Fablehaven reading order

A plan for the whole series

5 volumes, 2,295 pages, about 40 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague” (by 43%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 6, 2027, 13 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 113 h18 daysby November 16, 2026

   • 1. Fablehaven2006 · 385 pages · 7 h
   • 2. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star2007 · 351 pages · 6 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 29 h11 daysby December 7, 2026

   • 3. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague2008 · 464 pages · 9 h
4. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 10, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 320 habout 4 weeksby January 6, 2027

   • 4. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary2009 · 535 pages · 10 h
   • 5. Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison2010 · 560 pages · 10 h
6. The end of the series

   January 6, 2027

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

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.8) below the ending (8.2). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.

Best volume: Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (8.2, 174 ratings). Weakest: Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star (7.8). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 43%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.2) scores close to the series average or above it.