Every Last Kids on Earth Book in Order, With Dates (2026)

Your child finishes The Last Kids on Earth in two evenings and wants the next one right now. Then the store shelf shows a "5.5", a graphic novel with a different art style and a comic about comics, and you type "the last kids on earth books in order" to sort it out. Here is the full reading order with US release dates, the answer to "how many Last Kids on Earth books are there" as of November 2026, what is coming next, and the ages the publisher suggests.

The Last Kids on Earth books in order

The Last Kids on Earth books in order follow Jack Sullivan and his friends Quint, June and Dirk through a monster apocalypse. Max Brallier writes the series, Douglas Holgate illustrates it, and Viking Books for Young Readers publishes it in the US. The order below is the one on the official series site, with dates from the publisher's book pages.

Publication order and reading order are the same for this series. Each book picks up where the last one stopped, so start with book 1 and go straight through.

Where the two half-books fit

June's Wild Flight and Quint and Dirk's Hero Quest are the two "point five" books. Each one gives a side character a solo adventure between the main books. The official site places them at 5.5 and 7.5, and their spring release dates put them between the fall books around them.

A child in a hurry can skip them and still follow the main plot. A child who loves June or Dirk will want them in place, and reading them there keeps the timeline tidy.

How many Last Kids on Earth books are there?

There are 10 numbered Last Kids on Earth books as of November 2026, plus the 2 half-books, for 12 novels in all. Wikipedia's series page lists the same 10 main titles, from 2015 to 2025.

The newest novel is The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor's Lair, book 10, out November 4, 2025. Jack and Quint are trapped in the Monster Dimension and race to stop Rezzoch the Ancient, the Destructor of Worlds, from reaching Earth.

Book 9 came out in November 2023, so the gap between books has grown from one year to about two. Plan for that if your child reads fast.

How does The Last Kids on Earth end?

The Last Kids on Earth has not ended. The publisher says the last pages of book 10 bring a confrontation that will change everything, and the story continues from there.

Max Brallier's website lists The Last Kids on Earth #11 for fall 2027 and #12 for spring 2028, both with titles to be announced. Until those books arrive, any "ending" you read online is a guess.

Graphic novels, companion books and the show

The Last Kids on Earth shelf holds more than the 12 novels. Here is what each extra is, so you know what you are buying.

• The Graphic Novel adaptations. The Last Kids on Earth: The Graphic Novel retells book 1 in full-color comics, drawn by Brian Churilla, out November 5, 2024. The Zombie Parade: The Graphic Novel followed on November 3, 2026, and Max Brallier's site lists The Nightmare King: The Graphic Novel for fall 2028.
• The Last Comics on Earth. A spin-off of four full-color graphic novels. In the first one, out April 25, 2023, Jack, Quint, June and Dirk learn their favorite comic will never get a new issue, so they make their own.
• Thrilling Tales from the Tree House. A graphic novel of short stories drawn by several artists, published in 2021.
• The Last Kids on Earth Survival Guide and The Last Kids on Earth Mad Libs. Activity and fan books for kids who already know the world.

The Netflix show and the new Disney project

The Netflix animated series ran in three parts: Book 1 on September 17, 2019, Book 2 on April 17, 2020, and Book 3 on October 16, 2020, plus a special, Happy Apocalypse to You, in April 2021. Wikipedia's page on the show notes a 2020 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program.

A live-action version is in the works: Max Brallier's site says it has a pilot order at Disney+ and Disney Channel. A pilot order is an early step, so no release date exists yet.

What age is The Last Kids on Earth for?

The Last Kids on Earth is for ages 8 to 12, grades 3 to 7, according to the Penguin Random House book page. Common Sense Media rates the series 8+.

Most 8- and 9-year-olds read it with ease, because pictures carry part of the story on almost every page. Confident 7-year-olds often enjoy it read aloud, and 11- and 12-year-olds still pick it up for the humor.

