Book Series · 4 Books

Friendship List Books

In order from 11 Before 12 to 13 and 3/4.

Best friends Kaylan and Ari make lists to navigate middle school, only to discover that goals, new friends, and growing up can both strengthen and strain a friendship.

Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated August 13, 2026

Reading order

How to Read the Friendship List Books

Read 11 Before 12, 12 Before 13, 13 and Counting, and 13 and 3/4 in numbered order. The lists change with each school year and summer, while Kaylan and Ari's friendship develops through consequences from the earlier books.

13 and 3/4 is the fourth and final novel, so the sequence ends with the friends spending their first summer at separate camps.

Sources: Lisa Greenwald's official Friendship List page.

For parents

What Parents Should Know

The series focuses on recognizable tween concerns: changing friendships, cliques, crushes and first kisses, body changes, detention, family conversations, bat mitzvahs, social bias, and anxiety about being apart. Alternating viewpoints help readers see how both friends can feel hurt or misunderstood.

There is no fantasy peril or sustained violence. The emotional stakes can still feel intense for children dealing with friendship conflict, and the books make room for repair, honest conversation, and accepting that close friends can want different things.

Where the story begins

First Book in the Series

Sale price

$799

Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 10–12 · 2017

11 Before 12

By Lisa Greenwald

Two friends' bucket list to transform before turning twelve threatens their friendship.

416 pages

Paperback

Summary: Kaylan and her best friend Arianna start middle school with a bucket list to become amazing before their twelfth birthday. But as they tackle new challenges like making friends and getting makeovers, their plan spirals out of control. The list meant to guide them becomes a source of tension, testing their friendship in unexpected ways. Will they manage to stay true to themselves and each other, or will their quest for transformation tear them apart? Dive into their journey of self-discovery and friendship in the chaotic world of sixth grade.

In reading order