Jory John Books In Order

Publication Order of All My Friends... Books

Publication Order of Animal Problems Books

Publication Order of Bad Seed Books

Publication Order of Bear & Duck Books

Publication Order of Kids' Letters To The Obamas Books

Publication Order of The Terrible Two Books

Publication Order of Picture Books

Jory John is an award-winning and bestselling author of Children’s fiction, Humor and Comedy, and Comics. He is the author of bestselling works such as “The Bad Seed” alongside Pete Oswald, and “The Good Egg” both of which made the New York Times bestseller lists. Working with illustrator Lane Smith, he also authored “Giraffe Problems” and “Penguin Problems.” He is also the author of the “Goodnight Already!” series on which he worked with illustrator Benji Davies. His debut work of fiction was “All My Friends Are Dead” that was first published in 2010. Over the years, he has become a prolific author and now has more than twenty-five novels in several series and single standing novels.

John’s works have been the winners of numerous state and national awards including the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the Oregon Spirit Award, the South Carolina Children’s Book Award, the North Carolina Children’s Book Award, the Volunteer State Book Award of Tennessee, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award of Vermont. Jory John has also been a winner of the ALA Reluctant Young Readers Award and the Kate Greenaway Medal that is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the UK. In addition to his fiction works, he has also been an author on BuzzFeed, the New York Times, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Guardian, the Believer, and The San Francisco Chronicle among many other publications. His works have also been featured in a variety of media including Jeopardy!, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, Reader’s Digest, the Best of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency among many others. For more than six years, he was an 826 Valencia program director. It was a not for profit organization founded by Dave Eggers in San Francisco that promotes education and writing in the Mission District. During this time, he edited and conceptualized “Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country” that was featured on “This American Life” a radio program and was also featured in the New York Times.

Growing up, Jory John loved to read and was a voracious reader of all manner of books. However, his favorite works were the James Marshall “George and Martha” books that he still reads to this day. He loved the novels since the author made humor beautiful and easy. He was also a huge fan of syndicated comics and would read the works of Gary Larson and Charles Schulz that wrote “The Far Side” and “Peanuts” respectively. By the time he started writing, John had spent years working with children and hence his interest in children’s fiction came naturally. He started as an education major in college before he decided to change careers and study journalism. He would then become a camp counselor and tutor and eventually head the non-profit educational and writing organization “826 Valencia” in San Francisco. These experiences working first hand with children would prove invaluable in his later career as a children’s fiction author. He has also said that he had always been a person that approaches life in a childlike manner though he believes his experience and work is what has made him able to better see things from a child’s perspective.

Jory John’s “The Terrible Two” is the story of Miles. He is a new student who has recently moved into the small town of Yawnee that is known for its high-quality cows. He had been quite a popular though infamous student in his old hometown where he was popularly referred to as the Prankster. Miles hates that he had to move to a small town away from all his friends that loved and respected him. On his first day at school, he found that his beloved title of Prankster was held by another student. Outdoing him was going to be tough as his latest prank was to park the principal’s vehicle across the school gate which made it impossible for anyone to enter the school. Miles’ time in school is made even more difficult when he is buddied up with the school helper named Niles who he finds infuriating. Miles is not deterred by the task in front of him as he never tires of trying to out prank the Prankster though he is often foiled. Will he ever beat his rival and get back his title of ultimate Prankster? It is a great story about a student that finally got what he deserved, a story about pranks and the most unlikely of friends.

In Jory John’s second novel “Get Worse Miles” Miles is back again for the second season of pranking at his school. Together with his friend Niles they have perfected their pranking that they now have a success almost every day of the week that the principal takes notice. When the former principal learns of the upheaval in the school, he comes in to change things in the school he still loves. Since he is on the school board, he uses his influence to get the current principal demoted and himself appointed as principal. The new principal is a strict disciplinarian and will not easily fall for pranks. His most effective measure is to ignore any pranks as he believes reacting to them proves that they have been successful. As the two pranksters fail to get a reaction for several pranks they thought were very clever, they start to doubt their creativity and their two-person club starts to fray. However, Miles and Niles soon learn that what had seemed like an impervious exterior from the principal was nothing but a veneer. But they need one more person if they are to execute the perfect plan.

“Go Wild” by Jory John opens to Miles and his best friend Niles on a summer break. They have not let up on their pranking ways as they spend much of their time at Yawnee Valley Push-Ups and Yelling Camp spying on principal Josh Barkin. Barkin was on the camp with his friends and had been sent to the camp as a form of punishment but he came to love it given his distorted character. His father who had taken over the reins as principal loves to camp and hike but he would never go on the same camp with Josh. Moreover, his wife did not favor the idea and hence he had decided to have some alone time in the woods instead. Niles and Miles have the sort of experiences with Josh that they have become used to though there are instances of understanding between Principal Barkin and the pranksters.