CHERUB reading order

A plan for the whole series

17 volumes, 5,690 pages, about 105 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 months.

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around April 22, 2027, about 5 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026

   • 1. The Recruit2004 · 342 pages · 6 h
   • 2. Class A2004 · 308 pages · 6 h
   • 3. Maximum Security2005 · 302 pages · 6 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 219 habout 4 weeksby December 21, 2026

   • 4. The Killing2005 · 320 pages · 6 h
   • 5. Divine Madness2006 · 384 pages · 7 h
   • 6. Man vs Beast2006 · 336 pages · 6 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 30, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 316 habout 3 weeksby January 20, 2027

   • 7. The Fall2007 · 352 pages · 6 h
   • 8. Mad Dogs2007 · 416 pages · 8 h
   • 9. Dark Sun2008 · 108 pages · 2 h
6. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by January 24, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 420 habout 4 weeksby February 19, 2027

   • 10. The Sleepwalker2008 · 330 pages · 6 h
   • 11. The General2008 · ≈ 335 pages · 6 h
   • 12. Brigands M.C.2009 · 416 pages · 8 h
8. BreakBorn a Crime · Trevor Noah · 304 pp. · score 8.96 h, by February 28, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 520 habout 4 weeksby March 27, 2027

   • 13. Shadow Wave2010 · 352 pages · 6 h
   • 14. People's Republic2011 · 407 pages · 7 h
   • 15. Black Friday2013 · ≈ 335 pages · 6 h
10. BreakI'm Glad My Mom Died · Jennette McCurdy · 320 pp. · score 8.96 h, by April 6, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 612 h16 daysby April 22, 2027

    • 16. Lone Wolf2014 · 327 pages · 6 h
    • 17. New Guard2016 · 320 pages · 6 h
12. The end of the series

    April 22, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

≈ next to a page count: a volume with no page count in our data is counted at this series’s average.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.2 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: The Recruit (8.0, 105 ratings). Weakest: Divine Madness (7.8). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.8) scores close to the series average or above it.