Infographic of Longest Running YA Series

I've actually read all of Rick Riordan's mythic world books in the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus Series, so that's 10 books right there, and their side books, and frankly, that universe never got old for me. I've also got the first 2 books in the Trials of Apollo spinoff, also connected to Percy Jackson. Sadly, his Magnus Chase books were so meh for me, mostly because I didn't like the protagonist, Magnus, AT ALL. I thought he was really whiny and self-pitying and didn't really have anything going for him. Which is a shame, since I love Norse mythology and I was hoping he'd crack into it eventually.

I also read half of the Princess Diaries (got bored by book 5), some of the House of Night (got bored by book 2), read all of Harry Potter but prefer fanfic now due to all the plotholes/deus ex machina in the original series, read the first book of Beautiful Creatures, but was SO bored, tried reading Pretty Little Liars, didn't really like it at all.

I'm so persnickety about what I read and a book series, especially a long book series, has to be engaging.

I'm amazed they didn't include Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe books there, since they included Rick's Percy Jackson/Magnus Chase mythos. She has 17 main books in the Tortall series (Song of the Lioness Quartet, Immortals Quartet, Trickster Duology, Protector of the Small Quartet, Beka Cooper Trilogy) and that's not including her short stories and whatnot. I love and own ALL of these books, some in multiple copies because the old ones wear out, and it's the one series I've read with 17 (almost 18, Numair's book is coming out next year!) books that has never gotten old or stale for me. So yeah, a bit miffed about her not being included XD

But still a great and fascinating list though! As a writer, I'm sure I'd struggle keeping things fresh for my readers for 19 books. Dang.

i enjoyed the maximum ride series. was sad when it ended.

The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike has around 7 books (i think)

there was another series just as long...but i forgot the name of it. i'll have to look at the books when i get home.

I've read... a lot of the books on the list (more specifically, I didn't read books from The Morganville Vampires Series, The Tomorrow Series, The Confessions Of Georgia Nicholson Series, The Iron Fey Series, The Darkest Powers Series and Mistborn Series, which I'm planning to read soon). Most of those became boring by the 5th or 6th book, some earlier than that (some I had to stop reading because of RL but I'm still hoping to get back to). Some were amazing though (Vampire Academy!!!!). Now I'm going to check out Tamora Pierce because I've never heard of her lol

Yeah, Numair's book, "Tempests and Slaughter" is coming out in February. It's gonna be about him while he was a student in Carthak and there's gonna be young Ozorne and young Varice and we're finally gonna get an in-depth look at Carthak itself Which I am so excited for. I hope she writes a Yamani-based series soon!

And MysterySpot, Tamora Pierce is great. Her older books, such as the Song of the Lioness Quartet, do show their age a little bit (they were first released in the 80s I think?) but they're still solid, YA adventure books before YA was even a thing. She also has the Circle Series, which I haven't read, but I hear it's just as good. She's been my writing idol ever since I was a teen because all of her series have female leads and they're all different, complex characters without really trying. I think my favorite has to be the Protector of the Small Quartet just because I love its leading lady, Kel.

Was Vampire Academy any good? I've seen the show/movie on Netflix but I've always been like, "Meh, another tween vampire romance. Pass." (Twilight has ruined me for vampire stories for all eternity.)

Where's the Left Behind: The Kids series? That thing has 40 short novels in print. I think I read 12. They got incredibly boring after my favorite character died.

I'm reading through the HP series now, and when I was maybe twelve I started reading The Princess Diaries (my friend and I did a book-swap thing: I bought the first one, she bought the second, and we took turns reading them) but never got past book two because I didn't know there were more. I would totally go back and finish reading them now, though. I thought they were pretty good.

thereeness said:

(Twilight has ruined me for vampire stories for all eternity.)

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I feel you!!!

The only super-long series I ever read was a Katherine Applegate contemporary teen romance series (Making Out). Which I think ran to 28 books.

I've seen a couple of agents asking for something like that series recently, on their MSWL.

Diane Duane's Young Wizards has 15 books so far, including the spin-offs with the cats. They may be marketed to YA, but I've shown them to a whole bunch of people who aren't that young anymore and they've all enjoyed them.

Laurasaurus said:

The only super-long series I ever read was a Katherine Applegate contemporary teen romance series (Making Out). Which I think ran to 28 books.

I've seen a couple of agents asking for something like that series recently, on their MSWL.

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Omg you totally reminded me of K.A. Applegate's "Animorphs"! That series was HUGE and I remember signing up for it as a kid when they brought in those paper Scholastic "magazines" to class. I think there were like 50+ books in the main series? I never actually finished the series, sadly, money got too tight for a monthly book subscription, but dang, that brings back memories.

thereeness said:

Omg you totally reminded me of K.A. Applegate's "Animorphs"! That series was HUGE and I remember signing up for it as a kid when they brought in those paper Scholastic "magazines" to class. I think there were like 50+ books in the main series? I never actually finished the series, sadly, money got too tight for a monthly book subscription, but dang, that brings back memories.

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There were 64 total (54 "regular," 4 "Megamorphs," 4 "Chronicles," and two "Alternamorphs - and I think there was a "meet the cast" thing for that short-lived misfire TV series, but I don't count that.) They were MG, not technically YA, but I was over 21 when I read them anyway...

Yes, I still own them - got full reviews on my review site. There were some clunkers in there, but overall it was an excellent series that raised the bar in many ways and personally inspired me. Check your library if you ever want to finish the series (though the finale's a bit of a gut-punch.)

The Ranger's Apprentice series, YMMV if it's YA or not but is at least as much as Percy & Co, seems to be growing fatter by the day, 12 in the main series and four different spin-offs all with at least three or more books in them.

I've tried a bunch of these, but the only ones I read to completion were Harry Potter, The Selection, and Bluebloods (and even then -- I still have to read the Witches of East End).

I tried:

Vampire Diaries (how many different "species" or whatever can the heroine become? I counted once, and gave up, round about book #6ish. Series went on MUCH too long for me and stopped feeling like it had an overall story of any kind.)

Beautiful Creatures (read the first two, have tried multiple times to read the third and I just lose interest -- the first one is one of my favorite YA books, though. I think this also a case of a series being pushed to continue past the point where it should end.)

Pretty Little Liars (gave up after the first book -- just wasn't my thing)

Cirque du Freak (read the first one, preferred the feel of the movie -- this was a writing/voice issue for me)

Morganville Vampires (got 5-6 books in, and it just started to feel long and stopped holding my attention. I like long books and I don't mind long series, but I don't like it when they feel stretched out needlessly. Harry Potter has an overall storyline and problem to be solved in Voldemort and the books each have their own engaging storylines as well. But when the author just keeps going and going for the sake of stretching it out, it doesn't work for me.)

Shadowhunters (read the original series and liked it. Read the first "steampunk" one and thought it was okay. Gave up during the second trilogy because I felt like the series ended with book 3 and should have just been allowed to end.)

Percy Jackson (got old for me after 2-3 books)

Princess Diaries (stopped following new releases in the after Princess in Training, would be open to reading the later books at some point)

Immortal Nicholas Flamel (read the first couple and liked them -- didn't hear about the later ones. Would maybe be open to reading them.)


In general, I think many series are continued past their "natural" or originally planned conclusions in order to make money. I applaud writers who avoid that trap. I also tend to prefer spin offs (like Witches of East End) over continuing the main plot line past "the end."