Kate Hannigan Books In Order

Publication Order of Cupcake Cousins Books

Publication Order of The League of Secret Heroes Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Picture Books

Kate Hannigan is a young adult and children’s novelist from Chicago. She has not always lived in Chicago since she was born and bred in Tulsa, Oklahoma where she spent all her time riding her bike in the neighborhood. She has always loved stories and words and worked on the high school newspaper before she went to college where she studied journalism. After graduating from college, she got jobs in a range of notable newspapers which took her all over the country. Her first job was on the East Coast in South Carolina before she moved to the West Coast where she worked in Salinas for “The Californian.” She then went to work for “The Dallas Morning News” in Texas and then went back to California working for “The San Francisco Chronicle.” She loved working in the news and it influenced the way she writes her stories.

She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and three children alongside a wonderful but noisy Australian Shepherd dog. For Hannigan who has always loved living in the city, Chicago is the ultimate city with its amazing Lebanese, Guatemalan, Ethiopian, Thai, and Indian restaurants, friendly neighborhoods, and tall buildings. When she is not writing her novels you can find her walking her go along the tree-lined streets near the University of Chicago campus or along the lakeshore. When the family needs to enjoy the outdoors they usually travel to Western Michigan for some beach time, biking, hiking and picking fruits such as cherries, blueberries, and peaches. She still loves writing and research though she now she only does it for young readers rather than the adults she wrote for when she did newspapers. Other than the “Cupcake Cousins” series she has also written other novels such as “The Detective’s Assistant,” “Cape”” and a picture book titled “A Lady has the Floor.” She is always working on projects that include biographies, picture books, and novels.

Kate Hannigan in her Cupcake Cousins series talks about the stuff that children and preteens have to go through as they become adults. These stories are also about kids getting in trouble for something they did not do or they did or some serious issues such as divorce, and parents or siblings that do not get along. The best thing about Kate Hannigan is that she writes about the difficult stuff that families go through but also shows how families care about each other. She throws in mysteries and cool small-town vibe including quaint neighborhoods where children play. Kate writes great stories with believable characters and a good well flowing style. Unlike some novels that typically come with a bratty character, her novels often come with a lead character that is likable. She also throws in some great humorous moments and situations that make for some good laughs. For the Cupcake Cousins there are pencil sketches in the novels that go well with the story. The novels also come with all manner of recipes that you can try out. In her other novels such as “A Lady Has the Floor” and “Cape” she writes about women issues particularly equality. They are fun adventure novels even as she writes about issues of bullying and prejudice. She also goes into the origin of female comic heroes and real-life female heroes that made history such as programing computers that helped Allied forces win the Second World War. Hannigan brings women to the forefront in her novels hoping to inspire the young generation.

“Cupcake Cousins” the first novel of the series is the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Willow. She just learned that she has to go her Aunt Rosie’s wedding in a frilly bubble gum pink girly dress. She has always loved to go on vacation with her family at Lake Michigan but this time she is not so excited given the poofy pink mess of a dress they want her to dress up in. She cannot wait to see Delia her favorite cousin who is also supposed to wear an identical dress at the wedding. Just like Willow Delia is horrified but she knows just how hurt their Aunt Rosie would be if they told her they cannot wear the dresses. But the girls also think they are too old to be flower girls. They come up with an ingenious plan to get themselves off the flower girl roster. They are going to make some delicious pastries that their Aunt will be so wowed with and want them in the kitchen rather than wearing those flower girl dresses. Willow soon learns that an ugly dress is the least of her problems. The new cook at the summer house just threw them out, her parents are not getting along after his father lost his job and she is blamed for much of the mess her little brother creates. Combine that several of her older snooty sister making her and Delia feel bad about themselves and she thinks the vacation is ruined.

“Summer Showers” the second novel of the Cupcake Cousins series of novels has Willow and Delia the two cousins back at “The Whispering Pines B&B” that belongs to Henry Saugatuck. The difference is that Delia and her family now own the beautiful house next door and are enjoying life in the charming little town. There is also some good news for the family as Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Rosie are expecting their first child. Much like the first novel, the cousins cannot wait to show off their baking skills when their Aunt Rosie has her baby shower. It just happens to be that the shower is perfectly timed with the county fair and hence the girls decide to also enter themselves for the baking contest for the fair too. But then Sweet Willow’s little brother the Sweet William and the big fluffy dog Bernice get into some fun and disaster nearly strikes. But the biggest surprise is the birth of their cousin before time as no one had expected it to be born for at least one or two more weeks.

“Winter Wonders” the third novel of the Cupcake Cousins series by Kate Hannigan is a charming story of a wedding. Delia and Willow the two cousins are waiting to attend the Christmas Day wedding of Mr. Henry and Cat. The cousins have finally been bumped up to junior bridesmaids and they could not be happier. But then the Christmas Eve blizzard turns out to be the worst in living memory and leaves the whole town devastated. Delia and Willow now have more serious things on their minds than their bridesmaid duties. The town’s food pantry just had its roof collapse, the guests are late and they have nothing to eat. Will Willow and Delia be able to help the town’s people who are going hungry while giving Mr. Henry and Cat the wedding they deserve? There are tasty recipes all over the novels as the family celebrates a wedding and the holidays in style.