The Tom Gates book series by British author Liz Pichon offers up nearly thirty hilarious, illustrated books that young readers adore. 

Aimed at children aged seven to twelve, the books follow a primary school boy through his school and family life. With plenty of comic-style illustrations, the books are great for reluctant readers and are often credited for sparking kids’ interest in reading. 

With its journal-style format, funny plotlines and fun visuals, even the least likely young readers will be hooked. But with twenty-four books in the main series (and five additional companion books), where does one begin?

Here, we’ve compiled the definitive ‘Tom Gates book order’ list to help guide any new Tom Gates reader. 

This list contains all of the series’ books as of August 2026 (excluding the 2022 advent calendar) and will continue to be updated as more are released. 

Reading order of the Tom Gates books

Main series

1. The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (2011)
2. Tom Gates: Excellent Excuses (and Other Good Stuff) (2011)
3. Tom Gates: Everything’s Amazing (Sort Of) (2012)
4. Tom Gates: Genius Ideas (Mostly) (2012)
5. Tom Gates Is Absolutely Fantastic (at Some Things) (2013)
6. Tom Gates: Extra Special Treats (Not) (2013)
7. Tom Gates: A Tiny Bit Lucky (2014)
8. Tom Gates: Yes! No (Maybe…) (2015)
9. Tom Gates: Top of the Class (Nearly) (2015)
10. Tom Gates: Super Good Skills (Almost…) (2016)
11. Tom Gates: DogZombies Rule (for Now) (2016)
12. Tom Gates: Family, Friends and Furry Creatures (2017)
13. Tom Gates: Epic Adventure (Kind Of) (2017)
14. Tom Gates: Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans (2018)
15. Tom Gates: What Monster? (2018)
16. Tom Gates: Mega Make and Do (and Stories Too!) (2019)
17. Tom Gates: Spectacular School Trip (Really!) (2019)
18. Tom Gates: Ten Tremendous Tales (2021)
19. Tom Gates: Random Acts of Fun (2021)
20. Tom Gates: Happy to Help (Eventually) (2022)
21. Tom Gates: Five Star Stories (Hooray!) (2023)
22. Tom Gates: Book of Everything (2024)
23. Tom Gates Is Ha! Ha! Hilarious! (2024)
24. Tom Gates: Pesky Pets and Parties (2025)

Additional Tom Gates books (companion books)

1. Tom Gates: Best Book Day Ever! (So Far) (2013)
2. Tom Gates: Totally Brilliant Annual (2014)
3. Tom Gates: The Music Book (2020)
4. Tom Gates: Big Book of Fun Stuff (2020)
5. You Can Draw Tom Gates with Liz Pichon (2022)