🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About William Kotzwinkle
William Kotzwinkle is a bestselling author who is best known for the “Walter the Farting Dog,” series of children’s fiction. Given his fertile imagination, he had produced everything from satire, science fiction, mysteries, and children’s stories. While he has recently become better known for his adult fiction works, he has penned many young adult and children’s fiction works throughout his career. Kotzwinkle was born in the mid-sized city of Scranton, Pennsylvania very close to the border with New York. While William Kotzwinkle wrote a lot during the 1960s, he just did not bother to get published.
All Book Series by William Kotzwinkle
Trouble at the Yard Sale / Walter the Farting Dog Farts Again / Trouble at the Garage Sale
Book 2 of 5 · published 2004
Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog / Walter the Farting Dog and the Windy Day
Book 3 of 5 · published 2005
Tales from the Empty Notebook / The Empty Notebook
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 1995
The Supreme, Superb, Exalted and Delightful, One and Only Magic Building
Book 6 of 12 · published 1973
E. T. The Extra Terrestrial Storybook
Book 2 of 3 · published 1982 Co-authored · Steven Spielberg,Melissa Mathison
E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1985 Co-authored · Steven Spielberg
The Year's Best Fantasy: Second Annual Collection
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1989
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is William Kotzwinkle?
William Kotzwinkle is a bestselling author who is best known for the “Walter the Farting Dog,” series of children's fiction. Given his fertile imagination, he had produced everything from satire, science fiction, mysteries, and children's stories. While he has recently become better known for his adult fiction works, he has penned many young adult and children's fiction works throughout his career.
Which William Kotzwinkle series should I start with?
The best place to start is the E.T. series, the earliest of William Kotzwinkle's multi-book series: it opens with E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and runs to 3 books across 1982–1985, ending with E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet (1985). William Kotzwinkle's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has William Kotzwinkle written?
William Kotzwinkle has 53 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1969 and 2023. 12 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Walter the Farting Dog series with 5 books — and 41 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should William Kotzwinkle's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. William Kotzwinkle's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are E.T. (1982–1985, 3 books), Walter the Farting Dog (2001–2007, 5 books) and Inspector Mantis Mysteries (2015–2016, 2 books), plus 1 more.
How are William Kotzwinkle's books organised into series?
This guide splits William Kotzwinkle's 53 books into 4 named series and 41 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Walter the Farting Dog (5 books, 2001–2007); E.T. (3 books, 1982–1985); Felonious Monk Mystery (2 books, 2022–2023); Inspector Mantis Mysteries (2 books, 2015–2016).