Where to Begin Your Dan Gutman Journey
With well over a hundred books, Dan Gutman's bibliography can look intimidating. Fortunately, his work is highly structured around specific age groups and series themes. The ideal starting point depends entirely on the reader's age and interests:
- For Early Readers (Grades 1–3): Start with the original My Weird School series, beginning with Miss Daisy Is Crazy!. These stories are fast, funny, and perfect for building reading confidence.
- For Middle-Grade Sports & History Fans (Grades 3–6): Start the Baseball Card Adventures with Honus & Me. It blends real sports history with a fun time-travel premise.
- For Adventure & Mystery Seekers (Grades 4–6): Start The Genius Files with Mission Unstoppable. This series offers a continuous, high-stakes road-trip adventure across the United States.
The My Weird School Universe
This is Dan Gutman's largest and most famous franchise. While characters like A.J. and Andrea don't age much, the school staff changes constantly, and the series progresses through distinct blocks. To follow the jokes and character dynamics, read the sub-series in this order:
1. My Weird School (Original Series)
The series that started it all, introducing A.J. (who hates school) and Andrea (who loves it). Start with Miss Daisy Is Crazy! and read through to Dr. Carbles Is Losing His Marbles!.
2. My Weird School Daze
The kids move up to third grade, but the school gets even crazier. Begins with Mrs. Dole Is Out of Control!.
3. My Weirder School
The wacky staff members get weirder. Starts with Miss Child Has Gone Wild!.
4. My Weirdest School
The Ella Mentry School staff continues to defy logic. Starts with Mr. Cooper Is Super!.
5. My Weirder-est School
A.J. and the gang face a new level of classroom chaos. Starts with Dr. Snow Has Got to Go!.
6. My Weird-tastic School
The newest block of wacky adventures, starting with Miss Banks Pulls Lots of Pranks!.
My Weird School Spin-offs and Companions
You can mix these into your reading at any point once you are familiar with the main characters:
- My Weird School Specials: Holiday-themed, slightly longer books (e.g., It's Halloween, I'm Turning Green).
- My Weird School Fast Facts: Non-fiction books where A.J. and Andrea present real-world facts about sports, geography, and science.
- My Weird School Graphic Novels: Full-color comic adaptations starting with Mr. Corbett Is in Orbit!.
- My Weird School Early Readers: Level 2 readers like Talent Show Mix-Up designed for younger kids.
The Baseball Card Adventures
This series follows Joe "Stosh" Stoshack, a boy who discovers that holding a vintage baseball card allows him to travel back in time. While the historical adventures are self-contained, Stosh's personal life, baseball skills, and understanding of time travel progress chronologically. We recommend reading them in publication order:
- Honus & Me (1997)
- Jackie & Me (1999)
- Babe & Me (2000)
- Shoeless Joe & Me (2002)
- Mickey & Me (2003)
- Abner & Me (2005)
- Satch & Me (2006)
- Jim & Me (2008)
- Ray & Me (2009)
- Roberto & Me (2010)
- Ted & Me (2012)
- Willie & Me (2015)
The Genius Files
Unlike his episodic school books, The Genius Files is a fully serialized thriller following twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald on a cross-country road trip. They must solve puzzles and escape assassins hired by a mysterious organization. You must read these five books in chronological order:
- Mission Unstoppable (2011)
- Never Say Genius (2012)
- You Only Die Twice (2013)
- From Texas with Love (2014)
- License to Thrill (2015)
Other Key Series and Standalones
Flashback Four
Four kids are recruited by an eccentric billionaire to travel back in time with special smart-board cameras to take photos of historical events (like the Gettysburg Address or the sinking of the Titanic). Read these in order: The Lincoln Project, The Titanic Mission, The Pompeii Disaster, and The Hamilton-Burr Duel.
The Homework Machine
A fun two-book sci-fi comedy series about four very different kids who discover a machine that can do their homework, only for things to get dangerously out of hand. Read The Homework Machine followed by Return of the Homework Machine.
The Million Dollar Series
These books are standalone stories sharing a common premise: a kid gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a million dollars by performing a sports-themed challenge (like hitting a home run, kicking a field goal, or making a shot from center court). They can be read in any order. The books include The Million Dollar Shot (1997), The Million Dollar Kick (2001), The Million Dollar Goal (2003), The Million Dollar Strike (2004), and The Million Dollar Putt (2006).
What to Know Before You Start: Crucial Reading Caveats
Watch out for Publisher Series Mix-ups: If you look at standard publisher lists for "I Can Read" or "Ready-to-Read" Level 2 books, you might see classics like Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge or Arnold Lobel's Owl at Home grouped under Dan Gutman's author catalog. This is a common database error caused by publishers bundling different authors under the same generic reading levels. Dan Gutman did not write these classics; his actual early reader work is limited to the official My Weird School Early Readers and biographical history readers like Babe Ruth and the Ice Cream Mess.
Database Typos: In many online catalog systems, the first book in the Million Dollar series, The Million Dollar Shot, is listed with a publication date of 1900. It was actually published in 1997.