Where to Start with A.S. King
Because A.S. King writes standalone novels rather than serialized sagas, you have complete freedom in choosing where to begin. Her books do not share a single narrative continuity, meaning chronological order is entirely optional. Instead, the best path depends on what style of story resonates with you most.
The Classic Entry Point: Please Ignore Vera Dietz (2010)
If you want the quintessential A.S. King experience, start with Please Ignore Vera Dietz. This Printz Honor book perfectly showcases her signature style: a grounded, raw look at teenage grief and family secrets, structured with unusual narrative devices like flow charts, brief chapters from unexpected perspectives (including the local pagoda and the dead best friend), and a mystery that keeps you turning pages. It is a brilliant introduction to how King uses unconventional structures to mirror the messy reality of adolescent life.
The Masterpiece: Dig (2019)
If you prefer to jump straight to her most critically acclaimed work, pick up Dig. Winner of the 2020 Michael L. Printz Award, this book is a multi-perspective ensemble novel that follows five cousins in Pennsylvania dealing with their wealthy, racist grandparents and the toxic family secrets passed down to them. It is a brilliant, challenging, and surrealist masterpiece that tackles heavy real-world issues with empathy, anger, and absolute originality.
For Younger Readers: Me and Marvin Gardens (2017) or Attack of the Black Rectangles (2022)
If you are looking for middle-grade fiction, King has written exceptional books for younger audiences. Me and Marvin Gardens explores environmental stewardship and friendship through a boy who discovers a strange creature that eats plastic. Meanwhile, Attack of the Black Rectangles is a powerful, timely story about censorship, community, and intellectual freedom, based on a kid discovering that words have been blacked out in his school copy of a novel.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Reading A.S. King in publication order lets you watch her experimental style evolve over time, moving from historical reincarnation fantasies to deeply layered contemporary surrealism. Here is the publication order of her standalone novels:
- The Dust of 100 Dogs (2009) - King's debut novel about a 17th-century pirate reincarnated as a modern suburban teenager.
- Please Ignore Vera Dietz (2010) - A heartbreaking and creatively structured look at grief, betrayal, and family history.
- Everybody Sees the Ants (2011) - A story about a bullied teen who finds escape in active dreams of his grandfather's POW camp, aided by giant, talking ants.
- Ask the Passengers (2012) - A grounded story about Astrid Jones, who sends her love to the passengers on the airplanes flying overhead while navigating her own sexuality.
- Reality Boy (2013) - The story of Gerald, a teenager dealing with the anger and fallout of growing up on a dysfunctional family reality television show.
- Glory O'Brien's History of the Future (2014) - After drinking a mixture containing a petrified bat, a high school graduate begins to see the past and future of everyone she looks at.
- I Crawl Through It (2015) - One of King's most abstract and experimental novels, focusing on four teenagers trying to survive trauma, standardized testing, and a school building built on a swamp.
- Still Life with Tornado (2016) - A 16-year-old artist meets past and future versions of herself as she tries to unpack a family trauma that she has blocked from her memory.
- Me and Marvin Gardens (2017) - A middle-grade novel exploring land development, family heritage, and a mysterious plastic-eating animal.
- Dig (2019) - A powerful, Printz Award-winning look at generational trauma, wealth, and race in suburban Pennsylvania.
- The Year We Fell From Space (2019) - A middle-grade story exploring divorce, depression, and mapping the stars.
- Switch (2021) - A surrealist YA novel set in a world where time has stopped moving forward, and one girl’s house is inexplicably turned upside down.
- Attack of the Black Rectangles (2022) - A middle-grade novel centered on censorship, fighting for the truth, and challenging local authority figures.
- Pick the Lock (2024) - A punk-infused, bold YA novel about family lies, confinement, and reclaiming one's voice.
Short Story Collections and Anthologies
In addition to her novels, A.S. King has published short fiction for adults and edited highly acclaimed young adult anthologies. The most notable of these is The Collectors, which won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2024, marking a historic moment as the first time an anthology took home the top prize.
- Monica Never Shuts Up (2012) - A collection of short stories for adults, published under her full name, Amy Sarig King, exploring themes of magical realism and soft science fiction.
- One Death, Nine Stories (2014) - A YA anthology edited by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith Jr., featuring a story by A.S. King about the ripple effects of a teenager's suicide.
- Dark Minds (2016) - A charity crime and thriller collection where King contributed the short story "The Sins of Muriel McGarry."
- Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love (2018) - An advice anthology where prominent YA authors write letters back to anonymous teenagers dealing with love and heartbreak.
- The Collectors: Stories (2023/2024) - A Printz Award-winning anthology edited by King, containing interconnected stories about people who collect unusual things.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into King's bibliography, it is helpful to understand her literary landscape. She is widely considered one of the premier voices in contemporary young adult magical realism. Rather than building fantasy worlds with rules and magic systems, she uses surrealism as a metaphor for mental health struggles, trauma, and identity. Talking rats, shifting houses, and talking ants are externalizations of internal teenage emotional battles.
Additionally, almost all of her books are set in Pennsylvania, reflecting her own deep connection to her home state. Expect heavy themes; King does not shy away from writing about abuse, homophobia, racism, depression, and toxic family structures, but she handles them with a deep, compassionate respect for the intelligence of young readers.