First Book Books in Order
15 books by Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell. Reading level: Grades 6.2–7.8. Middle Grades (Ages 9–12).
Series books grow with readers — but that's also the trap. Most series start at one reading level and one content intensity and drift upward over the course of the run. First Book (15 books by Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell) lands at reading level Grades 6.2–7.8, with average content intensity 1.4/5.
The reading-order table below lists every book with per-volume reading level and intensity badges so you can spot any escalation before it catches your reader off guard. For a deeper dive into how we score text difficulty vs. emotional weight separately — and why series readers especially benefit from that split — see our methodology page.
Content Intensity Across the Series
VariesContent intensity ranges from Gentle to Moderate across the series.
First Book Reading Order
| # | Title | Reading Level | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Forest's Life Cathy Mania | Level 6-7 | Gentle |
| 2 | Animal dazzlers Sneed B. Collard | Level 6-7 | Gentle |
| 3 | Auroras Donna Walsh Shepherd | Level 7 | Gentle |
| 4 | Dead log alive! Jo S. Kittinger | Level 6-7 | Gentle |
| 5 | Fountains of life Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell | Level 7-8 | Gentle |
| 6 | Life in the deep sea Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell | Level 6-7 | Gentle |
| 7 | Limestone caves Roy A. Gallant | Level 7 | Gentle |
| 8 | Norman Rockwell Joel H. Cohen | Level 7-8 | Gentle |
| 9 | Robert E. Lee Marian G. Cannon | Level 7-8 | Moderate |
| 10 | Slaves to Soldiers Wallace B. Black | Level 7-8 | Moderate |
| 11 | The Abenaki Elaine Landau | Level 7-8 | Gentle |
| 12 | The first flight Richard L. Taylor | Level 6-7 | Gentle |
| 13 | The story of hydrogen Mark Uehling | Level 7-8 | Gentle |
| 14 | Wild children Elaine Landau | Level 7-8 | Mild |
| 15 | Women at the front Jean F. Blashfield | Level 7-8 | Mild |
All First Book Books
A Forest's Life
Cathy Mania
A Forest's Life
Cathy Mania
Animal dazzlers
Sneed B. Collard
Animal dazzlers
Sneed B. Collard
Auroras
Donna Walsh Shepherd
Auroras
Donna Walsh Shepherd
Dead log alive!
Jo S. Kittinger
Dead log alive!
Jo S. Kittinger
Fountains of life
Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell
Fountains of life
Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell
Life in the deep sea
Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell
Life in the deep sea
Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell
Limestone caves
Roy A. Gallant
Limestone caves
Roy A. Gallant
Norman Rockwell
Joel H. Cohen
Norman Rockwell
Joel H. Cohen
Robert E. Lee
Marian G. Cannon
Robert E. Lee
Marian G. Cannon
Slaves to Soldiers
Wallace B. Black
Slaves to Soldiers
Wallace B. Black
The Abenaki
Elaine Landau
The Abenaki
Elaine Landau
The first flight
Richard L. Taylor
The first flight
Richard L. Taylor
The story of hydrogen
Mark Uehling
The story of hydrogen
Mark Uehling
Wild children
Elaine Landau
Wild children
Elaine Landau
Women at the front
Jean F. Blashfield
Women at the front
Jean F. Blashfield
Questions about the First Book series
- What reading level is the First Book series?
- The First Book series by Elizabeth Tayntor Gowell is at a Grades 6.2–7.8 reading level (average Grade 7.1). Intended for Middle Grades (Ages 9–12). There are 15 books in the series.
- What order should I read the First Book books?
- The reading-order table above lists all 15 books with per-volume reading level and intensity ratings. Start with book 1 and read in publication order unless the table indicates a different recommended order for newer readers.
- What age is the First Book series appropriate for?
- The First Book series is recommended for Middle Grades (Ages 9–12). The average content intensity is 1.4/5. Check the intensity trajectory above to see whether content gets heavier across the series — if it does, sensitive readers may want to stop earlier in the run.