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Jennifer A. Nielsen books in order

Jennifer A. Nielsen is an American New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author of young adult and children’s fantasy novels.

Born and raised in northern Utah, Jennifer has been passionate about fiction writing since her elementary school years.

Although she wrote several stories growing up, and suffered multiple setbacks in her early twenties, Jennifer finally fulfilled her dream in 2010 when she published Elliot and the Goblin War, the first book in the Underworld Chronicles.

She has won a number of awards, including the Sydney Taylor Notable Book Award for Resistance (2019), several Whitney Awards, and multiple state book awards.

Whenever she isn't writing, Jennifer enjoys watching movies, going on walks, reading, and spending quality time with her family.

She lives in her hometown of northern Utah with her family, a dog and a cat.

More about Jennifer A. Nielsen

Genres: Fantasy / SF, Young Adult

Born: 1971

United States

Website: https://jennielsen.com/

Non Series

  • A Night Divided (2015)
  • The Scourge (2016)
  • Resistance (2018)
  • Words on Fire (2019)
  • Rescue (2021)
  • Lines of Courage (2022)
  • Iceberg (2023)

Ascendance Trilogy

  1. The False Prince (2012)
  2. The Runaway King (2013)
  3. The Shadow Throne (2014)
  4. The Captive Kingdom (2020)
  5. The Shattered Castle (2021)

Horizon

  1. Deadzone (Book Two) (2017)

Infinity Ring

  1. Behind Enemy Lines (Book Six) (2013)

Mark of the Thief

  1. Mark of the Thief (2015)
  2. Rise of the Wolf (2016)
  3. Wrath of the Storm (2017)

Omnibus Books

  1. Infinity Ring (2015)

Traitor's Game

  1. The Traitor's Game (2018)
  2. The Deceiver's Heart (2019)
  3. The Warrior's Curse (2020)

Underworld Chronicles

  1. Elliot and the Goblin War (2010)
  2. Elliot and the Pixie Plot (2011)
  3. Elliot and the Last Underworld War (2012)
Omnibus Books

Detailed book overview

Non Series

A Night Divided

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home.

Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.But one day on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance.

Gerta concludes that her father wants her and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0545682442
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
The Scourge

As a lethal plague sweeps through the land, Ani Mells is shocked when she is unexpectedly captured by the governor's wardens and forced to submit to a test for the deadly Scourge. She is even more surprised when the test results come back positive, and she is sent to Attic Island, a former prison turned refuge -- and quarantine colony -- for the ill.

The Scourge's victims, Ani now among them, can only expect to live out short, painful lives there. However, Ani quickly discovers that she doesn't know the whole truth about the Scourge or the Colony. She's been caught in a devious plot, and, with the help of her best friend, Weevil, Ani means to uncover just what is actually going on. But will she and Weevil survive long enough to do so?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-0545682473
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Resistance

Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people.

Soon Chaya joins a resistance cell that runs raids on the Nazis' supplies. But after a mission goes terribly wrong, Chaya's network shatters. She is alone and unsure of where to go, until Esther, a member of her cell, finds her and delivers a message that chills Chaya to her core, and sends her on a journey toward an even larger uprising in the works -- in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Though the Jewish resistance never had much of a chance against the Nazis, they were determined to save as many lives as possible, and to live -- or die -- with honor.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1338148503
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Words on Fire

Danger is never far from Audra's family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian -- they have banned Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous.

In June 1893, when Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra's parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate.

As Audra embarks on a journey to deliver the mysterious package, she faces unimaginable risks, and soon she becomes caught up in a growing resistance movement. Can joining the underground network of book smugglers give Audra a chance to rescue her parents?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1338275780
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Rescue

Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible sentence from which Meg fears he'll never return. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there'll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all.

Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg's lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg's father.

Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa to help complete the mission -- perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet.

As the Nazis flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-1338621013
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Lines of Courage

World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war.

Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs for the bravery to resist Jewish deportations before his own family can be taken.

Kara, from Britain, dreams of someday earning her Red Cross pin and working as a nurse -- or even a doctor.

Juliette, of France, hopes her family can remain knitted together, despite her father's imprisonment, as the war's longest battle stretches on and on.

Elsa, from Germany, hopes her homing pigeon might one day bring her a friend from out of the chaos.

And Dimitri, of Russia, wants only to survive the front, where he's been sent with no weapon.

