What reading level is the Our Great States series?

Our Great States books are at a grades 4–5 reading level (average grade level 4.5), and HootRated recommends the series for ages 9–12. There are 40 books in the series.

What order should I read the Our Great States books?

Series numbers aren't available for most Our Great States books, so HootRated lists them by publication date: What's Great about Alabama? (2014); What's Great about Arkansas? (2014); What's Great about California? (2014); What's Great about Georgia? (2014); What's Great about Montana? (2014); and 35 more.

Our Great States Books in Order

Our Great States is a 40-book series by Darice Bailer for ages 9–12, at a grades 4–5 reading level, with gentle content (HootRated intensity 1/5).

Books: 40; By publication date
Reading level: Grades 4–5; Average grade level 4.5
Recommended ages: Ages 9–12; From HootRated age ratings
Content intensity: Gentle; HootRated 1/5

Our Great States Reading Order

Series numbers aren't available for most Our Great States books, so they're listed by publication date (oldest first).

#	Title	Reading Level	Ages	Content
1	What's Great about Alabama? 2014 · Jamie Kallio	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
2	What's Great about Arkansas? 2014	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
3	What's Great about California? 2014 · Anita Yasuda	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
4	What's Great about Georgia? 2014 · Andrea Wang	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
5	What's Great about Montana? 2014	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
6	What's Great about New Mexico? 2014 · Jenny Fretland VanVoorst	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
7	What's Great about North Dakota? 2014	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
8	What's Great about Pennsylvania? 2014 · Kristin Marciniak	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
9	What's Great about Tennessee? 2014 · Jenny Fretland VanVoorst	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
10	What's Great about Texas? 2014 · Amanda Lanser	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
11	What's Great about Wisconsin? 2014 · Erika Wittekind	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
12	What's Great about Alaska? 2015 · Rebecca Felix	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
13	What's Great about Arizona? 2015 · Rebecca E. Hirsch	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
14	What's Great about Connecticut? 2015 · Rebecca Rissman	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
15	What's Great about Delaware? 2015 · Sheri Dillard	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
16	What's great about Florida? 2015 · Mary Meinking	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
17	What's Great about Hawaii? 2015 · Mary Meinking	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
18	What's Great about Idaho? 2015 · Sherra G. Edgar	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
19	What's Great about Illinois? 2015 · Kristin Marciniak	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
20	What's Great about Indiana? 2015 · Candice Ransom	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
21	What's Great about Iowa? 2015 · Kristin Marciniak	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
22	What's Great about Kansas? 2015	Level 4	9-12	Gentle
23	What's Great about Louisiana? 2015 · Rebecca Felix	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
24	What's Great about Maine? 2015 · Andrea Wang	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
25	What's Great about Maryland? 2015 · Anita Yasuda	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
26	What's Great about Michigan? 2015 · Anita Yasuda	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
27	What's Great about Mississippi? 2015 · Anita Yasuda	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
28	What's Great about Missouri? 2015 · Robin Michal Koontz	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
29	What's Great about Nebraska? 2015	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
30	What's Great about Ohio? 2015	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
31	What's Great about Oklahoma? 2015 · Sheri Dillard	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
32	What's Great about Oregon? 2015 · Rebecca Felix	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
33	What's Great about Rhode Island? 2015 · Rebecca Felix	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
34	What's Great about Utah? 2015 · Rebecca Felix	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
35	What's Great about Vermont? 2015	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
36	What's Great about Washington, DC? 2015 · Rebecca E. Hirsch	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
37	What's Great about Washington? 2015 · Mary Meinking	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
38	What's Great about West Virginia? 2015 · Sheri Dillard	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
39	What's great about Kentucky? 2016 · Sherra G. Edgar	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle
40	What's Great about North Carolina?	Level 4-5	9-12	Gentle

Content Intensity Across the Series

Consistent

Content stays at a steady intensity level throughout the series.

First book Latest book

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. Our Great States (40 books by Darice Bailer) lands at a grades 4–5 reading level, with average content intensity 1/5. Intensity stays consistent across the series, so a reader who can handle the first book can generally handle the rest.

The reading-order table above lists every book with per-volume reading level, age and intensity ratings 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.

All Our Great States Books

What's Great about Alabama?

Jamie Kallio

What's Great about Alabama?

Jamie Kallio

Our Great States Books in Order

Our Great States Reading Order

Content Intensity Across the Series

All Our Great States Books

What's Great about Alabama?

What's Great about Arkansas?

What's Great about California?

What's Great about Georgia?

What's Great about Montana?

What's Great about New Mexico?

What's Great about North Dakota?

What's Great about Pennsylvania?

What's Great about Tennessee?

What's Great about Texas?

What's Great about Wisconsin?

What's Great about Alaska?

What's Great about Arizona?

What's Great about Connecticut?

What's Great about Delaware?

What's great about Florida?

What's Great about Hawaii?

What's Great about Idaho?

What's Great about Illinois?

What's Great about Indiana?

What's Great about Iowa?

What's Great about Kansas?

What's Great about Louisiana?

What's Great about Maine?

What's Great about Maryland?

What's Great about Michigan?

What's Great about Mississippi?

What's Great about Missouri?

What's Great about Nebraska?

What's Great about Ohio?

What's Great about Oklahoma?

What's Great about Oregon?

What's Great about Rhode Island?

What's Great about Utah?

What's Great about Vermont?

What's Great about Washington, DC?

What's Great about Washington?

What's Great about West Virginia?

What's great about Kentucky?

What's Great about North Carolina?

Series Like Our Great States: What to Read Next

Questions about the Our Great States series