Just Plain Adventurous!
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket(1999)Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.
Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman(2005)Aidan and Meg Falconer are their parents' only hope. The Falconers are facing life in prison -- unless Aidan and Meg can follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence.
Dive by Gordon Korman(2003)Book one: Discovery -- Book two: The Deep -- Book three: The Danger.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling(1997)Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches.
Holes by Louis Sachar(1998)As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Horace Splattly : the cupcaked crusader by Lawrence David(2002)When his little sister's magic cookies transform him into a flying, fire-breathing superhero, ten-year-old Horace Splattly has adventures which include confronting the monster at the school playground.
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng(2002)Unlucky and unloved, Molly Moon, living in a dreary orphanage in a small English town, discovers a hidden talent for hypnotism and hypnotizes her way to stardom in New York City.
Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer(2001)In her quest to connect with Robin Hood, the father she has never met, thirteen-year-old Rosemary disguises herself as a boy, befriends a half-wolf, half-dog, a runaway princess, and an overgrown boy whose singing is hypnotic, and makes peace with her elfin heritage.
Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix(1995)When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1996 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz(2001)After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.
Zach's Lie by Roland Smith(2001)When Jack Osborne is befriended by his school's custodian and a Basque girl, he begins to adjust to his family's sudden move to Elko, Nevada, after entering the Witness Security Program, but the drug cartel against which his father will testify is determined to track them down.
Historical Adventures
Betrayal at Cross Creek by Kathleen Ernst(2004)Twelve-year-old Elspeth Monro, a Scottish settler and weaver's apprentice on the North Carolina frontier in 1775, must find out who is betraying her Loyalist family during the months before the start of the Revolutionary War.
Boston Jane: an Adventure by Jennifer Holm(2001)Schooled in the lessons of etiquette for young ladies of 1854, Miss Jane Peck of Philadelphia finds little use for manners during her long sea voyage to the Pacific Northwest and while living among the American traders and Chinook Indians of Washington Territory.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi(2002)Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
The Great Brain by John Fitzgerald(1967)The exploits of the Great Brain of Adenville, Utah are described by his younger brother, frequently the victim of the Great Brain's schemes for gaining prestige or money.
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka(1991)Joe receives a magic book for his birthday present from his uncle. Joe, Fred, and Sam are transported to a time when evil knights, fire-breathing dragons, and vile-smelling giants roamed the land.
One-Eyed Giant by Mary Osborne(2002)Retells a part of the Odyssey in which King Odysseus fights the cyclops.
Shadows in the Glasshouse by Megan McDonald(2000)While working as an indentured servant for a Jamestown glassmaker in 1621, twelve-year-old Merry uncovers a case of sabotage.
Stone Fox by John Gardiner(1980)Little Willie hopes to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm with the purse from a dog sled race he enters.
Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman(1986)A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.
Fantasy Adventures
Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix(1998)In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer(2001)When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander(1999)Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil.
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede(1990)Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved with fighting against some disreputable wizards who want to steal away the dragons' kingdom.
Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi(2003)When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins(2003)When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke(2003)Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl(2002)A young boy escapes from two wicked aunts and embarks on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan(2005)Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis(1994)Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo(2003)Charlie Bone's life with his widowed mother and two grandmothers undergoes a dramatic change when he discovers that he can hear people in photographs talking.
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry(2004)Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.
Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda(2001)Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak, and timid Rowan joins six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water supply, as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back.
Survival Adventure
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry(1940)Based on a Polynesian legend, this is the story of a youth who overcomes his fear of the sea and proves his courage to himself and his tribe.
The Cay by Theodore Taylor(1989)When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, a twelve-year-old white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old Negro are stranded on a small desert island in the Caribbean where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen(1987)After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Hideout by Peg Kehret(2001)After his parents are killed by a crazed gunman in a Seattle mall, Jeremy is on his way to live with his Uncle Ed in Chicago when the train on which he is riding crashes in a blaze of fire. Wandering aimlessly away from the wreck, Jeremy finds a deserted cabin which appears to be just the place to hide from his problems.
