Cooper Kids Adventures Books in Order

The Cooper Kids Adventures follow biblical archaeologist Dr. Jake Cooper and his two teenagers, Jay and Lila, as they crisscross the globe chasing mysteries that sit somewhere between legend and spiritual warfare. The tone is classic adventure—whirlwind travel, secret tunnels, crumbling temples—with a steady undercurrent of prayer and trust in God.

Each book drops the family into a new setting and a new enigma. They trek into the desert nation of Nepur to investigate a cavern called the Dragon’s Throat and a sealed door said to bring instant death. They answer a distress call from a South Sea island where a supposedly utopian colony hides lies beneath the surface, even as earthquakes tear the ground apart. Later trips take them to an excavation near an ancient Philistine temple, to the jungles of Central America, and to African plains overshadowed by a stone monolith that appears overnight.

The kids are never just along for the ride. Jay and Lila climb cliffs, decode inscriptions, argue with each other, and make split‑second decisions that carry real weight. They wrestle with fear and courage, obedience and independence, and what it means to respect their father while also thinking for themselves. The series lets them be smart and capable without pretending they are adults.

Many of the threats the Coopers face look supernatural: curses, giants, ghosts, lost cities, even unexplained technology. Peretti plays honestly with that tension, sometimes revealing a natural explanation and sometimes pointing to a darker spiritual root. In either case, the climaxes tend to underline the same truth—that God is not surprised by any of it, and that following Him may require risky obedience.

Because each adventure stands alone, young readers can pick up almost any volume and understand it. Read in order, though, you see the family’s relationships deepen and the kids grow up a bit with every crisis. The books are written for roughly middle‑grade ages, but plenty of adults who met Peretti through This Present Darkness still come back to these stories for their sense of wonder and straightforward faith.