Castellucci's first novels were published by
Candlewick Press. Her novels were also published by
Scholastic Press,
DC Comics and
Roaring Brook Press.
Boy Proof is a 2005 novel about a girl in Los Angeles named Victoria Jurgen, who insists on being called "Egg" after a character in her favorite movie, fictional science fiction film
Terminal Earth. Her mother is a washed-up actress and her father is special-effects designer. She is a card-carrying
geek and considers herself "boy proof", and proud of it. However, her outlook on life is challenged when a boy named Max Carter comes to her school and she finds herself reluctantly drawn to him. It was named to the 2006 Best Books for Young Adults list by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) as well as to the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list (also by YALSA). Castellucci's 2006 novel
The Queen of Cool centers on Libby Brin, one of the most popular girls in her school, whose life revolves around parties and boys. Deciding one day that she is bored with her glamorous lifestyle, she signs up for an internship at the local zoo, where she meets up with Tina, a dwarf with a huge personality, and a boy named Sheldon, which give her cause to question her priorities. As she spends more time with unpopular people, she realizes that they are actually good friends and that she has more fun with them than with her regular friends. The 2007 novel
Beige focuses on Katy, a French-Canadian girl forced to spend a summer with her estranged father, Beau "The Rat" Ratner, member of Los Angeles's most infamous punk band-that-never-made-it, Suck. Suck is about to come off its hiatus, and the Rat hopes he can use the band as an opportunity to bond with his daughter, a decision made difficult by her dislike of music. The 2010 novel
Rose Sees Red, set in New York in the 1980s, and centers on two ballet dancers (American and Russian, respectively), whose friendship transcends cultural and political differences. In the 2011 picture book ''Grandma's Gloves'', a young girl and her grandmother bond over gardening. A story about a child who loses a beloved grandparent and finds comfort in carrying on the activities they shared. It won the California Book Award Gold Medal for Juvenile category. In the 2011 novel
First Day on Earth, a man named Mal thinks he has been abducted by aliens and starts going to an alien abduction support group where he meets Hooper, who may or may not be a traveler from another world.
The Year of the Beasts (2012), a hybrid of prose and comics, with the latter illustrated by Nate Powell. The story of two sisters spending summer together is juxtaposed with a comics story of a girl who wakes up as a Medusa.
Odd Duck (2013) illustrated by Sara Varon is about two ducks who form a friendship despite both being odd. The young adult novel
Tin Star, about a girl abandoned on an alien space station, was published in February 2014.
Stone in the Sky, a sequel, was published by Roaring Brook Press in 2015.
Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure, part of the
Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars - The Force Awakens series, was published in September 2015. ==Comics==