
The Rock Jockeys (Mar 1995)
The Tent (Apr 1995)
Hook 'Em Snotty! (May 1995)
Danger on Midnight River (Jul 1995)
The Gorgon Slayer (Sep 1995)
Captive! (Nov 1995)
Skydive! (1996)
Project – A Perfect World (Jan 1996)
The Treasure of El Patron (Mar 1996)
The Seventh Crystal (Jul 1996)
The Creature of Black Water Lake (Jun 1997)
Time Benders (Aug 1997)
Grizzly (Oct 1997)
Thunder Valley (1998)
Curse of the Ruins (Feb 1998)
Flight of the Hawk (Apr 1998)
The Glass Cafe (Jun 2003)
Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day (2004)
The Time Hackers (2005)
Flat Broke (2011)
Vote (2013)
Field Trip (2015)
Short story collections in order
Shelf Life (2003)
Paintings from the Cave (2011)
Non-fiction in order
Winterdance (Mar 1994)
Pilgrimage on a Steel Ride (1997)
Zero to Sixty (1997)
Children's books in order
Popcorn Days & Buttermilk Nights (1983)
Tracker (1984)
Dancing Carl (1987)
The Crossing (1987)
The Island (1988)
The Voyage of the Frog (1989)
Boy Who Owned the School (1990)
The Night the White Deer Died (1990)
Woodsong (1990)
The Monument (1991)
Dunc and the Flaming Ghost (1992)
Tasting the Thunder (1992)
Dogteam (1993)
Dunc and the Haunted Castle (1993)
Nightjohn (1993)
Sisters = (1993)
AMOS'S KILLER CONCERT CAPER (Culpepper Adventures) (1994)
Amos Gets Married (1995)
The Tortilla Factory (1995)
Ice Race (1996)
Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers (1996)
The Fourteenth Summer (1996)
The Schernoff Discoveries (1997)
White Fox (1997)
My Life in Dog Years (Jan 1997)
Soldier's Heart (1998)
The Transall Saga (1998)
Guts (2000)
The Beet Fields (2000)
Caught by the Sea (2001)
Craig Y Diafol (Sep 2001)
How Angel Peterson Got His Name (Jan 2003)
The Legend of Bass Reeves (2006)
World of Adventure Trio (2006)
Mudshark (2008)
Notes from the Dog (2009)
Lawn Boy Returns (2010)
Masters of Disaster (2010)
Liar, Liar (2011)
Crush (2012)
Family Ties (2014)
This Side of Wild (2015)
Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat (2016)
Gone to the Woods (2021)
Other books in order
The Cb Radio Caper (1977)
Cowpokes and Desperados (1993)
Dunc and Amos Hit the Big Top/Dunc's Dump (Culpepper Adventures (Cass)) (1993)
DUNC and the SCAM ARTISTS (1993)
Dunc's Dump (1993)
Prince Amos (1994)
Amos and the Vampire (1996)
Hatchet With Connections (1998)
Northwind (2022)
Film and TV adaptations
- A Cry in the Wild (1990)Film · from Hatchet
About Gary Paulsen
Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Gary Paulsen FAQ
- How many books has Gary Paulsen written?
- Gary Paulsen published 26 novels, 45 novellas, 2 short story collections, 3 non-fiction books, 51 children's books and 9 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Gary Paulsen's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Mr. Tucket Saga with Mr. Tucket, Hatchet with Hatchet and Murphy with Murphy. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Gary Paulsen's last book?
- How to Train Your Dad (2021).
- What is Gary Paulsen's most famous book?
- Hatchet (1987) is Gary Paulsen's most widely read book.
- Are Gary Paulsen's books connected?
- 20 books belong to 5 series (Mr. Tucket Saga, Hatchet, Murphy and Alida's); the other 116 books stand alone.
- Which Gary Paulsen books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Hatchet (as A Cry in the Wild, film, 1990).
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.