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Little House Books in Order

17 books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Reading level: Grades 3.8–5.8. 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. Little House (17 books by Laura Ingalls Wilder) lands at reading level Grades 3.8–5.8, with average content intensity 1.3/5.

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.

17
Books
Grades 3.8–5.8
Reading Level
1.3/5
Avg. Intensity
MG
Middle Grades

Content Intensity Across the Series

Varies

Content intensity ranges from Gentle to Moderate across the series.

1
 
 
 
5
 
 
 
 
10
 
 
 
 
15
 
 
 
 
20
 
22
First book Latest book

Little House Reading Order

# Title Reading Level Content
1 A Little house traveler
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Level 5-6 Gentle
2 By the Shores of Silver Lake
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Level 5-6 Gentle
3 Christmas in the Big Woods (Little House)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Level 3-4 Gentle
4 Little farm in the Ozarks
Roger Lea MacBride
Level 4-5 Gentle
5 Little house in the Highlands
Melissa Wiley
Level 5-6 Gentle
6 Little house on Rocky Ridge
Roger Lea MacBride
Level 4-5 Mild
7 Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Level 4-5 Gentle
8 Little town in the Ozarks
Roger Lea MacBride
Level 5-6 Gentle
9 LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE
W
Level 5-6 Gentle
10 Mary Ingalls on Her Own (Little House)
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Level 5-6 Mild
11 Nellie Oleson meets Laura Ingalls
Heather Williams
Level 4-5 Gentle
12 New dawn on Rocky Ridge
Roger Lea MacBride
Level 5-6 Gentle
13 Old town in the green groves
Jean Little
Level 5-6 Gentle
14 On the banks of the Bayou
Roger Lea MacBride
Level 5-6 Gentle
15 On the Other Side of the Hill (Little House Sequel)
Roger Lea MacBride
Level 5-6 Mild
16 The first four years.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Level 5-6 Mild
17 The long winter
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Level 5-6 Mild

All Little House Books

A Little house traveler

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of A Little house traveler

A Little house traveler

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Level 5-6 Gentle

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of By the Shores of Silver Lake

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Level 5-6 Gentle

Christmas in the Big Woods (Little House)

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of Christmas in the Big Woods (Little House)

Christmas in the Big Woods (Little House)

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Level 3-4 Gentle

Little farm in the Ozarks

Roger Lea MacBride

Cover of Little farm in the Ozarks

Little farm in the Ozarks

Roger Lea MacBride

Level 4-5 Gentle

Little house in the Highlands

Melissa Wiley

Cover of Little house in the Highlands

Little house in the Highlands

Melissa Wiley

Level 5-6 Gentle

Little house on Rocky Ridge

Roger Lea MacBride

Cover of Little house on Rocky Ridge

Little house on Rocky Ridge

Roger Lea MacBride

Level 4-5 Mild

Little House on the Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Level 4-5 Gentle

Little town in the Ozarks

Roger Lea MacBride

Cover of Little town in the Ozarks

Little town in the Ozarks

Roger Lea MacBride

Level 5-6 Gentle

LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE

W

Cover of LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE

LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE

W

Level 5-6 Gentle

Mary Ingalls on Her Own (Little House)

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Cover of Mary Ingalls on Her Own (Little House)

Mary Ingalls on Her Own (Little House)

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Level 5-6 Mild

Nellie Oleson meets Laura Ingalls

Heather Williams

Cover of Nellie Oleson meets Laura Ingalls

Nellie Oleson meets Laura Ingalls

Heather Williams

Level 4-5 Gentle

New dawn on Rocky Ridge

Roger Lea MacBride

Cover of New dawn on Rocky Ridge

New dawn on Rocky Ridge

Roger Lea MacBride

Level 5-6 Gentle

Old town in the green groves

Jean Little

Cover of Old town in the green groves

Old town in the green groves

Jean Little

Level 5-6 Gentle

On the banks of the Bayou

Roger Lea MacBride

Cover of On the banks of the Bayou

On the banks of the Bayou

Roger Lea MacBride

Level 5-6 Gentle

On the Other Side of the Hill (Little House Sequel)

Roger Lea MacBride

Cover of On the Other Side of the Hill (Little House Sequel)

On the Other Side of the Hill (Little House Sequel)

Roger Lea MacBride

Level 5-6 Mild

The first four years.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of The first four years.

The first four years.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Level 5-6 Mild

The long winter

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of The long winter

The long winter

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Level 5-6 Mild

Questions about the Little House series

What reading level is the Little House series?
The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder is at a Grades 3.8–5.8 reading level (average Grade 5.2). Intended for Middle Grades (Ages 9–12). There are 17 books in the series.
What order should I read the Little House books?
The reading-order table above lists all 17 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 Little House series appropriate for?
The Little House series is recommended for Middle Grades (Ages 9–12). The average content intensity is 1.3/5. 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.