None of them will find exactly what they want. But the winds of fate may cross their paths to give each of them just what they need. And in this remarkable exploration of World War I by critically acclaimed author Jennifer A. Nielsen, they will discover that friendship and courage can light the way through the most frightening of nights.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2022
Ebook: B08ZJ5ZY1M
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Iceberg

Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.

But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic's maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn’t send her with enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.

With the help of a porter named Charlie and a sweet first-class passenger named Sylvia, Hazel explores the opulent ship in secret, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes, and readers will be caught up in the terror and suspense alongside Hazel as she fights to save her friends and herself.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2023
Ebook: B09ZNMSQGJ
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Ascendance Trilogy

The False Prince

In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage.

Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-0545284141
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
The Runaway King

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya.

Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-0545284165
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
The Shadow Throne

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does. His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighboring lands.

In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-0545284189
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
The Captive Kingdom

In a peaceful Carthya, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him -- but the peace he fought so long for is not destined to last.

On a routine sea voyage, Jaron's ship is brutally attacked, and he is taken hostage. The mysterious captors and their leader, Jane Strick, accuse Jaron of unthinkable acts. They are also in possession of some shocking items -- including the crown and sword that belonged to Jaron's older brother, Darius. The items unearth a past Jaron thought he had put behind him.

Though it seems impossible, Jaron must consider: Could Darius be alive? And what does Strick want from Jaron? Against his will, Jaron will be pulled back into a fight for the throne -- and a battle to save his kingdom.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-1338551112
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
The Shattered Castle

King Jaron has outwitted the Prozarians and returned to his own kingdom with one secret in his pocket that not even his friends know about. He's hoping that secret will help him finally bring stability to Carthya.

But a surprise attack on his own land -- on the castle itself -- reminds Jaron that nothing is easy. The Prozarian Monarch threatens to crumble Jaron's entire kingdom. And that's not the only thing in danger: With old enemies and new rumors circling around him, even Jaron's relationship with Imogen is uncertain.

This former False Prince will need his best tricks and many allies at his side to hold Carthya together

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-1338275926
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Horizon

Deadzone (Book Two)

The survivors have made it out of the jungle, but they may be sorry they ever left when they stumble upon a whole new ecosystem, populated with entirely new threats. And the greatest threat of all may come from within. Because one of the kids is changing...

NB: Here is the complete list of the series, by various authors:

1. Horizon (2017) by Scott Westerfeld

2. Deadzone (2017) by Jennifer A Nielsen

3. A Warp in Time (2018) by Jude Watson

4. Apex Predator (2018) by M T Anderson

5. Liferaft (2019) by Aditi Khorana

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-1338121445
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Infinity Ring

Behind Enemy Lines (Book Six)

World War II is raging across Europe, and the Axis and Allied powers are in a stalemate. Time travelers Dak, Sera, and Riq can tip the scales in the Allies' favor... if they can pull off the most daring spy mission of all time. But even if they succeed, are they playing into the SQ's hands?

NB: Here is the complete list of the series, by various authors:

Infinity Ring Book 1: A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner

Infinity Ring Book 2: Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan

Infinity Ring Book 3: The Trap Door by Lisa McMann

Infinity Ring Book 4: Curse of the Ancients by Matt de la Peña

Infinity Ring Book 5: Cave of Wonders by Matthew J Kirby

Infinity Ring Book 6: Behind Enemy Lines by Jennifer A Nielsen

Infinity Ring Book 7: The Iron Empire by James Dashner

Infinity Ring Book 8: Eternity by Matt de la Peña

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-0545901215
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Mark of the Thief

Mark of the Thief

When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved for the Gods -- magic some Romans would kill for.

Now, with the deadly power of the bulla pulsing through his veins, Nic is determined to become free. But instead, he finds himself at the center of a ruthless conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and spark the Praetor War, a battle to destroy Rome from within.

Traitors and spies lurk at every turn, each more desperate than the next to use Nic's newfound powers for their own dark purposes. In a quest to stop the rebellion, save Rome, and secure his own freedom, Nic must harness the magic within himself and defeat the empire's most powerful and savage leaders.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0545561556
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Rise of the Wolf

Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War -- the battle to destroy Rome from within -- is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet -- one sure to bring the empire to its knees.

Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear. When the Praetors capture Nic's mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother.

But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly bring about the end of Rome -- as well as his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome's destruction? 

