Margaret Dilloway Books in Order (Updated March 5, 2026)

Margaret Dilloway writes in two clear lanes: women’s fiction for adults and middle grade (tween) novels. Within each lane, the books are mostly standalones, with one notable exception: the Momotaro: Xander middle grade books are a two-book sequence and read best in order.

Instead of forcing everything into one long numbered list, this guide is arranged the way most readers actually shop for her work: by shelf.

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What to read first (based on what you want)

• Adult debut / best “meet the author” start: How to Be an American Housewife (2010)
• Adult, character-driven with a strong hook: The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns (2012)
• Middle grade comfort read (pie shop + fresh start): Summer of a Thousand Pies (2019)
• Middle grade adventure series (must be read in order): start with Momotaro: Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters (2016)

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The Adult Shelf: Women’s Fiction (publication order)

These are not sequels to each other. Read in any order without plot spoilers, choose by premise.

1. How to Be an American Housewife (2010): A Japanese war bride’s life in America is reframed when her daughter travels to Japan, and family secrets surface alongside the cultural cost of “fitting in.”
2. The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns (2012): A meticulous rose breeder managing chronic illness is thrown off balance when a teenage niece arrives, turning routine into an emotional crash course in family.
3. Sisters of Heart and Snow (2015): Estranged sisters reunite as their mother’s illness forces a reckoning, and a hidden manuscript about a female samurai mirrors their modern-day fractures.
4. Tale of the Warrior Geisha (2015) (e-original): A historical epic set in 12th-century Japan, following two very different women whose survival depends on politics, loyalty, and the brutal math of war.

If you only read two on this shelf: start with How to Be an American Housewife, then pick either Roses with Thorns (intimate, contemporary) or Sisters of Heart and Snow (family + history braided together).

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The Kids Shelf: Middle Grade (publication order)

Most of these are standalones, except Momotaro: Xander, which is a two-book sequence.

Momotaro: Xander series (read in order)

1. Momotaro: Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters (2016): A half-Japanese sixth grader is yanked into a mythic quest when monsters and natural disasters stop being “stories,” and he has to grow into a legacy he never asked for.
2. Momotaro: Xander and the Dream Thief (2017): Nightmares, mythology, and family stress collide as Xander’s attempt to control his dreams spirals into consequences that threaten everyone around him.

Standalone middle grade novels

3. Summer of a Thousand Pies (2019): A girl sent to live with an aunt in a mountain town finds stability through baking, friendship, and the urgent need to save a pie shop that feels like home.
4. Five Things About Ava Andrews (2020): An anxious, chronically ill girl joins an improv group, and the story tracks how friendship and performance can be both terrifying and freeing.
5. Where the Sky Lives (2022): A young astronomer grieving her uncle tries to solve a riddle and protect a threatened landscape, blending STEM curiosity with activism and family change.

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Does chronological order matter here?

Not really. For Margaret Dilloway, “chronological order” is mostly the same as publication order, and the books are designed to stand alone.

The one place order matters is simple: Momotaro: Xander is Book 1 → Book 2. Everything else is mix-and-match.

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A low-effort recommended reading path (two tracks)

Track 1: Adult-first

1. How to Be an American Housewife → 2) The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns → 3) Sisters of Heart and Snow
   Then treat Tale of the Warrior Geisha as an optional deep-dive if you want pure historical immersion.

Track 2: Middle grade-first

1. Summer of a Thousand Pies (standalone)
2. Where the Sky Lives (standalone)
3. Start the Momotaro: Xander duology when you want a faster, monster-forward adventure.

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FAQs

Are any of Margaret Dilloway’s adult novels a series?

No. Her adult novels share themes (family, identity, resilience), but they don’t share an ongoing plotline that requires a strict order.

Is Tale of the Warrior Geisha the same story as the historical thread in Sisters of Heart and Snow?

They’re closely connected in subject matter (female samurai / 12th-century Japan), but they’re published as separate books. If you want the historical story without the modern sisters’ frame, Tale of the Warrior Geisha is the direct route.

How many Momotaro: Xander books are there?

Two main books are widely listed, and they form a complete short series: Lost Island of Monsters then Dream Thief.

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Bottom line

If you want the safest single starting point: How to Be an American Housewife (2010) for adults, or Summer of a Thousand Pies (2019) for middle grade. If you pick up Momotaro: Xander, read the two books in order.