We have read lots of series’ through the years, and these are our absolute favorite series’ for boys or girls. These are series’ we have read to multiple children, recommend as gifts, and have added to our home library. You can also check out these pages:
Our Favorite Series’ for Girls
Our Favorite Series’ for Boys
The Boxcar Children
The Boxcar Children series really has it all when it comes to first chapter book read-alouds. This series offers engaging plot lines, both girl and boy protagonist characters, strong family values, and short chapters that aren’t too overwhelming for young listeners!
There have been TONS of Boxcar Children books written through the years — more than 150 of them! What is important to note is that Gertrude Chandler Warner, the original author, only wrote the first 19 installments. The rest of the books were written in similar style and with the same characters but aren’t original to her. Because of that, I would primarily recommend reading books 1-19 and only using the later books for supplements. We also read them all in order and found that it was helpful in getting to know the characters. At the very least, definitely read #1 before you move on to any others. Our favorite: Blue Bay Mystery (#6).
The Little House
Every single book in this series is well-worth reading. The series is timeless, historical, educational, and family-centered. It’s also fraught with real-life tests that certainly challenged the Ingalls family through their travels as early pioneers. Despite Laura Ingalls Wilder becoming a controversial figure in the past few years because of her so-called racism against Indians, my opinion was that it was simply a part of the story and the rhetoric of their time — I did not find it offensive or off-putting. Our favorite: definitely The Long Winter.
Little Pear
Little Pear is a curious little Chinese boy growing up in China in the early 1900s. The predicaments he finds himself in are really funny and endearing; plus, it’s subtly historical as it teaches much about Chinese daily life during that time period. Our favorite: Little Pear and His Friends.
Magic Tree House
This is one of the BEST series for reading loud to your 4- or 5-year-old. The audio books (read by Mary Pope Osborne herself) are also fantastic. There is so much science, history, and geography covered in these books that listeners are learning without even realizing it.
Obviously, there are a lot of books to choose from, and the numbering system can be a little bit confusing. The 35 books listed here are the original Magic Tree House series, geared for younger ages (probably around 4-8). There is also a separate Merlin Missions series, which originally started at #32 and went through #55 — but now it’s been branded differently and just has a 1-25 numbering system. The Merlin Missions are better for slightly older children as the chapters are longer and the content a bit more in depth (probably ages 7-10). I recommend you read these in order because they do build on each other to a certain extent, but they can be read independently. Our favorite: Vacation Under the Volcano.
Mercy Watson
Mercy is a very pampered pig (a “porcine wonder”) who loves buttered toast and has a knack for getting herself into trouble. This is another perfect “first” read-aloud series for 4- or 5-year-olds since each book has very short chapters and tons of illustrations. In fact, as I wrote this post my 3-year-old came running over and asked me to read this series again because he loved it so much! Our favorite: Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig.
My Father’s Dragon
Young Elmer Elevator adventures to an island to free a baby dragon in this wonderful trilogy for young readers. The stories are creative and adventurous without being too intense for little ears. We highly recommend all three of the installments! Our favorite: My Father’s Dragon.
According to Humphrey
My kids absolutely love this series. The book tell the story of a classroom hamster named Humphrey who has all kinds of adventures with the students. Each book teaches an underlying lesson yet is still really engaging to the early-to-mid-elementary range. We highly recommend them all!
True Animal Stories
For a young animal lover, this series is really well done. Even I was fascinated by some of the true stories included in these collections, and my kids were enthralled as well. I actually found all three of these at thrift stores and have seen them frequently in used bookstores, so keep your eyes open! Our favorite: Five True Horse Stories.
The Littles
This is an older yet timeless series that my kids have enjoyed so much. Per the title, the Littles are a tiny family that have a myriad of adventures, and the books are a perfect length for reading aloud. There are even more installments than those listed above, but some are out of print and harder to come by these days. Our favorite: The Littles and the Terrible Tiny Kid.
The Green Ember
If you are a fan of adventurous fantasy in children’s literature, this series is not to be missed. Heather and Picket are rabbits who find themselves caught up in danger, adventure, and drama as they fight to keep the power over their kingdom in the right hands. If your child loves Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or The Chronicles of Narnia, you should definitely give this one a try. Our favorite: The Green Ember.
The Chronicles of Narnia
If you’ve been reading children’s literature for long, you’ve probably heard of this series — but have you read them all? Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are four British siblings who discover the hidden world of Narnia in a wardrobe and go on to have fantastic adventures around the Narnian kingdom. Although there is much debate over the correct reading order of this series, I preferred it in the sequence listed above — starting with The Magician’s Nephew and moving forward from there. My favorite: The Horse and His Boy.
The Lighthouse Family Series
This is a sweet, meaningful series that would be perfect for a young reader. Pandora, a lonely cat that tends a lighthouse, find an unlikely “family” in adventure dog, Seabold, and three orphan mice. Through the series, they meet a delightful host of other animals, with a strong theme of family, home, and belonging. I would recommend reading them in order, as they build from the first book. Our favorite: The Storm.
The Children of Noisy Village
If you loved the Pippi Longstocking series, don’t miss this one by the same author, Astrid Lindgren. The six children in this series are neighbors and siblings that live on adjoining farms in the Swedish countryside. The vignettes about their friendships and adventures are endearing and particularly delightful to read aloud. Our favorite: The Children of Noisy Village.
The Vanderbeekers
The Vanderbeekers are a biracial family of seven who live in a New York brownstone. The children each have quirky, endearing personalities, and their rich (yet very real) family life is delightful to read about. Our favorite: The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found.