What reading level is the Issues In Focus series?

The Issues In Focus series by Nancy Day is at a Grades 9.4–10.6 reading level (average Grade 9.9). Intended for Upper Grades (Ages 12+). There are 7 books in the series.

What order should I read the Issues In Focus books?

The Issues In Focus series has 7 books in order: 1. Abortion, 2. Civil rights, the long struggle, 3. Drug testing, 4. Genocide, 5. Killer Superbugs, and 2 more.

What age is the Issues In Focus series appropriate for?

The Issues In Focus series is recommended for Upper Grades (Ages 12+). The average content intensity is 2.9/5.

Issues In Focus Books in Order

7 books by Nancy Day. Reading level: Grades 9.4–10.6. Upper Grades (Ages 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. Issues In Focus (7 books by Nancy Day) lands at reading level Grades 9.4–10.6, with average content intensity 2.9/5.

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.

Books

Grades 9.4–10.6

Reading Level

2.9/5

Avg. Intensity

Upper Grades

Content Intensity Across the Series

Varies

Content intensity ranges from Mild to Intense across the series.

First book Latest book

Issues In Focus Reading Order

#	Title	Reading Level	Content
1	Abortion Nancy Day	Level 10-11	Intense
2	Civil rights, the long struggle Eileen Lucas	Level 9-10	Moderate
3	Drug testing David E. Newton	Level 10-11	Mild
4	Genocide Linda Jacobs Altman	Level 9-10	Intense
5	Killer Superbugs Nancy Day	Level 9-10	Mild
6	Lotteries Ann E. Weiss	Level 9-10	Mild
7	Teen violence David E. Newton	Level 10-11	Moderate

All Issues In Focus Books

Abortion

Nancy Day

Abortion

Nancy Day

Level 10-11 Intense

Civil rights, the long struggle

Eileen Lucas

Civil rights, the long struggle

Eileen Lucas

Level 9-10 Moderate

Drug testing

David E. Newton

Drug testing

David E. Newton

Level 10-11 Mild

Genocide

Linda Jacobs Altman

Genocide

Linda Jacobs Altman

Level 9-10 Intense

Killer Superbugs

Nancy Day

Killer Superbugs

Nancy Day

Level 9-10 Mild

Lotteries

Ann E. Weiss

Lotteries

Ann E. Weiss

Level 9-10 Mild

Teen violence

David E. Newton

Teen violence

David E. Newton

Level 10-11 Moderate

Questions about the Issues In Focus series

What reading level is the Issues In Focus series?: The Issues In Focus series by Nancy Day is at a Grades 9.4–10.6 reading level (average Grade 9.9). Intended for Upper Grades (Ages 12+). There are 7 books in the series.
What order should I read the Issues In Focus books?: The reading-order table above lists all 7 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 Issues In Focus series appropriate for?: The Issues In Focus series is recommended for Upper Grades (Ages 12+). The average content intensity is 2.9/5. 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.