Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Secrets in the Shadows | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 2 | The Gun | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 3 | Someone to Love Me | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 4 | The Bully | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 5 | A Matter of Trust | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 6 | Lost and Found | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 7 | Until We Meet Again | 2002 | John Langan | Buy |
| 8 | Blood Is Thicker | 2004 | John Langan | Buy |
| 9 | Brothers in Arms | 2004 | John Langan | Buy |
| 10 | Summer of Secrets | 2004 | John Langan | Buy |
| 11 | Shattered | 2006 | John Langan | Buy |
| 12 | Search for Safety | 2006 | John Langan | Buy |
| 13 | The Fallen | 2006 | John Langan | Buy |
| 14 | No Way Out | 2008 | John Langan | Buy |
| 15 | Schooled | 2008 | John Langan | Buy |
| 16 | Breaking Point | 2010 | John Langan | Buy |
| 17 | The Test | 2010 | John Langan | Buy |
| 18 | Pretty Ugly | 2010 | John Langan | Buy |
| 19 | Survivor | 2013 | John Langan | Buy |
| 20 | Promises to Keep | 2013 | John Langan | Buy |
| 21 | Girls Like Me | 2015 | John Langan | Buy |
| 22 | The Chosen | 2020 | John Langan | Buy |
| 23 | Alone | 2021 | John Langan | Buy |
| 24 | On the Run | 2025 | John Langan | Buy |
The Bluford High series is set in a fictional urban high school and follows various students as they deal with problems including bullying, gun violence, family instability, and peer pressure. The series began in 2002 with several simultaneous releases including The Bully, Secrets in the Shadows, and A Matter of Trust, each focusing on a different student at Bluford.
With 24 books published between 2002 and 2025, the series has been widely used in schools and literacy programs aimed at reluctant readers. The books are short, direct, and deal with their subjects without softening them. Later entries like Girls Like Me (2015) and The Chosen (2020) have kept the series current with issues facing contemporary teenagers.