Laurel Decher Books In Order

Publication Order of Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales Books

Before Laurel Decher published her first book, she worked as a chronic disease epidemiologist in the Vermont Department of Health. She’s forgotten most of her old addresses, but not the libraries that issued her cards. “It’s the best credit card you can have,” she says, “because the grandest adventures begin at the library.”

In 2011, she moved to Germany, where there are castles around every corner. Honest. Get a tour of those that inspired the fictional Seven Kingdoms when you visit “Fun Extras” on her website: https://laureldecher.com. Detailed book information is available on the “Library Love” page. Or download a catalog.

As a child, vegetables were her enemy, until her beloved and devious mother taught her to garden, made her slice mushrooms, and employed other—now forgotten—tactics. It was the very beginning of finding more magic in life. Now, at critical moments, parsnips, leeks, and squash pop up in her stories.

Main Characters in the Seven Kingdoms
The Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tale series is about finding more magic in life. Each book features a different kingdom and a different royal family. The eleven-year-old crown princes and princesses overcome zany challenges with a magical blend of ingenuity, collaboration, and courage.

Cochem Kingdom
The nameless princess of Cochem (she goes by “Fifteenth”, because she’s the fifteenth child in the royal family) leads the castle defense in Trouble With Parsnips (Book 1). She’s an amazing inventor—check out her dessert sluice—and has her own workshop in the dungeon. But she’s never wanted to give a speech. Until she’s forced to go to “Speech or Die” night at the local amateur public speaking club.

Blackfly Kingdom
Her sidekick in Book 1, Prince Nero, becomes the hero in Lost With Leeks (Book 2). He has a terrible sense of direction. That’s because his fairy godfather gift has made him into a magnet for trouble! He attracts magical creatures—including St. Nicholas’ reindeer. And his ambitious royal mother has put St. Nick in the dungeon.

Saffron Kingdom
Chronologically, Trouble at the Valentine Factory falls before Book 3. It was supposed to be a short story featuring the royal Saffron twins, Saffy and Magellan, their coal-eating Saffron dragon, clouds of honeybees, truant cupids, and a cranky Blackfly queen.
(Cupids are unreliable. The short story turned into a full-length adventure.)

Troubles continue to multiply for the royal Saffron twins, Saffy and Magellan, in Under Pressure With a Squash: The Multiplication Problem (Book 3). Crown Princess Saffy racks up points on the archery ranges, hoping to be noticed by a scout from the exclusive Fairy Rangers.

Prince Magellan makes the best maps in the Seven Kingdoms, but won’t be happy until he can discover the top secret border to the Fairy Kingdom. But the twins’ troubles begin in earnest when their hungry dragon starts “snacking” on the mountains of coal floating by on river barges. The coal mountains are valuable cargo from countries outside the Seven Kingdoms.

An InterKingdom Incident over a dragon is nothing to sneeze at. Especially when the Fairy Kingdom gets involved!

Magenta Kingdom
In Rule Trouble: The Case of the Illegal Dragon (Book 4) the Saffron twins show up in court. Prince Vlad’s court, the Magenta Educational Royal Court for Youth, a.k.a. the M.E.R.C.Y. Vlad, Magellan, and Saffy are friends. That is—they were friends—until they end up on opposite sides of the “No Dragon Law”.
[SPOILER: This law is new. The dragon in Book 3 was legal. Mostly.]

Marigold Kingdom
Giant Trouble: The Mystery of the Magic Beans (Book 5) features Crown Prince William of Marigold, the comic strip artist known as “Jack”. He cooks up a plan–with homemade chapati, chopped onions and comic strips–to solve the mystery and campaign for peace.