The Keys to the Kingdom
#4433.90 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 7 books Status Complete 2003–2010 Reading commitment High Garth Nix Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
A completed 7-novel middle-grade fantasy series following Arthur Penhaligon, an asthmatic 12-year-old chosen as Rightful Heir to the House, the center of the universe, as he battles the Trustees who usurped it, one day of the week (and one Trustee) per book. A separate, unrelated world from Nix's own The Old Kingdom.
Portal fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking
The Keys to the Kingdom Garth Nix
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mister Monday | 2003 | 1 | core | 3.81 (40,723 ratings) |
 | Grim Tuesday | 2004 | 2 | core | 3.89 (27,585 ratings) |
 | Drowned Wednesday | 2005 | 3 | core | 3.88 (27,778 ratings) |
 | Sir Thursday | 2006 | 4 | core | 3.96 (23,919 ratings) |
 | Lady Friday | 2007 | 5 | core | 3.93 (23,398 ratings) |
 | Superior Saturday | 2008 | 6 | core | 3.94 (15,915 ratings) |
 | Lord Sunday | 2010 | 7 | core | 4.02 (16,549 ratings) |
Core Canon = all 7 novels of the completed series (Scholastic US / HarperCollins UK / Allen & Unwin Australia, 2003-2010). Confirmed a separate, unrelated universe from Nix's The Old Kingdom, already in this canon -- different world, different magic system, no shared characters; both records are cross-referenced as being by the same author.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Keys to the Kingdom? The Keys to the Kingdom's Core Canon is 7 books.
- What is the reading order for The Keys to the Kingdom? Publication order, starting with Mister Monday. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Keys to the Kingdom finished? Complete (2003–2010).
- How much reading does The Keys to the Kingdom take? High reading commitment (estimated from 7 Core Canon books · ~2,403 pages).
- How is The Keys to the Kingdom ranked? #443 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 175,867 reader ratings across 7 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #443?
Ranked #443 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.90 across 7 core books.
- Backed by 176k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #442, The Red Abbey Chronicles (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 7 books · Complete · 176k ratings · Ranks #443 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (7 Core Canon books)
- Mister Monday (2003)
- Grim Tuesday (2004)
- Drowned Wednesday (2005)
- Sir Thursday (2006)
- Lady Friday (2007)
- Superior Saturday (2008)
- Lord Sunday (2010)
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)
- Aurealis Award (Children's Long Fiction), 2004: won: Mister Monday; Wikipedia dates this award to Mister Monday's 2003 publication/eligibility year; sfadb.com (this canon's Locus-lineage-preferred aggregator, also used generally for award verification) dates it to the 2004 ceremony year -- both refer to the same award, no discrepancy.
- Ditmar Award (Novel), 2004: nominated: Mister Monday; Ditmar 'novel' nomination for Abhorsen appears alongside Mister Monday on this author's 2004 award listing per sfadb; retained here for Mister Monday specifically as sfadb attributes it to that title's eligibility year.
- Locus Award (Young Adult Book), 2005: finalist: Grim Tuesday; 9th place, no-cutoff convention.
- Aurealis Award (Children's Long Fiction), 2006: won: Drowned Wednesday
- Ditmar Award (Novel), 2006: nominated: Drowned Wednesday
- Locus Award (Young Adult Book), 2007: finalist: Sir Thursday; 5th place, no-cutoff convention.
- Locus Award (Young Adult Book), 2011: finalist: Lord Sunday; 10th place, no-cutoff convention.
Related universes
- Same author The Old Kingdom: Both by Garth Nix; confirmed separate, unrelated worlds.
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Suggestions computed from what The Keys to the Kingdom and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Chrestomanci Portal fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.03
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- Oz Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 3.96
- Harry Potter Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.52
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.90 across 175,867 ratings on 7 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Keys to the Kingdom admitted as a single-author universe; confirmed separate from Nix's The Old Kingdom accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Keys to the Kingdom Tier 2
- sfadb: Garth Nix Tier 2
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core Canon = all 7 novels of the completed series (Scholastic US / HarperCollins UK / Allen & Unwin Australia, 2003-2010). Confirmed a separate, unrelated universe from Nix's The Old Kingdom, already in this canon; different world, different magic system, no shared characters.