We often get questions about the reading order of The Growly Books. From our perspective as the authors, we believe the story is richer and the books flow the very best if you read the books in publication order: Begin, Widewater, Morning, Haven, and Winter.
You may be surprised to know, though, that there are some other places you could jump into the adventure too.
There are three possible “entry points” into the story.
The beginning is a very good place to start.
The Growly Trilogy (Begin, Widewater, and Morning) tells the story of Growly’s Adventure and search for C.J., his grandfather’s long lost friend who disappeared many years before. These first three books develop Growly’s journey and his world, introducing characters and places that become important parts of his story. These three books are very connected, so if you are reading the trilogy, you’ll definitely want to start with Begin. Jumping into Widewater or Morning first would be quite confusing.
Could I start with Haven?
The character of Ember arrived by surprise even to us (just like she does in Begin), and as we came to know her better through the first three books, we knew that she had to have a story of her own.
We wrote Haven so that it could be read as a stand-alone book, for those who want a one book adventure in Growly’s world. When read as the fourth book in the series, it gives added insight into the culture of Haven and some beloved characters. But it’s also a bridge to the next part of the adventure—an action-packed launching place into the next section of the series even if you haven’t read the first three books.
Haven’s timeline starts from early in Begin, through Widewater, to a little bit past the end of the third book, Morning. It tells about the events that took place in Growly’s home village while he was away and sets the scene for the story that follows (in Winter and beyond).
Once you’ve read Haven, you will know how the trilogy ends. However, you can certainly read Haven first if you prefer, and in fact our hope is that Haven will be a great entry point for new readers who want to give The Growly Books a try.
Could I start with Winter?
Yes. Winter is the beginning of the next part of Growly’s story and picks up where Haven left off. It talks about some of the events in Haven, and also enough of what happened in the first three books that you could start reading here if you wanted.
Winter continues with many of the series’ favorite characters, and introduces some new ones too. It certainly could be a place to dive into the adventure of Growly’s world.