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What Was.../What Is...? Books in Order

What Was.../What Is...? is a 6-book series by Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ for ages 9–12, at a grades 5–6 reading level, with gentle to moderate content (HootRated intensity 1–3 out of 5).

Books
6
By publication date
Reading level
Grades 5–6
Average grade level 5.5
Recommended ages
Ages 9–12
From HootRated age ratings
Content intensity
Gentle to moderate
HootRated 1–3 out of 5 · avg 2.3

What Was.../What Is...? Reading Order

Series numbers aren't available for most What Was.../What Is...? books, so they're listed by publication date (oldest first).

# Title Reading Level Ages Content
1 What Is the Panama Canal?
2014
Level 5-6 9-12 Gentle
2 What Was the Hindenburg?
2014 · Janet B. Pascal
Level 5-6 9-12 Moderate
3 What Was the Great Depression?
2015
Level 5-6 9-12 Moderate
4 What Was the Great Chicago Fire?
2016
Level 5 9-12 Mild
5 What Was the Wild West?
2017 · Janet B. Pascal
Level 5-6 9-12 Mild
6 What Is the Civil Rights Movement?
2020 · Sherri L. Smith
Level 5-6 9-12 Moderate

Content Intensity Across the Series

Varies

Content intensity ranges from Gentle to Moderate across the series.

1
2
3
4
5
6
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. What Was.../What Is...? (6 books by Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ) lands at a grades 5–6 reading level, with average content intensity 2.3/5. Intensity varies from book to book, so check individual ratings in the list above.

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 What Was.../What Is...? Books

What Is the Panama Canal?

Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ

Cover of What Is the Panama Canal?

What Is the Panama Canal?

Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ

Level 5-6 Gentle

What Was the Hindenburg?

Janet B. Pascal

Cover of What Was the Hindenburg?

What Was the Hindenburg?

Janet B. Pascal

Level 5-6 Moderate

What Was the Great Depression?

Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ

Cover of What Was the Great Depression?

What Was the Great Depression?

Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ

Level 5-6 Moderate

What Was the Great Chicago Fire?

Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ

Cover of What Was the Great Chicago Fire?

What Was the Great Chicago Fire?

Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ

Level 5 Mild

What Was the Wild West?

Janet B. Pascal

Cover of What Was the Wild West?

What Was the Wild West?

Janet B. Pascal

Level 5-6

What Is the Civil Rights Movement?

Sherri L. Smith

Cover of What Is the Civil Rights Movement?

What Is the Civil Rights Movement?

Sherri L. Smith

Level 5-6 Moderate

Series Like What Was.../What Is...?: What to Read Next

Similar reading level, content intensity and themes.

Questions about the What Was.../What Is...? series

What reading level is the What Was.../What Is...? series?
What Was.../What Is...? books are at a grades 5–6 reading level (average grade level 5.5), and HootRated recommends the series for ages 9–12. There are 6 books in the series.
What order should I read the What Was.../What Is...? books?
Series numbers aren't available for most What Was.../What Is...? books, so HootRated lists them by publication date: What Is the Panama Canal? (2014); What Was the Hindenburg? (2014); What Was the Great Depression? (2015); What Was the Great Chicago Fire? (2016); What Was the Wild West? (2017); and 1 more.
What age is the What Was.../What Is...? series appropriate for?
HootRated recommends What Was.../What Is...? for ages 9–12. Content is gentle to moderate (HootRated intensity 1–3 out of 5). Intensity varies from book to book, so check individual ratings in the list above.