What parents should know about the monsters

The books are full of zombies and monsters, and the fights are big and loud. Common Sense Media says the violence is "cartoonish and filled with humor" and lists no bad language.

The friendships do the heavy lifting. The same review notes that "each person brings something unique and useful to the group," which gives you an easy question to ask at dinner: what does each friend bring?

Reading tips for reluctant readers

The Last Kids on Earth is a hybrid of chapter book and comic. Text pages sit next to full drawings and short comic panels, so a child never faces a long wall of words. That format is why the series wins over kids who say they hate reading.

• Let the pictures count. A child who studies a two-page drawing is reading the story. Ask what happened in the picture before you move on to the next paragraph.
• Read the first chapter aloud. Do the monster voices. Once the jokes land, most kids take the book away from you.
• Pair the book with its graphic novel. For a child who stalls on book 1, the full-color graphic novel tells the same story with even less text. Then go back to the original.
• Keep the next book ready. Twelve novels means a long runway. Have book 2 on the shelf before book 1 ends.

Common mistakes when starting the series

• Starting with the newest book. Book 10 assumes nine books of history. Start at book 1.
• Buying a graphic novel as "book 11". The graphic novels retell old stories. Check the table above before you buy.
• Mixing up the comic spin-off. The Last Comics on Earth is a separate series. It is a fun side trip and does not move the main plot forward.

Build a Last Kids on Earth reading nook

Jack and his friends live in a fortified tree house, and a reading spot that feels like a base turns reading time into an event. You can build one in an afternoon with things from home.

1. Pick a corner. Choose a quiet spot near an outlet, such as a corner of the bedroom or the space behind the couch.
2. Build the walls. Drape two blankets over a pair of chairs or a table and pin the edges with books. Leave one side open for light and air.
3. Lay the floor. Add a rug, couch cushions and two pillows. A sleeping bag works as a mattress for long reading sessions.
4. Add light. Give your child a flashlight or a battery lantern. String lights clipped to the blankets make the fort glow at dusk.
5. Stock the supply shelf. A shoebox on its side holds the next two books, a notebook and colored pencils for drawing monsters.
6. Set the base rules. Reading only inside the fort, and the fort stays up for a week. A rule like that turns the nook into a habit.

Try itCreate a personalized storybookYour child's name and photo, a story in minutes

Keep the nook working after the first night

A nook keeps its pull when it changes a little. Swap in the next book, tape your child's own monster drawings to a chair, or move the fort to a new room on the weekend.

If the fort becomes a place for tablets, it stops being a reading base. Keep screens outside the blankets and let the flashlight be the only gadget.

Your Last Kids on Earth reading checklist

• Confirm the count. Ten numbered books plus two half-books are out as of November 2026.
• Start at book 1. The story runs in order, so read straight through.
• Decide on 5.5 and 7.5. Read them in place for the full story.
• Plan for the wait. Book 11 is listed for fall 2027.
• Build the nook. A blanket fort and a flashlight turn reading into an event.

What to read after The Last Kids on Earth

A child who has read every Last Kids on Earth book is ready for more funny, picture-heavy series.

• Dog Man. Dav Pilkey's comics are pure laughs; see our Dog Man books in order.
• Big Nate. School humor in comics and novels, listed in our Big Nate books in order.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid and friends. Same mix of text and drawings; try our books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
• I Survived. For a child ready for real-world adventure, start with our I Survived books in order.
• More comics. Our list of graphic novels for kids has picks by age.

Some kids finish a monster series and start drawing themselves into it. That is a good sign: the story has become theirs, and writing or drawing their own sequel keeps the reading habit going between book releases.

A child who loves monster-fighting heroes can also star in a story of their own. KidTeller turns your child's photo into the illustrated hero and writes a fresh story from any idea you type, such as a tree-house base under siege by friendly slime monsters, with a story structure tuned for readers 8 and up.