Sarah Mlynowski Books in Order (Updated March 5, 2026)

Sarah Mlynowski is a Montreal-born author who writes across middle grade, YA, and adult fiction, including several long-running kid series. Unlike a single “one big universe” author page, her reading order works best when you pick a track (Whatever After, Upside-Down Magic, Best Wishes, YA, or adult) and then read straight through that track.

You don’t need to read her adult/YA books to understand her middle grade series (or vice versa). They’re separate lanes.

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A quick “which shelf should I start on?” map

If you want the biggest, most straightforward series: start with Whatever After #1, Fairest of All (2012).
If you want a co-written magic-school series: start with Upside-Down Magic (2015).
If you want a newer middle grade series with a “wish” hook: start with Best Wishes #1, Best Wishes (2022).
If you want YA time-bend romance: start with Gimme a Call (2010).
If you want her adult debut: start with Milkrun (2001).

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Whatever After series (read in order)

1. Fairest of All (2012): Siblings Abby and Jonah fall into a fairy tale through a magic mirror, and their first “small fix” turns into a big lesson about unintended consequences.
2. If the Shoe Fits (2012): The mirror drops them into Cinderella’s story, where Abby’s meddling sends the plot sideways and forces a creative escape route.
3. Sink or Swim (2013): A Little Mermaid detour becomes a scramble to restore a story’s balance when Abby’s choices start changing who gets hurt.
4. Dream On (2013): In Sleeping Beauty territory, the “right” solution isn’t obvious, and Abby learns how quickly hero-villain labels can blur.
5. Bad Hair Day (2014): Rapunzel’s tower becomes a pressure cooker for teamwork, with Abby realizing that rescue plans can backfire fast.
6. Cold as Ice (2014): A Snow Queen-style adventure pushes Abby to negotiate with danger instead of simply outsmarting it.
7. Beauty Queen (2015): A Beauty and the Beast twist asks Abby to look past appearances, especially when the “monster” isn’t who she expects.
8. Once Upon a Frog (2015): Princess-and-the-frog logic gets flipped, and Abby has to decide when to follow the rules and when to rewrite them.
9. Genie in a Bottle (2016): Wishes come with fine print, and Abby learns that getting what you ask for is not the same as getting what you need.
10. Sugar and Spice (2016): A candy-house tale turns into a survival puzzle, with Abby trying to outthink traps designed to lure kids in.
11. Two Peas in a Pod (2018): A princess-and-the-pea setup turns into a surprisingly tricky mission where Abby has to prove herself under unfair tests.
12. Seeing Red (2018): Little Red Riding Hood territory raises the stakes, with Abby forced to read people’s motives as carefully as the “story beats.”
13. Spill the Beans (2019): A Jack-and-the-beanstalk riff turns into a consequences story about greed, risk, and how far Abby will go to make things right.
14. Good as Gold (2021): A Rumpelstiltskin-style bargain makes Abby weigh short-term wins against long-term costs.
15. Just Dance (2022): A fairy-tale dance scenario turns into a timing-and-trust problem, where Abby has to act without perfect information.
16. Liar, Liar (2024): Pinocchio rules collide with real-world messiness, forcing Abby to confront honesty as something harder than “tell the truth.”
17. Mirror Mirror (2025): The series circles back to Snow White territory for a final, high-pressure trip through the mirror, one last attempt to leave the fairy tales (and themselves) in a better place.

Whatever After Special Edition (side adventures)

These are best read after you’re comfortable with the main series, since they lean on the core concept and tone.

1. Abby in Wonderland (2017): Abby tumbles into Wonderland-style chaos, where logic is optional and choices spiral into nonsense in the best (and worst) ways.
2. Abby in Oz (2020): A Wizard-of-Oz-flavored trip gives Abby a new set of rules to break, and a new reason to think about what “home” means.
3. Abby in Neverland (2023): Neverland brings wish-fulfillment and danger in equal measure, testing how much Abby has really grown.

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Upside-Down Magic series (co-written; read in order)

1. Upside-Down Magic (2015): A group of kids with “wrong” or unusual magic forms a scrappy community, turning mistakes into a kind of power.
2. Sticks & Stones (2016): The group faces new challenges that make their differences more visible, forcing them to defend their place in the school.
3. Showing Off (2016): Confidence and performance take center stage, and the kids learn the line between owning your magic and being owned by attention.
4. Dragon Overnight (2018): A magical crisis turns personal fast, and the kids have to act like a team before panic spreads.
5. Weather or Not (2018): The chaos becomes unpredictable, and the characters confront how hard it is to control what’s happening inside them.
6. The Big Shrink (2019): A problem that changes the kids’ experience of the world pushes them to adapt quickly, and lean on each other harder.
7. Hide and Seek (2020): A mystery-driven installment where what’s missing matters as much as what’s found, and the group must stay calm under pressure.
8. Night Owl (2021): The series builds toward bigger emotional stakes, asking what it means to belong when your “difference” doesn’t go away.

