Are I Survived books based on true stories?

Right now, there are 14 books in the main Dog Man series. The latest is Dog Man: Big Jim Believes.

A 15th book is on the way, though. It's called Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time and it's set to come out in November 2026. So by the end of this year, there will be 15.

The order for Dog Man is really simple. Just go by the book numbers. Start with Dog Man (Book 1), then read Dog Man Unleashed (Book 2), and keep going from there.

Here's the full list of the main series so far:

1. Dog Man (2016)
2. Dog Man Unleashed (2016)
3. A Tale of Two Kitties (2017)
4. Dog Man and Cat Kid (2017)
5. Lord of the Fleas (2018)
6. Brawl of the Wild (2018)
7. For Whom the Ball Rolls (2019)
8. Fetch-22 (2019)
9. Grime and Punishment (2020)
10. Mothering Heights (2021)
11. Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (2023)
12. The Scarlet Shedder (2024)
13. Big Jim Begins (2024)
14. Big Jim Believes (2025)

The Dog Man books are mostly aimed at kids around 6 to 10 years old. That's roughly grades 2 to 4 or so.

The reading level is pretty low, and the pictures make it easy to follow. So confident younger readers can enjoy them too, and even older kids still find them funny. If you're picking for a reader, 7 to 10 is the sweet spot.

You don't have to read them in any particular order. Each I Survived book is a standalone story, so you can just pick up whichever one looks the most interesting to you.

But if you like having a plan, there are two main ways to go about it:

Publication Order: This is the best approach if you're a collector or just like reading things in the order they were released. You'd start with I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (2010) and move forward from there.

Chronological Order: This is a fun option if you want to travel through history. You can start with the oldest event, like I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79, and read your way to the more recent ones.

The author herself, Lauren Tarshis, has said that either way works. She just wants kids to start with whatever topic excites them the most.

The I Survived books are generally aimed at kids around 7 to 12 years old. That covers roughly grades 2 through 7, depending on the source.

Reading levels typically fall in the 550L to 740L range for the main series, with an AR level of about 3.8 to 5.1.

The author, Lauren Tarshis, has said she generally doesn't recommend the series for kids younger than third grade, though some advanced second graders can handle it.

So if you're picking them for a reader, 8 to 10 is a solid sweet spot. But older kids and even adults can still enjoy them.

You don't have to read them in any particular order. Each I Survived book is a standalone story, so you can just pick up whichever one looks the most interesting to you.

But if you like having a plan, there are two main ways to go about it:

Publication Order: This is the best approach if you're a collector or just like reading things in the order they were released. You'd start with I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (2010) and move forward from there.

Chronological Order: This is a fun option if you want to travel through history. You can start with the oldest event, like I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79, and read your way to the more recent ones.

The author herself, Lauren Tarshis, has said that either way works. She just wants kids to start with whatever topic excites them the most.

The I Survived books are generally aimed at kids around 7 to 12 years old. That covers roughly grades 2 through 7, depending on the source.

Reading levels typically fall in the 550L to 740L range for the main series, with an AR level of about 3.8 to 5.1.

The author, Lauren Tarshis, has said she generally doesn't recommend the series for kids younger than third grade, though some advanced second graders can handle it.

So if you're picking them for a reader, 8 to 10 is a solid sweet spot. But older kids and even adults can still enjoy them.