Island by Gordon Korman(2005)Book one: Shipwreck -- Book two: Survival -- Book three: Escape.
Julie of the Wolves by Jean George(1972)While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean George(1988)A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare(1983)Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills.
Animal Adventures
I, Freddy by Dietlof Reiche(2003)Freddy, a remarkably intelligent golden hamster, learns how to read and how to write on a computer and escapes captivity to become an independent and civilized creature.
Into the Wild by Erin Hunter(2003)For generations, four clans of wild cats have shared the forest. When their warrior code is threatened by mysterious deaths, a house cat named Rusty may turn out to be the bravest warrior of all.
On the Dog by J Greenburg(2002)When ten-year-old Andrew invents a shrinking machine, he does not expect to be sucked into the machine along with his cousin Judy, only to end up in a dog's nose.
Poppy by Avi(1995)Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.
Redwall by Brian Jacques(1986)When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo(2003)The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
Scary Adventures
Coraline by Neil Gaiman(2002)Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
Dial a Ghost by Eva Ibbotson(2001)A family of nice ghosts protects a British orphan from the diabolical plans of his evil guardians.
Disney Scary Storybook Collection(2003)Gently spooky collection of fifteen easy-to-read stories based on Disney cartoons.
The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs(1973)A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which is ticking off the minutes until doomsday.
It Came From Beneath the Bed by James Howe(2002)With help from his Uncle Harold, who wrote books about Bunnicula, Howie the wire-haired dachshund writes a story in which he saves the world from a science experiment gone awry.
Gentle Adventure
Ella Enchanted by Gail Levine(1997)In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards(1989)With help from an eccentric professor who gives their imaginations special intensive training, three children succeed in locating the last of the great Whangdoodles and granting his heart's desire.
Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye(2002)At her christening, a princess is given the gift of "ordinariness" by a fairy, and the consequences of that eventually take her to a nearby palace where, as the fourteenth assistant kitchen maid, she meets just the prince for her.
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster(1996)A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom.
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren(1997)Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey--but without any parents--at the edge of a Swedish village.
Graphic Novels
Anna Sewell's Black Beauty by June Brigman(2005)A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. Presented in comic book format.
Babymouse: Our Hero by Jennifer Holm(2005)An imaginative young mouse is terrified to face her enemy in dodgeball, but with the help of her best friend and support from her mother, she not only plays the game, she proves herself a hero.
Bone by Jeff Smith(2005)Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone are run out of their home, Boneville, and become separated in the wilds, but better fortune begins when the three cousins reunite at a farmstead in a deep forested valley, where Fone meets a young girl named Thorn.
It Was a Dark and Silly Night(2003)A collection of comic strips by various artists, each of which begins with the phrase, "It was a dark and silly night..."
L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz by Michael Cavallaro(2005)A graphic adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic story about the adventures of Dorothy and her dog Toto after a tornado whisks them away from their home in Kansas to the fantastic, magical land of Oz.
Zodiac P.I.(2003)Lill is just like any other normal girl--except she can foretell the future! This "Zodiac P.I." transforms herself into the magic Detective Splca and looks to the stars to guide her way. Before long, she is joined by her childhood friend, Hiromi, who dreams of becoming a detective as skilled as Spica. Soon, no astral investigation is too arduous for this dynamic duo!Syndetics
Adventures Based on TV/Movies
Avatar: the Last Airbender(2006)When Katara and her brother Sokka from the Souther water tribe find a mysterious young boy in a glacier, they are shocked to discover that he is an airbender, a tribe that was thought to have disappeared over a century ago.
Pokemon Magical Journey by Yumi Tsukirino(2000)
Star Wars, Clone Wars Adventures(2004)v. 1. Blind force -- Heavy metal Jedi -- Fierce currents -- v. 2. Skywalkers -- Hide in plain sight -- Run Mace run --
Transformers Armada(2003)
