Adventure

Do you like fast-paced exciting reads? Here is a sampling of recommended adventure fiction. The list is subdivided by reading level. Please remember that the grade levels are only approximations and are not intended to limit the reader. Books are arranged on the shelves by the author’s last name in the sections below.

(A) = Title available in print or on audiobook

J FICTION (Grades 2-3)

Dolphin Treasure by Wayne Grover           
While diving for treasure in an old shipwreck, Wayne and his friends are caught in a terrifying storm. Will Wayne drown when he loses contact with his boat?  63 pgs.

Adam Sharp, the Spy Who Barked
by George Edward Stanley
Eight-year-old Adam Sharp is secretly a spy, and when a cutting-edge technology is stolen, Adam must chase the villain around the world to retrieve it.  43 pgs.  (Look for other titles featuring Adam Sharp.)

Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka (J TIM)   E
When Fred opens a book to a picture of a knight, his kitchen disappears, and he finds himself sent back in time, facing the Black Knight. Can Fred and his friends find a way to vanquish the Black Knight and get back to their own time?  55 pgs.  (Look for other titles in The Time Warp Trio Series.)

J Fiction (Grades 3-6)

Dangerous Games by Joan Aiken
Dido Twite’s mission on the high seas brings her to a dangerous island, filled with human conflict and a multitude of other threats, like crocodiles. Will she survive?  251 pgs. (Look for other stories featuring Dido Twite’s adventures.)

Storm Mountain by Tom Birdseye
Cat and Ty set off to scatter the ashes of their fathers on the mountain they died climbing. When, a blizzard hits, the two are trapped. Will they make it off the mountain alive?  135 pgs.

Tracks in the Snow by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
While trying to find her missing babysitter, Erin and her science partner Tiffany become lost in the snow-covered Sierra Mountains.  152 pgs.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George   A  L
Sam Gribley runs away to the Catskill Mountains, where he spends a year alone, struggling to survive on the land.  177 pgs.

Anna’s Blizzard by Alison Hart
Anna and her classmates are trapped in their schoolhouse in a terrible blizzard. When the roof blows off, will Anna be able to lead her classmates to shelter?  141 pgs.

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes
Young Philip Marsham’s ship is taken over by pirates, and he is forced to become a member of their crew.  246 pgs.

Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur: USA
by Elizabeth Singer Hunt   A  P  Ea
A young scientist clones a dangerous dinosaur. Jack Stalwart, secret agent, must stop the dinosaur from destroying New York City.  110 pgs.  (Look for other titles in the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series)

The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell
When Christina learns that orphans from a nearby orphanage are being used for evil purposes, she sneaks out from under the thumb of her overprotective father and risks her life to save the day. 
291 pgs.

The Blizzard Disaster by Peg Kehret 
Sixth-graders Warren and Betsy take a trip back in time to research Minnesota during the worst blizzard of the century. When their time machine freezes, how will they get back alive?  137 pgs. (Look for other titles by Peg Kehret featuring natural disasters.)

JH Fiction (Grades 6-8)  

Williwaw! by Tom Bodett   Ea          
Left to themselves in their Alaskan home, September and her brother get more than they bargained for when they disobey their father and are caught on a boat in the same kind of storm that killed their mother.  192 pgs.

Flight #116 is Down by Caroline B. Cooney   A
When a plane crashes on her property, Heidi attempts to rescue those on board.  201 pgs.  (Look for other titles by this author.)

Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson
The president’s son and his two friends are trapped inside Camp David as a wildfire rages.  261 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon   A  P
Will discovers a dangerous underground world beneath London and must venture into it when his archeologist father disappears.   472 pgs. (Look for other titles featuring Will’s adventures.)

Sure Fire by Jack Higgins
When their father is taken at gunpoint, Rich and Jade discover that he is actually a secret agent, and their quest to rescue him draws them into the perilous world of international espionage.  237 pgs. (Look for other titles featuring Rich and Jade.)

Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja by Simon Higgins
Moonshadow, a young ninja spy, sets off on his first mission to save his country from a warlord.  325 pgs. (Look for other books in the Moonshadow series.)

The Maze by Will Hobbs   A  P
Rick escapes from a juvenile detention center and finds himself caught in a maze of canyons in Utah.  198 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)

Shipwreck by Gordon Korman   A  P
How will six troubled teens survive the wreck of their sailboat on a desert island?129 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Island series.)

The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence   A  L
When his ship is wrecked, John discovers the islanders create shipwrecks to loot valuable goods, and he must save his imprisoned father so they can escape the island.  196 pgs. (Look for other titles in The High Seas Trilogy.)

Shipwreck!: A Survive! Story by Jake Maddox
When their boat sinks, three teens are left in the middle of the ocean with only an inflatable raft.  63 pgs.

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson   A  L  P  Ea  E
After their enemies kidnap their youngest sibling, five genetically-engineered half-human and half-bird children journey to New York City to rescue their sister.  422 pgs.  (Look for other titles in The Maximum Ride series.)

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen   A
When the pilot of the two-person plane has a heart attack, the plane crash lands in the Canadian wilderness and Brian must find a way to survive with only a hatchet.  195 pgs. (Look for other titles featuring Brian.)

Wild River by P.J. Petersen
When Ryan’s brother is knocked unconscious during a camping trip, Ryan must find a way to get him out of the wilderness alive.  120 pgs.

Pirates! by Celia Rees   A
In 1722, an orphaned young woman and her friend, a slave, escape plantation life in Jamaica to find a better life as pirates on the high seas.  379 pgs.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith
Chase’s bus is caught in the midst of Hurricane Emily, and when the bus is thrown into the water and the bus driver dies, he and the two survivors of the accident must make their way through the hurricane on foot.  143 pgs. (Look for other books in the Storm Runners series.)

Dead in the Water by Robin Stevenson  
Instead of a weeklong sailing course, Simon finds himself racing to stop an abalone poaching operation.  His curiosity leads him to being caught, bound and gagged.  169 pgs.

Leepike Ridge by Nathan D. Wilson
Trapped in an underground cavern, Tom is drawn into the treasure hunt that led to his father’s murder.  224 pgs.

STORM: The Infinity Code by E.L. Young 
A group of teenage geniuses use cutting-edge spy technology to prevent the creation of a weapon that could destroy the world.  311 pgs. (Look for other titles in the STORM series.)

revised 6/12 EMC

This list was prepared by the Youth Services Department of the St. Charles Public Library.
(630) 584-9390

Ask Youth Services! at St. Charles Public Library
      630-584-9390 or contact us online.