Every State's Favorite Children's Book, Ranked

Going to the library as a kid was a magical experience as you wandered the shelves looking for the perfect book. Or maybe you were one of those kids who added books to your shelf at home from the book fair that would come to your school each year.

No matter how you got a book, there was probably one series that you loved to go back to over and over again.

But which book series was the most popular among kids in your state? That might depend on where you live. ABCMouse reviewed the most popular book series and looked at Google Trends from the past 20 years to determine which children's book series got the most love from young readers.

Where did your state end up?

The 'Nancy Drew' Mystery Stories

Long before true crime podcasts were popular, Nancy Drew was sleuthing her way through library shelves. The crime solver debuted in 1930 with "The Secret of the Old Clock," written by Carolyn Keene, a pen name that has endured across multiple ghostwriters over the years. The first four books of the series entered the public domain in 2026 and can be found for free on websites like Project Gutenberg. It can also be found on bookshelves in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, which chose Nancy Drew's adventures as their favorite children's book series.

'Captain Underpants'

While Nancy Drew may be old, "Captain Underpants" is a much newer favorite for kids. The series was created by Dav Pilkey, who originally came up with the concept in second grade when a teacher said the word "underpants" in class and all the kids started laughing. Pilkey's first book in the "Captain Underpants" series was published in 1997 and now has 14 books in the original series, as well as spinoffs, so kids will never be bored. That's especially true in nine states where it's the most popular children's book series: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas.

'Harry Potter'

"Harry Potter" has been conjuring up magic at Hogwarts since 1997, leading to a successful movie franchise and a new television series. But it's the books that still inspire the imagination of kids across the country, selling more than 230 million copies in the United States over the years. The books have been particularly popular in the seven states where they are favored over all other kids’ books: Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah.

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'

What started off as one diary of a wimpy kid has turned into a successful book series. Author Jeff Kinney published his first book about Greg Heffley in 2007, and it has taken off since with 21 books in the series. That's sure to keep kids occupied as they work their way through the series, especially if they live in California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York, where the book is the most popular children's series.

'The Chronicles of Narnia'

Written by C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia" tells a series of adventures in the land of Narnia, starting with a group of small children going through a wardrobe into a fantasy land in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The series was the basis for several movies over the years, including a 2005 film that inspired one of the first internet video viral hits: a Chronicles of Narnia hit song on Saturday Night Live. The book series has also made an impression on kids in Hawaii, Kansas, and Oregon, who have chosen it as their favorite book series.

Other State Favorites

Some states have a unique favorite when it comes to the children's book series they are grabbing before any other. Montana picked "The Inheritance Cycle" as its favorite, Wyoming prefers "Grimm's Fairy Tale," and North Dakota likes "The Boxcar Children." "Little House on the Prairie," which includes Laura Ingalls Wilder's time in South Dakota, is the favorite book series for kids in South Dakota.

Eastern states also had their favorites. West Virginia picked the spooky "Goosebumps," while Washington, D.C. prefers "The Dark Is Rising." And in New England, New Hampshire picked "Mary Poppins," Massachusetts loves "Judy Moody," and Rhode Island prefers "Frog and Toad."

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