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-0545562058
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Wrath of the Storm

Trouble has a way of seeking out Nicolas Calva, and it's not likely to leave him alone any time soon. With Caesar's magic bulla, the Malice of Mars, and the possibility of a Jupiter Stone in play, all the powers of Rome are circling Nic. He'll have to maneuver his way through scheming government officials and reawakened magical beasts to save the Empire.

Can he manage to keep his friends and family safe, claim his own freedom once and for all, and rescue the Empire -- before the magic gets the better of him?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-0545562089
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Omnibus Books

Infinity Ring

An omnibus containing the following books:

Infinity Ring Book 1: A Mutiny in Time

Infinity Ring Book 2: Divide and Conquer

Infinity Ring Book 3: The Trap Door

Infinity Ring Book 4: Curse of the Ancients

Infinity Ring Book 5: Cave of Wonders

Infinity Ring Book 6: Behind Enemy Lines

Infinity Ring Book 7: The Iron Empire

Infinity Ring Book 8: Eternity

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2015
Ebook: B00N9SHF6C

Traitor's Game

The Traitor's Game

Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won't stop her from being drawn back into her father's palace politics. He's second-in-command to the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this -- and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home.

The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. One of the rebels, Simon, has his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both have to decide what -- and who -- it is they're fighting for.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1338045383
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
The Deceiver's Heart

Kestra Dallisor has finally gained possession of the Olden Blade. With the dagger in her control, she attempts to destroy the tyrannical Lord Endrick.

But when Kestra fails, the king strips her of her memory, and leaves her weak and uncertain, bound to obey him. Heartbroken, Simon is desperate to return Kestra to the rebel she was, but refuses to use magic to heal her.

With untrusting Coracks and Halderians threatening to capture and kill her, and war looming on the horizon, Kestra and Simon will have to learn to trust each other again if they have any hope of surviving. But can a heart once broken ever be healed?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1338045420
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
The Warrior's Curse

Simon and Kestra are hurtling down paths ever farther from each other as the battle for control of Antora rages.

Simon, newly king of the Halderians, is pressed on all sides by royal duties. Harlyn Mindell is his betrothed and intended queen, but Simon can't give up hope for a life with Kestra.

Kestra, exiled, feels her magic growing -- and despite everyone's warnings, she knows she must embrace it. That power is the key to the kingdom's future.

Both still strive to defeat the evil Lord Endrick, but danger awaits them on the murky road forward. And is a common enemy enough to help them survive -- or to carry them back to each other?

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-1338045468
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Underworld Chronicles

Elliot and the Goblin War

As of today, there are only 7 children who have ever read this book and lived to tell about it. 95 children successfully read the first chapter, but upon beginning chapter 2, they started blabbering in some language known only as "flibberish." 38 children made it halfway through this wretched book before they began sucking their thumbs through their noses.

If you're very brave, perhaps you are willing to take your chances. Be sure that you have told your family who gets your favorite toys if you do not survive this book. Read it now, if you dare. But don't say you haven't been warned, for this is the story that unfolds the mysteries of the underworld.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2010
Ebook: B0040RKX3S
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Elliot and the Pixie Plot

Elliot thought Goblins were scary—until he gets caught in a fight between the Fairies and a Pixie Princess.

An entire floor of St. Phobics Hospital for Really Scared Children has been set aside just for readers of this book. You may wish to take a minute before you start reading and reserve yourself a bed there.

As you read, you may begin to understand myctophobia (mic-tofo-be-a), or the fear of darkness. However, do not expect this book to help you with arachibutyrophobia (a-rak-i-something-be-a), the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

If you can't get yourself to St. Phobics, then get every lamp, flashlight, and lantern you can find and drag them into your bedroom. Turn them all on. You'll need them until you're certain there is nothing lurking in the dark.

At least, that's what Elliot wishes he had done.

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2011
Ebook: B005343R76
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Elliot and the Last Underworld War

If you care at all for planet Earth, you will pay very close attention to the lessons inside these pages. We usually ask you to run away from dreadful things. But now, you are warned to turn the pages as fast as you can read them. You must know what happens inside this book to learn whether Earth gets destroyed. Because let's face it—that would be a bad thing.

As King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, that Demon has escaped and he's ready for revenge. Elliot will face a challenge unlike any he's seen before.

The Last Underworld War is about to begin...

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
First Release: 2012
Ebook: B007HB5SZ2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers