Karen Kingsbury Books in Order: Baxter Family & Full Series List

By Anna Marie CarrollChristian

If you’re trying to read the Karen Kingsbury books in order, the Baxter Family is usually the best place to start. Those books are the heart of her bibliography, and they’re the ones where order matters most.

That said, Kingsbury has written far beyond the Baxters. She has standalone novels, children’s books, nonfiction, devotionals, true crime, and several smaller series. So this guide starts with where I’d begin, then moves through her series, standalones, children’s books, and nonfiction.

For most readers, I’d start with Redemption and follow the Baxter Family order from there. If you want something shorter first, her standalone novels are easier entry points.

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Karen Kingsbury Series in Order

These are Karen Kingsbury’s main fiction series in order. The Baxter Family comes first because that’s her biggest connected storyline and the one most readers are trying to sort out.

Baxter Family Books in Order

The Baxter Family books are the biggest reason Karen Kingsbury’s reading order can feel confusing. I’d read them in this order if you want the family story to build naturally. The Baxters: A Prequel was published later, but it belongs first in the Baxter timeline.

  1. The Baxters: A Prequel (2022)
  2. Redemption (2002)
  3. Remember (2003)
  4. Return (2003)
  5. Rejoice (2004)
  6. Reunion (2004)
  7. Fame (2005)
  8. Forgiven (2005)
  9. Found (2006)
  10. Family (2006)
  11. Forever (2007)
  12. Sunrise (2007)
  13. Summer (2007)
  14. Someday (2008)
  15. Sunset (2008)
  16. Take One (2009)
  17. Take Two (2009)
  18. Take Three (2010)
  19. Take Four (2010)
  20. Leaving (2011)
  21. Learning (2011)
  22. Longing (2011)
  23. Loving (2012)
  24. Coming Home (2012)
  25. A Baxter Family Christmas (2016)
  26. Love Story (2017)
  27. In This Moment (2017)
  28. To the Moon and Back (2018)
  29. When We Were Young (2018)
  30. Two Weeks (2019)
  31. Someone Like You (2020)
  32. Truly, Madly, Deeply (2020)
  33. Forgiving Paris (2021)

Redemption Series

The Redemption series is the best place to begin the main Baxter Family saga. Karen Kingsbury co-wrote this series with Gary Smalley.

  1. Redemption (2002)
  2. Remember (2003)
  3. Return (2003)
  4. Rejoice (2004)
  5. Reunion (2004)

Firstborn Series

The Firstborn series continues the Baxter story and follows Katy Hart, Dayne Matthews, and the Baxter family.

  1. Fame (2005)
  2. Forgiven (2005)
  3. Found (2006)
  4. Family (2006)
  5. Forever (2007)

Sunrise Series

The Sunrise series continues the Baxter storyline after Firstborn and brings the Flanigan family more fully into the larger story.

  1. Sunrise (2007)
  2. Summer (2007)
  3. Someday (2008)
  4. Sunset (2008)

Above the Line Series

Above the Line follows Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison, while still connecting back to familiar Baxter characters.

  1. Take One (2009)
  2. Take Two (2009)
  3. Take Three (2010)
  4. Take Four (2010)

Bailey Flanigan Series

The Bailey Flanigan series follows Bailey after her earlier appearances in the Baxter Family books.

  1. Leaving (2011)
  2. Learning (2011)
  3. Longing (2011)
  4. Loving (2012)

Coming Home

Coming Home brings many of the Baxter Family characters together and works best after the earlier Baxter series.

  1. Coming Home (2012)

Baxter Family Standalones

These Baxter Family novels are more standalone than the early connected series. I’d still keep them in order if you’re reading the whole family saga.

  1. A Baxter Family Christmas (2016)
  2. Love Story (2017)
  3. In This Moment (2017)
  4. To the Moon and Back (2018)
  5. When We Were Young (2018)
  6. Two Weeks (2019)
  7. Someone Like You (2020)
  8. Truly, Madly, Deeply (2020)
  9. Forgiving Paris (2021)
  10. The Baxters: A Prequel (2022)

Forever Faithful Series

The Forever Faithful series starts with separate stories before bringing those threads together.

  1. Waiting for Morning (1999)
  2. A Moment of Weakness (2000)
  3. Halfway to Forever (2002)

Timeless Love Series

The Timeless Love books follow John and Abby Reynolds through a marriage story built around love, faith, and commitment.

  1. A Time to Dance (2001)
  2. A Time to Embrace (2002)

Red Gloves Series

The Red Gloves books are Christmas stories built around hope, grief, and small acts of faith.

  1. Gideon’s Gift (2002)
  2. Maggie’s Miracle (2003)
  3. Sarah’s Song (2004)
  4. Hannah’s Hope (2005)

9/11 Series

The 9/11 series begins with One Tuesday Morning and continues through the aftermath of that story.

