Zack files Books in Order
Rate this series:
The Zack Files is a children's book series written by Dan Greenburg and published from 1996 to 2003, consisting of 30 books, each presenting a self-contained story. The series follows Zack, a fifth-grade student who navigates everyday challenges with the help of magical or supernatural elements, including encounters with historical figures, surreal situations, or unusual phenomena. Themes of friendship, family, and personal growth are explored through Zack's perspective, with a consistent tone combining humor and wonder. The first book, Great-grandpa's in the Litter Box (The Zack Files), was published in 2001. The series was adapted into a Canadian science fiction television program that aired on YTV from 2000 to 2002, filmed in Toronto, Ontario. The books are intended for young readers and are structured to allow independent reading of individual titles.
Books in this series
Ordered by first publication where known. The official numbering for this series is incomplete in our sources, so we don't show series numbers we can't verify.
-
Buy on Amazon1996 · Dan Greenburg
While looking for a retainer in the bathroom, the narrator suddenly finds himself staring at a boy who looks just like him, but isn't his reflection,…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1996 · Dan Greenburg
The narrator's messy room takes an odd turn when clothes start moving on their own and the TV floats across the room, revealing that a ghost named…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1996 · Dan Greenburg
The narrator gains the ability to read minds, expecting to uncover everyone's silly secrets. Instead, someone is found to be planning something very…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1997 · Dan Greenburg
Zack isn't thrilled about having to get a tooth pulled, but a trip to the orthodontist proves hairier than expected. Nice old Dr. Silver has been…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonI'm out of my body-- please leave a message
1997 · Dan Greenburg
When Zack's friend Spencer brings a 1960s-style hippie book on astral travel to a sleepover, Zack learns the ins and outs of out-of-body travel…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonNever trust a cat who wears earrings
1997 · Dan Greenburg
During a trip to a museum, an Egyptian cat statue suddenly becomes a real, live cat with sharp claws, leaving the narrator with a scratch as proof —…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1997 · Dan Greenburg
After months of saving his allowance, Zack heads to buy a prized baseball card, only to learn someone else has just bought it: a boy named Mack, who…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonThe volcano goddess will see you now
1997 · Dan Greenburg
Zack and his father travel to Hawaii, where Zack has an unfortunate encounter with an angry volcano goddess.
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1997 · Dan Greenburg
The narrator's clone looks like him, talks like him, helps him with his homework, and takes care of his bullies. The clone could be the answer to all…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonHow to Speak Dolphin in Three Easy Lessons
1997 · Dan Greenburg
Jack jumps at the opportunity to swim with dolphins while on vacation in Florida, and while doing so begins to feel that the dolphins want to…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonNow you see me-- now you don't
1997 · Dan Greenburg
When Zack accidentally drinks the invisible ink that is one of Spencer's experiments, he worries about missing his only chance to get his picture in…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1998 · Dan Greenburg
Zack faces a strange situation when his fortune cookie fortunes start coming true. Confucius says something very weird is going on, and this…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1998 · Dan Greenburg
Late one night, ten-year-old Zack hears strains of "Heartbreak Hotel" coming from the refrigerator and discovers the possibility that Elvis lives on…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1999 · Dan Greenburg
In Central Park, Zack and his dad encounter an alien who has lost his spaceship, which has been towed because it was illegally parked. The story…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonHow I fixed the year 1000 problem
1999 · Dan Greenburg
After falling through his computer screen, Zack travels back in time to a school in 999 A.D., where the students believe the world will end with the…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonEvil Queen Tut and the great ant pyramids
1999 · Dan Greenburg
Thanks to a new dietetic sugar substitute, Zack shrinks down to the size of a bug. Things aren't so bad until he discovers an army of ants building…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1999 · Dan Greenburg
A strange trip through a metal detector causes Zack's eighty-eight-year-old Grandma Leah to get younger and younger. The sudden change in her age…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonBoy Who Cried Bigfoot (Zack Files)
2000 · Dan Greenburg
After hearing stories that a Bigfoot-like monster haunts Camp Weno-wanna-getta-wedgee, ten-year-old Zack begins to find evidence that the legend may…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2000 · Dan Greenburg
When Zack is bitten by a tick during a class trip to Central Park, he succumbs to Rhyme Disease, which causes him to speak only in rhymes and to…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2000 · Dan Greenburg
Ten-year-old Zack encounters the elderly horror film star Count Bugosi, who might be a genuine vampire. The story centers on Zack's experience with…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
-
Buy on AmazonGreat-grandpa's in the Litter Box (The Zack Files)
2001 · Dan Greenburg
A boy who wanted a cute little kitten instead gets a tough tomcat that talks, claiming to be his Great-Grandpa Julius and needing his help. Messy…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonGreen Eggs and Dinosaurs (Zack Files)
2001 · Dan Greenburg
Zack buys a dinosaur egg at a flea market and is given one warning: do not put it in the microwave. The reader is invited to guess what happens after…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonMy Grandma, major league slugger
2001 · Dan Greenburg
When magic enables Zack's eighty-eight-year-old grandmother to become a terrific batter, she ends up playing in a Chicago White Sox baseball game.
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonTrapped in the museum of unnatural history
2002 · Dan Greenburg
When Allegheny Indians murder Regina's father and brother and burn their Pennsylvania home, they take Regina captive while her mother, away from…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2002 · Dan Greenburg
Zack's Grandma Leah returns in another humorous adventure, displaying remarkable improvements in her batting skills. The story continues with her…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2002 · Dan Greenburg
Zack's new substitute teacher, Mrs. Wolfowitz, seems odd and rather hairy, prompting the question of whether she is really a werewolf or just a weird…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonTell a lie and your butt will grow
2002 · Dan Greenburg
Zack's science fair partner has always boasted and told lies, but now each time he fibs his butt gets bigger, and Zack must find a way to help before…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2002 · Dan Greenburg
At a sleepover, Zack and Spencer satisfy late-night hunger with freeze-dried food, including freeze-dried ice cream and pizza from the Air & Space…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2003 · Dan Greenburg
Zack is nervous about the fifth-grade Halloween dance since he doesn't know how to dance and has no date. He meets Prudence, who speaks with a funny…
Read more →
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Zack files books in?
Read them in publication order — the list above is sorted by first publication where known, starting with “Through the medicine cabinet”.
How many books are in the Zack files series?
We list 30 books by Dan Greenburg , published between 1996–2003.
Where can I buy the Zack files books?
Each title above links to Amazon. See our affiliate disclosure.
More series like Zack files
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.