Hotzenplotz
#1574.20 adjusted 4.17 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 1962–2018 Reading commitment Medium Otfried Preussler Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Der Räuber Hotzenplotz is a series of German children's books by Otfried Preußler, published by Thienemann from 1962. The robber Hotzenplotz steals Grandmother's coffee grinder and is chased by the boys Kasperl and Seppel and the policeman Wachtmeister Dimpfelmoser. Fantasy comes in through the wizard Petrosilius Zwackelmann and the fairy Amaryllis, who has been turned into a toad. Two sequels followed in 1969 and 1973, and a manuscript written for puppet theatre was published in 2018 as Der Räuber Hotzenplotz und die Mondrakete.
Comic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
Hotzenplotz Otfried Preussler
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Der Räuber Hotzenplotz | 1962 | 1 | core | 4.22 (6,055 ratings) | |
| Neues vom Räuber Hotzenplotz; Subtitled 'Noch eine Kasperlgeschichte'. | 1969 | 2 | core | 4.17 (1,338 ratings) | |
 | Hotzenplotz 3 | 1973 | 3 | core | 4.18 (814 ratings) |
 | Der Räuber Hotzenplotz und die Mondrakete; Published in 2018 from a manuscript found after the author's death. | 2018 | 4 | core | 4.02 (249 ratings) |
Kasperl and Seppel repeatedly chase the robber Hotzenplotz, in three books published in the author's lifetime and one found after his death.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Hotzenplotz? Hotzenplotz's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for Hotzenplotz? Publication order, starting with Der Räuber Hotzenplotz. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Hotzenplotz finished? Complete (1962–2018).
- How much reading does Hotzenplotz take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books).
- How is Hotzenplotz ranked? #157 in this site's official ranking, based on 8,456 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #157?
Ranked #157 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.20 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (8,456 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #156, The Seven Kennings (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 4 books · Complete · 8k ratings · Ranks #157 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- Der Räuber Hotzenplotz (1962)
- Neues vom Räuber Hotzenplotz (1969)
- Hotzenplotz 3 (1973)
- Der Räuber Hotzenplotz und die Mondrakete (2018)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.20 across 8,456 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = Der Räuber Hotzenplotz (1962) to Der Räuber Hotzenplotz und die Mondrakete (2018).