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Best Wishes series (read in order)

1. Best Wishes (2022): A wish goes sideways and a new rule-set kicks in, as the main character learns that magic doesn’t fix problems, it rearranges them.
2. The Sister Switch (2023): A wish-driven identity swap forces two sisters to live each other’s lives and confront what they’ve been getting wrong.
3. Time After Time (2023): A time-based wish changes the shape of consequences, turning “redo” fantasies into a lesson about what can’t be undone.
4. Like a Boss (2024): Power and responsibility get wish-amplified, pushing the character to discover that being in charge is mostly about accountability.

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Magic in Manhattan: All About Rachel (YA; read in order)

1. Bras & Broomsticks (2005): A teen discovers her link to witchcraft, and the fun of magic arrives bundled with rules, secrecy, and social fallout.
2. Frogs & French Kisses (2006): Romance complications mix with spells and misfires, raising the cost of using magic to “smooth out” real life.
3. Spells & Sleeping Bags (2007): Friendship dynamics turn volatile, and Rachel learns that magic can’t force closeness without creating resentment.
4. Parties & Potions (2008): Bigger social stakes meet bigger magical risks, with Rachel trying to keep control as everything speeds up.

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Don’t Even Think About It (YA; read in order)

1. Don’t Even Think About It (2014): A group of teens abruptly gains mind-reading abilities, and privacy disappears overnight.
2. Think Twice (2016): The fallout deepens, pushing the characters to decide what kind of people they become when secrets are never safe.

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Standalone novels and standalones-with-friends (best in publication order)

Milkrun (2001): A dating-and-twenties comedy-drama about trying to build a real life while your love life keeps refusing to cooperate.
Fishbowl (2002): A relationship-focused story about emotional closeness, messy honesty, and what happens when you can’t keep your private life private.
As Seen on TV (2003): A modern satire-leaning novel about image, ambition, and the gap between who you are and who you can sell.
Monkey Business (2004): A fast-moving contemporary tale where career pressure and personal chaos compete for control of the main character’s plans.
Me Vs. Me (2006): A self-versus-self setup that leans into identity and decision-making, how you become your own obstacle, then your own rescue.
How to Be Bad (2008): Three girls make a pact to rebel, and the “bad” choices quickly reveal what they’ve actually been missing. (Co-written.)
Gimme a Call (2010): A teen gets phone calls from her future self, turning everyday decisions into a high-stress experiment in changing outcomes.
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) (2011): A teen independence fantasy becomes a reality check when freedom brings responsibilities no one trained them for.
The Girl’s Guide to Summer (2017): A summer-in-Europe YA romance with a clear emotional arc: travel thrills, romantic confusion, and growing up in real time.
The Legends of Greemulax (2019): A strange, candy-colored fantasy quest that plays with “storybook” logic while the characters race toward answers. (With Kimmy Schmidt.)
Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe (2020): A camp/outing-style romance setup that becomes a close-quarters test of communication and expectations.
A Dragon for Hanukkah (2024): A seasonal middle grade story that mixes warmth and humor with a dash of dragon-sized disruption.

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Optional short fiction (only if you want extra Mlynowski between novels)

Know It All (2010): A short, punchy piece focused on romantic uncertainty and the moment you realize you’re not reading the signals right.
A Nice Fling is Hard to Find (2012): A brief relationship story built around chemistry, caution, and the awkward gap between “fun” and “meaningful.”
A Little Bit Broken (2012): A compact emotional arc about trying to act fine when you’re not, and what it takes to admit it.
Cruisin’ (2012): A travel-flavored romance short where the setting speeds everything up and forces fast decisions.
Party Girls (2014): A short story about nightlife energy meeting real-life consequences when the fun stops being harmless.
The Two-Month Itch (2014): A quick relationship snapshot about restlessness, temptation, and what people do when they’re bored with “stable.”

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What’s newest, and what’s next?

Latest released (as of March 5, 2026): Mirror Mirror (2025), which closes out the main Whatever After run.
Upcoming (announced for 2026): Rumor Has It (2026), the first book in the new Luckies series (co-written with Christina Soontornvat).

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FAQs

Do I have to read Whatever After in order?
It’s strongly recommended. Each book stands on its own adventure, but the character growth and running jokes land best in sequence.

Are the Special Edition “Abby in…” books required?
No. Treat them as side trips. The main numbered series is the spine.

Is Upside-Down Magic connected to Whatever After or Best Wishes?
No shared continuity. You can read any of the series without reading the others.

Do her adult novels connect to her kids’ books?
No. Different audiences, different story worlds.

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Bottom line

If you want one clean commitment: start Fairest of All (2012) and read Whatever After straight through to Mirror Mirror (2025).
If you’re here for ensemble magic-school energy, start Upside-Down Magic (2015) and follow that series in order.