Cathy Glass Books in Order

How to Start Reading Cathy Glass

With dozens of books documenting her 25-plus years as a foster carer, Cathy Glass has built a massive global readership. Because almost every memoir focuses on a specific child's fostering journey, the books are self-contained and can theoretically be read in any order. However, if you are looking for the absolute best way to experience her books, two starting points are highly recommended:

• Start with the Debut: Damaged (2007). This was Glass's first published memoir and a Sunday Times bestseller. It details her challenging year fostering Jodie, an eight-year-old girl who suffered severe abuse. It is the book that established Glass's signature style of blending raw honesty with warmth and hope.
• Start with the Fostering Timeline: Cut (2008). If you want to follow her fostering journey from its earliest chronicled case, Cut is the chronological beginning. It follows a deeply troubled teenager named Dawn and helps establish the family structure before other children arrive.

The Fostering Chronology vs. Publication Order

Because Cathy Glass writes her memoirs out of sequence based on when she is ready to share each child's story, her publication order differs significantly from the chronological timeline of her fostering career. While you do not need to follow either order strictly, reading chronologically allows you to watch Glass's own children grow up in the background, providing a touching secondary narrative of family continuity.

The Curated Chronological Fostering Order

Based on the timeline recommended by Cathy Glass on her official website, this sequence arranges her true-life memoirs in the order the fostering placements occurred:

1. Cut (Published 2008)
2. The Silent Cry (Published 2016)
3. Daddy’s Little Princess (Published 2014)
4. Nobody’s Son (Published 2017)
5. Cruel to Be Kind (Published 2017)
6. The Night the Angels Came (Published 2011)
7. A Long Way from Home (Published 2018)
8. A Baby’s Cry (Published 2012)
9. The Saddest Girl in the World (Published 2009)
10. Please Don’t Take My Baby (Published 2013)
11. Will You Love Me? (Published 2013) — This is the landmark book detailing the adoption of Cathy's daughter, Lucy.
12. I Miss Mummy (Published 2010)
13. Saving Danny (Published 2015)
14. Girl Alone (Published 2015)
15. Where Has Mummy Gone? (Published 2018)
16. Damaged (Published 2007)
17. Hidden (Published 2007)
18. Mummy Told Me Not to Tell (Published 2010)
19. Another Forgotten Child (Published 2012)
20. The Child Bride (Published 2014)
21. Can I Let You Go? (Published 2016)
22. Finding Stevie (Published 2019)
23. Innocent (Published 2019)
24. Too Scared to Tell (Published 2020)
25. A Terrible Secret (Published 2020)
26. A Life Lost (Published 2021)
27. An Innocent Baby (Published 2021)
28. Neglected (Published 2022)
29. A Family Torn Apart (Published 2022)
30. Unwanted (Published 2023)
31. Unsafe (Published 2023)
32. Helpless (Published 2024)

Memoirs in Publication Order

If you prefer to see how Cathy Glass developed as a writer and how the public originally experienced her memoirs, you can read them in the order of their release:

• 2007: Damaged, Hidden
• 2008: Cut
• 2009: The Saddest Girl in the World
• 2010: I Miss Mummy, Mummy Told Me Not to Tell
• 2011: The Night the Angels Came
• 2012: A Baby's Cry, Another Forgotten Child
• 2013: Will You Love Me?, Please Don't Take My Baby
• 2014: Daddy’s Little Princess, The Child Bride
• 2015: Saving Danny, Girl Alone
• 2016: The Silent Cry, Can I Let You Go?
• 2017: Nobody's Son, Cruel to Be Kind
• 2018: A Long Way from Home, Where Has Mummy Gone?
• 2019: Finding Stevie, Innocent
• 2020: Too Scared to Tell, A Terrible Secret
• 2021: A Life Lost, An Innocent Baby (originally serialized in parts)
• 2022: Neglected, A Family Torn Apart (originally serialized in parts)
• 2023: Unwanted, Unsafe (both originally serialized in parts)
• 2024: Helpless (originally serialized in parts)

Fiction, Parenting, and Writing Guides

In addition to her core fostering memoirs, Cathy Glass has written standalone fiction and practical non-fiction guides. These can be read at any point in your reading journey.

Standalone Novels (as Cathy Glass)

Glass has penned novels inspired by real events but formatted as fictional narratives:

• The Girl in the Mirror (2010)
• Run, Mummy, Run (2011)

Short Stories and Novellas

• My Dad’s a Policeman (2011)

Parenting & Non-Fiction Guides

Drawing from her extensive childcare experience and writing career, she has published several helpful handbooks:

• Happy Kids (2010)
• Happy Adults (2012)
• Happy Mealtimes for Kids (2012)
• About Writing and How to Publish (2013)

Writing as Lisa Stone

For readers looking for a shift in genre, Cathy Glass writes psychological thrillers under her real name, Lisa Stone. These include fast-paced fiction books like The Family, The Darkness Within, and The Doctor, which should not be confused with her real-life foster care memoirs.

What to Know Before You Start

Cathy Glass is a pseudonym adopted by the author to strictly protect the identities of the children, biological families, and social workers involved in her cases. All names, locations, and identifying details of the foster children in the books are changed to comply with UK child protection laws, but the emotional realities and events described are entirely real.

As you read, you will get to know Cathy's family: her biological children, Adrian and Paula, and her adopted daughter, Lucy. Their presence in the household remains a constant source of support for the children who pass through their home, offering a heartwarming constant in a series that regularly deals with heavy themes of neglect and recovery.