Maisie Dobbs
historical mystery
Series · historical fiction
I Survived
The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis has 25 known books (25 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (2010). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935.
- Books
- 25 known books (25 novels)
- Published
- 25
- First published
- 2010
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Historical Fiction
- Last checked
Start here: I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (2010) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (2010, 121 pages) is book 1 in Lauren Tarshis's I Survived series, dropping a young narrator into the middle of the disaster named in the title and following their fight to get out alive -- grounded in real historical research, with a nonfiction author's note at the end separating fact from story.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 - Book 2:
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 came out in 2010, taking the second spot in I Survived before I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 continued the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 - Book 3:
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Book 3 of I Survived, I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (2011) runs 112 pages of the series' trademark survival-adventure momentum -- a kid protagonist, immediate danger, and cliffhanger chapters -- built for readers who want history delivered as pure page-turning tension rather than a textbook.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 - Book 4:
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
Following I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 in the I Survived series, I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 arrived in 2011 as the fourth book.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 - Book 5:
I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 , published in 2012 at 112 pages, is a fully standalone entry in the I Survived series -- like every book in the run, it needs no other title to make sense, so it can be picked up purely because the disaster in its title is the one that grabs a reader.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 - Book 6:
I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001
At 112 pages, I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 (2012) is book 6 of I Survived, part of Lauren Tarshis's run of historical-disaster novels for upper-elementary readers -- intense without being gratuitous, and honest about danger without tipping into anything traumatic for its audience.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 - Book 7:
I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 (2013) is book 7 in the I Survived series, 101 pages built around the same formula that's made the series a classroom and library staple: a young narrator, a real historical disaster, and a clear-eyed, age-appropriate telling backed by the author's own research.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 - Book 8:
I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011
Following I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 in the I Survived series, I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 arrived in 2013 as the eighth book.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 - Book 9:
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
Book 9 of I Survived, I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (2014, 136 pages) needs no other book in the series to be read first -- Lauren Tarshis's books are each self-contained, with a new narrator and disaster every time, so readers can start wherever their curiosity points.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 - Book 10:
I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79 (2014, 95 pages) is book 10 in Lauren Tarshis's I Survived series, dropping a young narrator into the middle of the disaster named in the title and following their fight to get out alive -- grounded in real historical research, with a nonfiction author's note at the end separating fact from story.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79 - Book 11:
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 came out in 2015, taking the eleventh spot in I Survived before I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 continued the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 - Book 12:
I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011
Book 12 of I Survived, I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 (2015) runs 112 pages of the series' trademark survival-adventure momentum -- a kid protagonist, immediate danger, and cliffhanger chapters -- built for readers who want history delivered as pure page-turning tension rather than a textbook.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 - Book 13:
I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937
I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 , published in 2016 at 112 pages, is a fully standalone entry in the I Survived series -- like every book in the run, it needs no other title to make sense, so it can be picked up purely because the disaster in its title is the one that grabs a reader.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 - Book 14:
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980
At 112 pages, I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 (2016) is book 14 of I Survived, part of Lauren Tarshis's run of historical-disaster novels for upper-elementary readers -- intense without being gratuitous, and honest about danger without tipping into anything traumatic for its audience.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 - Book 15:
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 (2017) is book 15 in the I Survived series, 160 pages built around the same formula that's made the series a classroom and library staple: a young narrator, a real historical disaster, and a clear-eyed, age-appropriate telling backed by the author's own research.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 - Book 16:
I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888
I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888 came out in 2018, taking the sixteenth spot in I Survived before I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 continued the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888 - Book 17:
I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967
Book 17 of I Survived, I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 (2018, 152 pages) needs no other book in the series to be read first -- Lauren Tarshis's books are each self-contained, with a new narrator and disaster every time, so readers can start wherever their curiosity points.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 - Book 18:
I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944
I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 (2019, 144 pages) is book 18 in Lauren Tarshis's I Survived series, dropping a young narrator into the middle of the disaster named in the title and following their fight to get out alive -- grounded in real historical research, with a nonfiction author's note at the end separating fact from story.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 - Book 19:
I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919
Book 19 of I Survived, I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 (2019) runs 119 pages of the series' trademark survival-adventure momentum -- a kid protagonist, immediate danger, and cliffhanger chapters -- built for readers who want history delivered as pure page-turning tension rather than a textbook.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 - Book 20:
I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018
I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018 , published in 2020 at 144 pages, is a fully standalone entry in the I Survived series -- like every book in the run, it needs no other title to make sense, so it can be picked up purely because the disaster in its title is the one that grabs a reader.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018 - Book 21:
I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900
I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900 came out in 2021, taking the twenty-first spot in I Survived before I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910 continued the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900 - Book 22:
I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910
At 144 pages, I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910 (2022) is book 22 of I Survived, part of Lauren Tarshis's run of historical-disaster novels for upper-elementary readers -- intense without being gratuitous, and honest about danger without tipping into anything traumatic for its audience.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910 - Book 23:
I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964
I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 came out in 2023, taking the twenty-third spot in I Survived before I Survived the Black Death, 1348 continued the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 - Book 24:
I Survived the Black Death, 1348
I Survived the Black Death, 1348 (2024) is book 24 in the I Survived series, 144 pages built around the same formula that's made the series a classroom and library staple: a young narrator, a real historical disaster, and a clear-eyed, age-appropriate telling backed by the author's own research.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Black Death, 1348 - Book 25:
I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935
Book 25 of I Survived, I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935 (2025, 144 pages) needs no other book in the series to be read first -- Lauren Tarshis's books are each self-contained, with a new narrator and disaster every time, so readers can start wherever their curiosity points.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935
About the I Survived series
Each I Survived novel drops a young narrator into the middle of a real historical disaster -- the sinking of the Titanic, the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hurricane Katrina, the September 11th attacks, the Black Death -- and follows their fight to get out alive. Lauren Tarshis grounds every book in careful historical research (each includes a nonfiction author's note explaining what's true and pointing readers toward further reading), but the storytelling itself is pure survival-adventure momentum: a kid protagonist, immediate danger, and chapters that end on cliffhangers built for one-more-chapter reading.
The series' real innovation is its range -- natural disasters, wars, shipwrecks, epidemics, and terrorist attacks all get the same clear-eyed, age-appropriate treatment, giving upper-elementary readers a way into history that textbooks rarely manage. It doesn't flinch from real fear and loss, but it's carefully calibrated for its audience: intense without being gratuitous, honest about danger without being traumatic.
With 25+ books and counting, I Survived has become a go-to classroom and library series for hooking reluctant readers (especially kids drawn to disaster and history content) while quietly teaching real events along the way.
Frequently asked questions
How many I Survived books are there?
There are 25 books as of The Dust Bowl, 1935 (2025), with book 26, The Night of the Lions, due September 15, 2026.
What order should I read I Survived in?
Any order works -- each book is a standalone story about a different historical disaster with its own narrator, so read whichever event interests you most.
Is I Survived finished?
No, it's ongoing, with Lauren Tarshis publishing roughly one new book a year.
Are the I Survived books based on true events?
Yes. Each follows a fictional young narrator through a real historical disaster, and each includes a nonfiction author's note separating fact from fiction.
What age group is I Survived for?
Roughly ages 7-10; the books are written to be intense and exciting without being graphic, appropriate for upper-elementary readers.
If you like the I Survived series
Reading order last verified .