The Last Kids on Earth books in order are best read in publication order, especially once you get past the first few books. The series has zombies, monsters, video games, junk food, an epic tree house, and a kid-friendly apocalypse that feels more funny than scary.
Max Brallier writes the series, with illustrations by Douglas Holgate in the main books. The story follows Jack Sullivan and his friends as they fight monsters, survive the monster apocalypse, and slowly figure out what’s really happening to their world.
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- The Last Kids on Earth Books in Order
- The Last Kids on Earth Extras and Spin-Offs
- The Last Kids on Earth Books vs. Netflix Show
- About The Last Kids on Earth Series
The Last Kids on Earth Books in Order
The Last Kids on Earth reading order includes the main numbered books, two side adventures, and Thrilling Tales from the Tree House. The side adventures are not throwaway extras. They fill in important moments between the main books, so I’d keep them in the order below.
The series builds as it goes, with returning monsters, villains, character moments, and hints about what’s coming next. You can jump around, but publication order gives the story the most momentum.
- The Last Kids on Earth (2015)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade (2016)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King (2017)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond (2018)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Midnight Blade (2019)
- The Last Kids on Earth: June’s Wild Flight (2020, Side Adventure)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Skeleton Road (2020)
- The Last Kids on Earth: Thrilling Tales from the Tree House (2021, Short Stories)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Doomsday Race (2021)
- The Last Kids on Earth: Quint and Dirk’s Hero Quest (2022, Side Adventure)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Forbidden Fortress (2022)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Monster Dimension (2023)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair (2025)
The Last Kids on Earth Extras and Spin-Offs
The books below are connected to The Last Kids on Earth, but they are not part of the main reading order above. I’d treat them as extra material once your kid already knows the main series.
The Last Comics on Earth Books in Order
The Last Comics on Earth is a spin-off graphic novel series where Jack, Quint, June, Dirk, and their friends create their own comic book adventures. It is connected to the main series, but it works best as its own side series.
- The Last Comics on Earth (2023)
- The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Villains! (2024)
- The Last Comics on Earth: A Song of Swords and Stuffies (2025)
- The Last Comics on Earth: Across the Doodleverse (2026)
The Last Kids on Earth Graphic Novel Adaptations
These graphic novels adapt the original The Last Kids on Earth books into full-color comic format. They are not new story entries, so I would not mix them into the main reading order.
- The Last Kids on Earth: The Graphic Novel (2024)
- The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade: The Graphic Novel (2026)
The Last Kids on Earth Companion Books
The main companion book is an in-world survival guide. It is not required for the story, but kids who love the series may have fun with the extra jokes, activities, and apocalypse survival tips.
The Last Kids on Earth Books vs. Netflix Show
The Last Kids on Earth was adapted into a Netflix animated series. The show adapts the early books and keeps the same basic setup: Jack, Quint, Dirk, and June trying to survive after zombies and monsters take over town.
Netflix also released the interactive special The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You. It lets viewers make choices during the adventure, so it works more like a bonus experience than a regular book adaptation.
The show is a fun entry point, but the books go much further. If your kid watched the Netflix series first, I’d still start the books with The Last Kids on Earth and read forward from there.
About The Last Kids on Earth Series
The Last Kids on Earth is a funny middle grade adventure series by Max Brallier, with Douglas Holgate illustrating the main books. It is generally aimed at kids around ages 8 to 12, though the right fit depends on the reader.
The story follows Jack Sullivan, a regular kid who turns the monster apocalypse into the kind of adventure he always dreamed about. Jack is joined by his friends Quint, Dirk, and June. Together, they live in a tricked-out tree house, fight monsters, play video games, eat junk food, and slowly uncover the bigger threats behind the apocalypse.
The series works because it takes scary ideas and makes them fun for kids. There are zombies, monsters, battles, and plenty of danger, but the tone is funny rather than grim. For kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Man, video games, monsters, or survival stories, this can be a strong next step into longer chapter books.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Books in Order index.