Action & Adventure Stories

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If pirates, jousting and horseback chases no longer appeal to you, you're too old or too boring. Adventure stories fell out of vogue among 20th century literary types who thought serious fiction had to be boring and depressing, but to those born with fire in their bones, adventure stories are deeply serious.

Not serious like existentialism or keeping a stiff upper lip, but serious like Robin Hood—devoted to protecting the downtrodden, committed to Maid Marian, sworn to fight injustice as long as a soul is in his body, always laughing and ready for a fight or a feast.

G. K. Chesterton wrote adventure stories because they best expressed the eternal joy that supported his generous frame. For those raised on Modern Adventure Stories, joy may seem an inappropriate word for an increasingly dark genre, but the fault lies with those who think adventures are forays into evil rather than romps with Gilbert Keith.

There's nothing evil about a good adventure. There may be bad guys (there ought to be), but if the Good Guy does his job there'll be more of his exploits to talk about than theirs. Because, should he be doing his job, the Hero will be sword-fighting, being clever, wooing, chasing and laughing to the detriment of his enemies on every page.

Average people don't have the adventures Heroes in Books have—they have the adventures of Modern Men in Books. But the way through the prosaic troubles of life isn't to immerse yourself in them, it's to let the Good Guys show The Way Out of Problems, and do your best to imitate them when you meet the less dramatic, but no less real, dangers of everyday existence.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Action & Adventure Stories

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10th grade (Ages 15-16),

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	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Puffin Classics by Mark Twain from Puffin Books for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Adventures of Tom Sawyer Puffin Classics by Mark Twain from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Adventures of Tom Sawyer Puffin Classics by Mark Twain from Penguin Classics Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $10.00
	Around the World in Eighty Days Puffin Classics by Jules Verne from Puffin Books Adventure Stories for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Ben-Hur Dover Thrift Editions by Lew Wallace from Dover Publications for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.00
	Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ Signet Classics by Lew Wallace from Signet Classics Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $9.95
	Ben-Hur Dover Thrift Editions by Lew Wallace from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $16.99
	Black Arrow Dover Evergreen Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson from Dover Publications Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.99
	Call of the Wild Puffin Classics by Jack London 2008^th edition from Puffin Books Action/Adventure for 7th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	Call of the Wild Dover Thrift Editions by Jack London from Dover Publications Action/Adventure for 7th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00
	Captain Blood Penguin Classics by Rafael Sabatini from Penguin Classics Historical Romance for 7th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.00
	Captains Courageous Signet Classics by Rudyard Kipling from Signet Classics Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.95
	Count of Monte Cristo (abridged) Puffin Classics by Alexandre Dumas from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction/Adventure for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99
	Count of Monte Cristo (abridged) Signet Classics by Alexandre Dumas, introduction by Roger Celestin from Signet Classics Realistic Fiction/Adventure for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $6.95
	Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes Puffin Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from Puffin Books Mystery for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.19
	Frankenstein Puffin Classics by Mary Shelley from Puffin Books Horror for 7th-10th grade in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $8.99
	Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara from Ballantine Books Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Puffin Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from Puffin Books Mystery for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.19
	Hobbit Authorized Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien 17th Printing from Ballantine Books for 9th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Hound of the Baskervilles Puffin Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Reissue from Puffin Books for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $6.39
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George from HarperCollins Adventure for 7th-10th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99
	Kim Puffin Classics by Rudyard Kipling from Puffin Books Orphan Stories for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table Puffin Classics by Roger Green from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard from Dover Publications Adventure for 7th-12th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.00
	Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl from Pocket Books Non-fiction/Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99
	Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour from Bantam Books for 8th-Adult in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.99
	Last of the Mohicans Leatherstocking Tales #2 by James Fenimore Cooper Reprint from Signet Classics Realistic Action/Adventure Novel for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Last of the Mohicans Leatherstocking Tales #2 by James Fenimore Cooper, introduction by A.B. Guthrie, Jr. Reprint from Bantam Books Realistic Action/Adventure Novel for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat from Starfire for 7th-12th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99
	Man in the Brown Suit A Colonel Race Mystery #1 by Agatha Christie from St. Martin's Press for 9th-Adult in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Man in the Iron Mask Signet Classics by Alexandre Dumas from Signet Classics Historical Fiction/Adventure for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $8.95
	Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley from Forge for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis 46th Printing from Collier Books for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Pathfinder The Inland Sea Leatherstocking Tales #3 by James Fenimore Cooper from Penguin Classics Realistic Fiction for 9th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $15.00
	Pioneers Leatherstocking Tales #4 by James Fenimore Cooper from Signet Classics Realistic Fiction for 9th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.95
	Princess Bride by William Goldman from Harvest Books for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Red Badge of Courage Puffin Classics by Stephen Crane from Puffin Books for 7th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1958 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.99
	Robinson Crusoe Signet Classics by Daniel Defoe from Signet Classics Realistic Adventure Novel for 8th-Adult in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18) $5.95 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Sackett's Land The Sacketts Book 1 by Louis L'amour from Bantam Books for 7th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.99
	Scaramouche Signet Classics by Rafael Sabatini from Signet Classics Historical Romance for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Scarlet Pimpernel Puffin Classics by Baroness Orczy from Puffin Books Action/Adventure for 6th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.99
	Scarlet Pimpernel Signet Classics by Baroness Orczy from Signet Classics Action/Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.95
	Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy from Bantam Books Action/Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.95
	Sea Wolf Signet Classics by Jack London from Bantam Books Nautical Fiction for 8th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen & Bahija Lovejoy 1st Beech Tree ed from HarperTeen Realistic Romantic Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $10.99
	Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder from Vintage Classics for 9th-Adult in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Sir Gawain and the Green Knight / Pearl / Sir Orfeo by Anonymous, J. R. R. Tolkien (Translator) from Ballantine Books Medieval Fairy Tale/Poetry for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99
	Tales of Mystery and Terror Puffin Classics by Edgar Allan Poe from Puffin Books Mystery/Horror for 8th-12th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs Centennial Edition from Signet Classics for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $6.95
	Thirty-Nine Steps Dover Thrift Editions by John Buchan from Dover Publications Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00
	Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan from Penguin Classics Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.00
	Three Musketeers Signet Classics by Alexandre Dumas from Signet Classics Historical Fiction/Adventure for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $8.95
	Three Musketeers (abridged) Puffin Classics by Alexandre Dumas from Puffin Books Historical Fiction/Adventure for 8th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.99
	Treasure Island by Sir Robert Louis Stevenson from Bantam Books for 6th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $4.95
	White Fang Puffin Classics by Jack London from Puffin Books Action/Adventure for 7th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	White Fang Dover Thrift Editions by Jack London from Dover Publications Action/Adventure for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00

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