Every Big Nate Book in Order, Novels First (2026 Guide)

Your child laughs through a Big Nate book, then asks for the next one, and the store shows you forty-odd titles with the same grinning kid on every cover. The Big Nate books in order are less confusing than that shelf looks. This guide splits the Big Nate books into the eight novels and the comic collections, names the newest Big Nate book of 2026, and tells you where a new reader starts.

Why the Big Nate books look so confusing

Big Nate fills two different shelves, and most book lists mix them. One shelf holds eight novels, the other holds more than forty books of newspaper comics.

Lincoln Peirce started Big Nate as a comic strip in newspapers in January 1991, and it ran daily for 35 years (Popverse). Nate Wright is an 11-and-a-half-year-old sixth-grader at Public School 38, with a social studies teacher he sees as his nemesis (Mrs. Godfrey) and a rival he loathes, Gina (Wikipedia).

Two kinds of Big Nate books

The novels are illustrated chapter books, published by HarperCollins from 2010 to 2016. Each one tells a single story in text with cartoons on almost every page, in the same spirit as Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

The comic collections reprint the strip, mostly from Andrews McMeel Publishing. They hold short gags of a few panels each, with longer story arcs that run across a week or two of strips.

The 8 Big Nate novels in order

The novels are the series most parents mean when they ask for Big Nate books in order. All eight are written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce, and the dates below come from the Big Nate article on Wikipedia. Open Library lists the first novel under HarperCollins, 2010, and Scholastic UK calls Blasts Off the 8th title in the series.

No ninth novel has come out since 2016, and none is announced as of October 2026. Newer paperback editions and box sets carry the same eight stories, so check the title before you buy a "new" one.

Does the order of the novels matter?

Order matters a little. Each novel has its own plot, so a child can start at book 4 and follow it. Reading in order keeps the running jokes in a sensible line, from Nate's feud with Gina to his friendship with Francis and Teddy.

How many Big Nate books are there?

As of October 2026, Big Nate counts eight novels and more than forty comic collections. Wikipedia's list of Big Nate collections counts 43 Andrews McMeel titles, four HarperCollins comic books and two early books from other publishers.

The collections reprint strips in rough time order, but each one stands alone. Andrews McMeel has released two a year since 2024, one in spring and one in late summer.

The newest Big Nate book

The newest Big Nate books are comic collections. The Andrews McMeel title Code Red came out March 10, 2026, and has Nate starting a podcast while he worries that a terrible baseball team name will ruin his luck. Curse of the Puffy Shorts followed on September 1, 2026, and Hero Time is listed for October 20, 2026.

Is Big Nate still going?

Big Nate is still going, on a slower schedule. Peirce ended the daily strip on June 13, 2026, and moved to a Sundays-only routine, saying "you can only tell so many jokes about sixth grade" (Popverse).

Sunday strips keep feeding new collections, so expect more books. The Lincoln Peirce article also covers the animated series, which debuted on Paramount+ on February 17, 2022, and came to Nickelodeon on September 5, 2022.

Is Big Nate a graphic novel?

The novels are illustrated novels, not graphic novels. They tell the story in prose, and the cartoons sit inside the text, often as Nate's own comics. The collections are comic strips, so they read like a graphic novel built from short episodes.

That difference helps you pick a first book. A child who reads chapter books with ease can start with the novels, while a child who gets tired by long pages may do better with a comic collection first and the novels a few weeks later.

Where to start with Big Nate, step by step

A new fan needs one novel, one collection and about two weeks.

1. Start with novel 1, In a Class by Himself. It sets up Nate, his best friends, Gina and Mrs. Godfrey, and every later novel assumes a reader knows them.
2. Read the first chapter together. Show how the cartoons carry part of the story. Kids who skip the drawings miss half the jokes.
3. Add one comic collection next. A recent title like Code Red! gives a child short, quick wins between novels. Any collection works, since the strips stand alone.
4. Keep novels 2 and 3 within reach. A waiting copy carries the habit from one book to the next without a library trip.
5. Let them reread and draw. Nate draws his own comics, and a child who copies a few panels learns how a joke is timed.
6. Move on when they finish book 8. The collections keep going, and the list further down covers what to read after Big Nate.

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Age and reading level

Common Sense Media rates In a Class by Himself for age 9 and up, notes that the publisher recommends 9 to 12, and calls it "milder than Wimpy Kid." Andrews McMeel lists Code Red! for ages 8 to 12, grades 4 to 6.

The language stays mild, at the level of "dork" and "butthead." A strong 7-year-old reader can enjoy the comic collections, and many 12-year-olds still reread the novels.

What to read after Big Nate

Big Nate fans tend to like funny school stories with drawings on the page. These series share that shape:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Jeff Kinney's drawn diary is the closest match. Our list of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in order gives the order and the newest book.
• Max and the Midknights. Lincoln Peirce's own series started in January 2019 and has three books, a good pick for a fan who wants the same author in a new world.
• Timmy Failure. Stephan Pastis wrote and drew this series about a boy detective, starting with Mistakes Were Made in 2013.
• Dog Man. A younger, sillier graphic novel series, good for a sibling. See our Dog Man books in order.

For a longer shelf, try our books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the graphic novels for kids list and the must-read books for ages 8 to 10.

Common mistakes when buying Big Nate in order

• Mixing novels and collections. A box set of comics will not continue the novel order. Check for the series number on the novels.
• Taking a new edition for a new story. Box sets and new paperbacks repackage the same eight novels. Compare titles with the table above.
• Waiting for novel 9. The novels stopped in 2016. A child who finished book 8 is ready for the collections or the next series above.

Your Big Nate reading checklist

• Confirm the count. Eight novels, and more than forty comic collections as of October 2026.
• Start with novel 1. In a Class by Himself sets up everyone.
• Mix in one collection. Short strips keep a child reading between novels.
• Check the date on new titles. The newest books are 2026 comic collections, not novels.
• Give your cartoonist a project. A child who draws like Nate can make a story of their own.

A child who loves Nate's cartoons can star in an illustrated story of his own. KidTeller turns your child's photo into the hero, writes a fresh story from any idea you type, and draws it in a preset style or any style you describe in words, a comic look included. The story and pictures are ready to preview in minutes, and story ideas by theme give a first plot.