Anna Staniszewski Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Anna Staniszewski

Anna Staniszewski is a master of crafting highly relatable, engaging, and humorous stories for middle-grade and early young adult readers. Because her series span different genres—ranging from magical fantasy to contemporary school drama—the best place to start depends entirely on what kind of story you are in the mood for:

• For Magic and Fairy Tale Twists: Start with My Very UnFairy Tale Life. This trilogy follows a reluctant magical adventurer who handles unicorns and sorcerers while wishing she could just be a normal student.
• For Contemporary Tween Drama: Start with The Dirt Diary. It follows a girl named Rachel who works for her mother's house-cleaning business and stumbles upon the deepest, dirtiest secrets of her classmates.
• For Young Readers (Ages 5-8): Start with the Once Upon a Fairy Tale series, published under Scholastic's Branches line. These early chapter books are perfect for newly independent readers.

My Very UnFairy Tale Life Series

This humorous fantasy trilogy follows Jenny, a young girl who works as a magical adventurer. Although she gets to interact with mythical creatures, she would much rather have a normal middle-school life. While the series is straightforward to read in publication order, there is a free digital prequel novella that can be read first if you want the absolute chronological beginning.

Recommended Reading Order:

1. Jenny's First Adventure (2013) – Prequel Novella (#0.5). Originally released as a free e-book, this prequel is set three years before the first main novel and tells the story of how Jenny first became a magical adventurer.
2. My Very UnFairy Tale Life (2011) – Book 1. Jenny tries to take a break from saving kingdoms but is dragged into a quest involving runaway unicorns.
3. My Epic Fairy Tale Fail (2013) – Book 2. Jenny is tasked with delivering a baby dragon, leading to a series of comedic, chaotic mistakes.
4. My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending (2013) – Book 3. The final adventure in the trilogy where Jenny must fix a massive tear in the magical realm and try to secure her own happy ending.

The Dirt Diary Series

This contemporary series centers on eighth-grader Rachel Lee, who finds herself working for her mother's cleaning business after her parents' divorce. Rachel uses the house-cleaning jobs to gather "dirt" on the popular kids at school, only to realize that holding onto everyone's secrets is a recipe for disaster. The books are linear and should be read in order.

Recommended Reading Order:

1. The Dirt Diary (2014) – Rachel begins working for her mom's cleaning business and starts keeping track of her classmates' secrets.
2. The Prank List (2014) – When her mom's business is threatened by a rival, Rachel gets caught up in a series of school pranks that go too far.
3. The Gossip File (2015) – Rachel spends the summer in Florida working at a resort, where she manages a new list of secrets that threaten to ruin her new friendships.
4. The Truth Game (2016) – In the final book, Rachel participates in an anonymous truth-sharing game at school that forces her to confront her own secrets.

Switched at First Kiss Series

This supernatural comedy series features tweens dealing with cupid magic, reaper duties, and mismatched love connections. Each book focuses on a different character dealing with a specific mythological or magical job, but they share a connected universe and characters.

Recommended Reading Order:

1. I'm with Cupid (2015) – Book 1. Marcus, a descending Cupid, is forced to team up with Lena, a Reaper, to resolve a series of magical mishaps.
2. Finders Reapers (2016) – Book 2. Lena takes center stage as she navigates her family's grim reaper business while trying to live a normal life.
3. Match Me If You Can (2017) – Book 3. The final installment, wrapping up the magical romantic mix-ups and tween struggles of the series.

Once Upon a Fairy Tale Series

Published under Scholastic's Branches imprint, this series is designed for children who are beginning to read independently. It features easy-to-read text, fast-paced plots, and illustrations by Macky Pamintuan. The series follows Kara and Zed as they try to save their kingdom from the magic of the grumpy Magic Mirror.

Recommended Reading Order:

1. The Magic Mirror (2019) – Kara and Zed must stop a magical mirror that has frozen their valley.
2. The Stolen Slipper (2019) – The duo goes on a quest to recover Cinderella's stolen glass slipper before the kingdom is ruined.
3. The Missing Dwarf (2020) – Kara and Zed search for a missing dwarf in the Whispering Woods.
4. The Snoring Princess (2020) – The final book in the chapter book series, focusing on a sleeping curse mystery.

Clarifying the Scholastic "Wish" Imprint Contributions

Many online databases list a massive series called the Wish Books with dozens of titles, which can be highly confusing to readers. It is important to know that the Scholastic Wish line is actually a marketing imprint of standalone middle-grade novels written by several different authors (such as Suzanne Nelson, Natalie Standiford, and Angela Cervantes).

Anna Staniszewski did not write the entire 36-book list. She contributed exactly three books to this imprint. Two of these books form their own direct duology and should be read together:

• Once Upon a Cruise (2016) – A standalone Wish novel about a girl working on a fairy tale-themed cruise ship.
• Clique Here (2021) – Wish Book #31. The first book in a duology following Lily (LB), a middle-schooler who uses scientific methods to study cliques and popularity.
• Double Clique (2021) – Wish Book #35. The direct sequel to Clique Here, continuing LB's experiments with social dynamics and friendship.

Stand-alone Novels and Picture Books

Beyond her multi-book series, Staniszewski has written several standalone works. Her standalone middle-grade novels are perfect for readers looking for quick, self-contained stories. She also publishes picture books for younger kids.

Standalone Middle-Grade Novels

• Secondhand Wishes (2019) – A magical realism story about a girl who finds a magical paper crane that grants wishes, only to find they come with unexpected consequences.
• The Wonder of Wildflowers (2020) – A heartwarming story of an immigrant girl trying to fit into a new town that is obsessed with a magical element called Wonder.

Picture Books

• Power Down, Little Robot (2015) – A cute bedtime story about a little robot who refuses to go to sleep.
• Dogosaurus Rex (2017) – A humorous tale about a boy who adopts a dog that looks suspiciously like a T-Rex.
• Beast in Show (2021) – A fun, colorful look at a dog show featuring unusual and magical creatures.

Pseudonym Projects: Writing as Cora Reef

For younger readers who enjoy early chapter books, Anna Staniszewski writes under the pen name Cora Reef. Under this name, she authored The Not-So-Tiny Tales of Simon Seahorse, an illustrated chapter book series following a tiny seahorse who loves telling big stories. Key titles in this series include Don't Pop the Bubble Ball! and I Spy . . . a Shark!, all of which can be read in any order as standalone adventures.