Flashbacks books in order

Reading order

Flashbacks is J.H. Brennan’s most prolific series, with thirty books published over more than two decades between 1998 and 2020. Each book drops young readers into a different historical period, from ancient civilizations to more recent centuries, telling a self-contained story set against a real historical backdrop. The series was designed to make history engaging for children who might not pick up a textbook voluntarily.

Brennan’s experience writing gamebooks and adventure fiction shows in the pacing of the Flashbacks books. Each one moves quickly, putting its young protagonist into situations that are both historically grounded and exciting enough to hold a child’s attention. The variety of settings keeps the series fresh across its thirty-volume run, since no two books cover the same period.

The sheer size of the Flashbacks series makes it one of the most extensive historical fiction collections for young readers by a single author. While individual volumes are short and focused, taken as a whole they offer a broad tour through human history, written by someone who clearly enjoys bringing the past to life for a new generation.