Wildwood Books in Order: Read Them Before the Laika Film
Wildwood has three books: Wildwood, Under Wildwood and Wildwood Imperium. Here is the order to read them in, which one Laika's film adapts, and what to pick up after.
Some links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Achriom earns from qualifying purchases. For books we prefer Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores.
Read Wildwood first, then Under Wildwood, then Wildwood Imperium. There are three novels, they are meant to be read in the order they came out, and Laika’s film, which opens in US theaters on October 23, lists the first one as its source on Wikipedia (Fathom’s announcement says only that it is based on Meloy’s novels).
Colin Meloy, the Decemberists’ singer, wrote the trilogy and his wife, Carson Ellis, illustrated all three (Wikipedia).
The three books, in order
All three were published in the US by Balzer + Bray (Wildwood, Under Wildwood, Wildwood Imperium), and each book follows straight from the one before it. There is no second, chronological order to weigh against this one, which makes it an easier question than the Narnia books.
1. Wildwood (2011)
Published August 30, 2011, at 541 pages. Two seventh-graders, Prue and Curtis, enter a hidden forest to rescue Prue’s baby brother, whom crows kidnapped. The forest is based on Portland’s Forest Park (Wikipedia). This is the one to start with whatever else you plan to read, and the one Wikipedia gives as the film’s source.
2. Under Wildwood (2012)
Published September 25, 2012, at 576 pages. Prue McKeel is bored at school and keeps thinking about Wildwood. Assassins, political unrest and an industrialist who wants to exploit the land threaten the people who live there, and her search takes her to a mole kingdom and a traveling carnival (Wikipedia). It opens on the aftermath of the first book, so it does not work as a place to begin.
3. Wildwood Imperium (2014)
Published February 4, 2014, at 576 pages, and the last book of the trilogy. Zita, crowned May Queen, accidentally summons the spirit of a former governess, who sends her on a quest to gather three items tied to the governess’s son, Alexei. Meanwhile the Blighted Tree Caliphs take over South Wood, and Prue and her friends work to bring Alexei back (Wikipedia). Read it after Under Wildwood.
What the film covers
Laika’s Wildwood is directed by Travis Knight from a script by Chris Butler, with Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali and Angela Bassett as the General in the voice cast. It runs 131 minutes, which Wikipedia says makes it the longest stop-motion feature by run time. It premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, and Fathom Entertainment releases it in US theaters on October 23, 2026 (Wikipedia, Fathom).
Wikipedia gives the 2011 novel as its source, while Fathom’s announcement says only that the film is based on Meloy’s novels. Fathom’s synopsis, a girl on a desperate quest to save her baby brother in a forbidden forest, describes the first book’s setup. Neither source says how much of Under Wildwood or Wildwood Imperium the film reaches, and we are not going to guess. If you want to read before you see it, start with the 541-page first novel.
Keep the books and the film in one library
If you are about to read three novels and watch a film, Achriom lets you track both. It covers books, films, shows, albums, anime, podcasts, games and manga, with statuses including on hold and did-not-finish, progress by page or percent, and start and finish dates. The free plan has no item limit, and your shelf stays private until you turn on a public profile.
The librarian answers questions about what is on your shelf. After book two you can ask it what to read or watch next, and the answer comes from what you have actually logged. You can use it in the app, in ChatGPT, in Claude or in Cursor, and the free plan includes 10 librarian messages a month.
The film has its own page here, Wildwood (2026). For the books, search for Wildwood, Under Wildwood and Wildwood Imperium. If you are choosing between apps for reading alone, the best book tracking apps compares them honestly, and if your history is in Goodreads, how to move from Goodreads to Achriom covers the import.
What to pick up after Wildwood
A film: Kubo and the Two Strings
Travis Knight directed this Laika film too. A one-eyed boy plays a magic shamisen to bring origami to life and sets out to face his aunts and his grandfather, the Moon King. It came out in 2016 and was nominated for two Oscars, Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects (Wikipedia). It is the closest look at what the same director does with a quest and a stop-motion world. You can find it on Achriom as Kubo and the Two Strings.
A record: The Hazards of Love
Meloy’s band put out The Hazards of Love on March 24, 2009. Margaret finds a fawn that turns into William, and the Forest Queen and the Rake stand against them. Ellis did the artwork (Wikipedia). It is the same pair working on a forest story, with the Rake kidnapping Margaret, two years before Wildwood came out. Look for The Hazards of Love on Achriom.
A book: The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart’s 2007 novel has Ellis’s cover art. Four gifted children are recruited to infiltrate a school on an island that is secretly broadcasting mind-controlling messages (Wikipedia). It is the pick if what you want is a long, clever children’s adventure with Ellis’s pictures on it. Look for The Mysterious Benedict Society on Achriom.
If the film has you wondering what else started as a book, movies you love that were secretly books first is a good next stop, and what to watch after a book you are not ready to leave goes the other direction.
Questions people ask
What order should I read the Wildwood books in?
Read them in the order they were published: Wildwood (2011), Under Wildwood (2012) and Wildwood Imperium (2014). There are three novels, each picks up where the last left off, and there is no separate chronological order to choose from.
How many Wildwood books are there?
Three. Colin Meloy wrote them and Carson Ellis illustrated them: Wildwood in 2011, Under Wildwood in 2012 and Wildwood Imperium in 2014.
Which Wildwood book is the Laika movie based on?
Wikipedia lists the 2011 novel Wildwood as the film’s source, while Fathom’s announcement says only that it is based on Meloy’s novels. Laika’s Wildwood, directed by Travis Knight, opens in US theaters on October 23, 2026.
Do I need to read the books before the Wildwood movie?
Neither Wikipedia nor Fathom’s announcement says you need to. The film follows the first book’s setup: a girl on a quest to save her baby brother in a forbidden forest. Reading Wildwood first lets you compare it with Meloy’s words and Ellis’s drawings.
How long are the Wildwood books?
Wildwood runs 541 pages. Under Wildwood and Wildwood Imperium run 576 pages each.
What should I read or watch after Wildwood?
Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings if you want another stop-motion quest from the same director, The Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love if you want Meloy and Ellis working on a forest story in song, or The Mysterious Benedict Society if you want more of Ellis’s art on a novel.