Of course, it’s not that easy nor as clear-cut. What does it mean to be the longest YA book series? Is it the most volumes in a series? Or is it the highest number of pages? This attempts to look at two of these questions: the longest running in terms of volumes, as well as the longest running in terms of pages. To make these determinations required setting a few parameters. The first question, which will look at the longest YA book series in terms of volumes, is pretty straight-forward. But there were a few limitations. Not included in the count are novellas or short stories. Instead, the list was compiled based purely on the number of fully published YA books. Books that were published as part of a continuing series—think books that were part of a series at one point and then the series was revisited in later years, like R.L. Stine’s Fear Street or the numerous Vampire Diaries series and spinoffs—were not included. Books that are part of a series with spinoff series were also not included in complete form—think City of Bones as a series into itself, but not in conjunction with the additional Shadowhunters series.
Not included on either of the lists are series like Harry Potter, which span middle grade and YA literature. These are purely YA books, from start to finish. Likewise, these are all completed YA book series and do not include those series still in progress as of 2019. Manga series, which trend toward being very long, are also not included. I left out Redwall at a sprawling 22 books long, as it fits much more in middle grade than young adult. It will come as no surprise this is a pretty white list, in part because of how marginalized voices have had a challenging time breaking into the publishing industry. Got any predictions? Write ’em down before we dive deep into…
The Longest YA Book Series
Find below the top 15 longest series by total number of volumes, then by total number of pages.
By The Number of Volumes of Books
Here are the longest series, as determined by the number of completed, full books in the series. In the case of two series below, there was a prequel novel, which was included in the count but ultimately, still made those series rank near the top in length even if those prequels were not included. Where there are multiple books beneath a series total number, they are listed in page count order, highest to lowest.
16 Books Total:
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepherd
15 Books Total:
Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
14 Books Total:
Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar Note that this series has a prequel, as well as a final title in the series that’s a spoof on the first. The Clique by Lisi Harrison Note that this series has a prequel.
13 Books Total:
Daughters of the Moon by Lynne Ewing
12 Books Total:
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer CHERUB by Robert Muchamore House of Night by P.C. and Kristin Cast Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
10 Books Total:
Young Wizards series by Diane Duane Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot The Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison
9 Books Total:
Maximum Ride by James Patterson Chronicles of Nick by Sherilyn Kenyon
By The Page Numbers Of The Series
You’ll note some overlap between the longest series by volume and the longest series by page number, but they aren’t identical lists. Note that for one of these series, the format of the book shifted throughout the series and for another series, only paperback was available. Bloody Jack by LA Meyer: 5,449 pages Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepherd: 5,232 pages Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine: 4,640 pages across more than one format. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: 4,528 pages CHERUB by Robert Muchamore: 4,288 pages Young Wizards series by Diana Duane: 4,063 pages across more than one format. House of Night by PC and Kristin Cast: 3,893 pages Maximum Ride by James Patterson: 3,513 pages Chronicles of Nick by Sherilyn Kenyon: 3,444 pages The Clique by Lisi Harrison: 3,456 pages including the prequel or 3,248 without; all published in paperback. Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare: 3,221 pages. Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz: 3,208 pages. Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegler: 3,726 pages including a prequel and spoof final title or 3,006 without. Mix of hardcover and paperback releases. Gone by Michael Grant: 3,120 pages. Daughters of the Moon by Lynne Ewing: 3,620 pages.
Other Long YA Book Series Over 2,000 Pages
If you’re looking for a nice long YA series to read and none of the titles above are sparking your interest, why not try one of the series below? All of these clock in at over 2,000 pages. Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore: 2,984 pages. The Enemy by Charles Higson: 2,944 pages. Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini: 2,855 pages. Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck: 2,794 pages. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott: 2,741 pages. Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen: 2,624 pages. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: 2,537 pages. The Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: 2,528 pages. The Heir Chronicle by Cinda Williams Chima: 2,430 pages. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: 2,256 pages. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken: 2,128 pages. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: 2,067 pages. The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden: 2,024 pages. Shadow Falls by CC Hunter: 2,019 pages. The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard: 2,002 pages.