  1. One Tuesday Morning (2003)
  2. Beyond Tuesday Morning (2004)
  3. Remember Tuesday Morning / Every Now & Then (2008)

Cody Gunner Series

The Cody Gunner books follow Cody through love, loss, and another chance at hope.

  1. A Thousand Tomorrows (2005)
  2. Just Beyond the Clouds (2007)

Lost Love Series

The Lost Love series follows a story of love, separation, and reconnection.

  1. Even Now (2005)
  2. Ever After (2006)

The Bridge Series

The Bridge is a short Christmas series centered on a bookstore, a love story, and a second chance.

  1. The Beginning (2012) (Short Story)
  2. The Bridge (2012)

Angels Walking Series

The Angels Walking series follows a group of characters whose lives are changed through divine intervention.

  1. Angels Walking (2014)
  2. Chasing Sunsets (2015)
  3. Brush of Wings (2017)

Life-Changing Bible Story Series

These books retell Bible stories through Kingsbury’s inspirational fiction style.

  1. The Family of Jesus (2014)
  2. The Friends of Jesus (2015)

Liberty University Short Story

Once Upon a Campus is a short story connected to Liberty University rather than one of Kingsbury’s major fiction series.

  1. Once Upon a Campus (2016) (Short Story)

Karen Kingsbury Standalone Books

Kingsbury’s standalone novels are easier to read on their own. You can read these in publication order, or pick the one that sounds most interesting.

  1. Where Yesterday Lives (1998)
  2. When Joy Came to Stay (2000)
  3. On Every Side (2001)
  4. Oceans Apart (2002)
  5. Divine (2006)
  6. Like Dandelion Dust (2006)
  7. Between Sundays (2007)
  8. Shades of Blue (2008)
  9. This Side of Heaven (2009)
  10. Unlocked (2009)
  11. The Chance (2013)
  12. Fifteen Minutes (2013)
  13. A Distant Shore (2021)
  14. Just Once (2023)
  15. The Christmas Ring (2025)

Karen Kingsbury Children’s Books

Kingsbury has also written books for younger readers, including a Baxter Family Children series with Tyler Russell and several picture books.

Baxter Family Children Series

  1. Best Family Ever (2019)
  2. Finding Home (2020)
  3. Never Grow Up (2021)
  4. Adventure Awaits (2022)
  5. Being Baxters (2023)

Picture Books and Gift Books

  1. Let Me Hold You Longer (2004)
  2. Be Safe Little Boy (2006)
  3. Stay Close Little Girl (2006)
  4. Let’s Go on a Mommy Date (2008)
  5. We Believe in Christmas (2008)
  6. The Princess and the Three Knights (2009)
  7. Let’s Have a Daddy Day (2010)
  8. Brave Young Knight (2011)
  9. Far Flutterby (2012)
  10. Always Daddy’s Princess (2013)
  11. Go Ahead and Dream (2013)
  12. Whatever You Grow Up to Be (2014)
  13. Forever My Little Boy (2016)
  14. Forever My Little Girl (2016)

Karen Kingsbury Nonfiction and Collections

Kingsbury’s nonfiction includes true crime, miracle collections, devotional-style books, and a few short inspirational pieces. These do not need to be read alongside the novels.

  1. Missy’s Murder (1991)
  2. Final Vows (1992)
  3. Deadly Pretender (1993)
  4. The Snake and the Spider (1995)
  5. The Prism Weight Loss Program (1999)
  6. A Treasury of Christmas Miracles (2001)
  7. A Treasury of Miracles for Women (2002)
  8. A Treasury of Miracles for Teens (2003)
  9. A Treasury of Miracles for Friends (2004)
  10. A Treasury of Adoption Miracles (2005)
  11. Forever Young (2005) (With Pat Williams)
  12. Miracles: A 52-Week Devotional (2009)
  13. I Can Only Imagine (2012) (Short Story)
  14. Elizabeth Baxter’s 10 Secrets to a Happy Marriage (2017) (Short Story)
  15. The Baxters Devotional (2024)

Who Is Karen Kingsbury?

Karen Kingsbury is an inspirational fiction author best known for the Baxter Family books. Her novels usually focus on faith, family, grief, forgiveness, romance, and second chances.

Before her inspirational fiction career took off, Kingsbury also wrote true crime. That part of her bibliography is listed with the nonfiction books above.

Several of her stories have also been adapted for film or television, including Baxter Family stories. That has brought a lot of new readers to the books, especially readers trying to figure out where the Baxter story begins.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more Christian fiction and family-saga reading-order guides like this one, start with my Christian Books index.

5 thoughts on “Karen Kingsbury Books in Order: Baxter Family & Full Series List”

  4. As the librarian of my church, I HAD a book by ,I THOUGHT, Karen Kingsbury. It was The Wager. Is there another author with a name similar? The Wager, by Karen Kingsbury?

    Reply

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