Adventure books for children
Adventure books for kids pull readers into journeys full of challenges, discoveries, and problem-solving. The heroes are often kids themselves, tackling obstacles in far-off lands, everyday settings, or a mix of both. These stories grab attention with suspense and curiosity, while also nudging readers toward resilience and bravery. Along the way, adventure books open doors to new cultures and places, sparking a love of exploration and reminding children that big challenges can lead to even bigger growth. This list features books by Brian Selznick, Chris Colfer, Michael Ende, Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paolini, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jean Craighead George, Avi, Robert C. O’Brien, and Scott O’Dell.
Adventure books for children – our recommendations
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. 
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer. 
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. 
Lost in the Pacific, 1942 by Tod Olson. 
Stranded by Jeff Probst with Christopher Tebbetts. 
Crispin The Cross of Lead by Avi. 
Skeleton Island by Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler. 
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien. 
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. 
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. 
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. 
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenherr. 
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. 
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini. 
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this adventure books list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page, which makes this process easy.
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Adventure books for children – resources for teachers
- National Park Service – Island of the Blue Dolphins Teacher Resources Chapter-by-chapter prompts, lessons, and background to pair directly with Scott O’Dell’s novel; great for character decisions, survival themes, and Channel Islands geography.
- Channel Islands National Park – Teacher Resources Place-based activities, virtual field trips, and classroom lessons on ecology, archaeology, and maritime history to extend Island of the Blue Dolphins inquiries.
- NOAA Ocean Exploration – Educator Materials Classroom-ready lessons, fact sheets, and expedition media (ROVs, mapping, hazards) for ocean survival and navigation themes that link with Lost in the Pacific, 1942 and Stranded.
- Smithsonian Lemelson Center – Spark!Lab (Invention Education) Hands-on invention challenges and creation prompts to connect with engineering and automata threads in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
- Library of Congress – Primary Source Set: Maps from the World Digital Library Kid-friendly historic maps with a teacher guide; use for quests, route-tracing, and world-building in titles like The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell and classic journeys.
- NASA Climate Kids – Weather & Climate Clear explainers, interactives, and activities on storms, water cycle, and climate zones to support survival and environment strands in Julie of the Wolves and Island of the Blue Dolphins.
- USGS – Teachers, Learners, and Kids Geology, wildlife, and natural hazards resources (including K–2/3–5 activities) to underpin wilderness skills and landscape reading in Crispin and frontier/adventure titles.
- Smithsonian Ocean Portal – Educators’ Corner Searchable K–5 lessons and activities on currents, ecosystems, and maritime exploration to enrich sea-voyage episodes across your list.
- Smithsonian Lemelson Center – Hands-On Activities Quick, low-prep build/iterate tasks (design, test, improve) that pair well with problem-solving scenes in Flora and Ulysses and other adventure comedies.
- Library of Congress, American Folklife Center – Folktales & Oral Storytelling Curated pathways into folk narrative and storytelling traditions – useful for quest motifs and world-lore that frame The Neverending Story and other fantasy adventures.
BISAC YAF001000 Children’s adventure stories | Thema YFC
