Action & Adventure Stories

Store Location

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.

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Action & Adventure Stories

94 Items found Print

Active Filters:

3rd grade (Ages 8-9),

Used Books & Materials

	Adventures of Tommy Blake by Brother Ernest from St. Anthony Guild Press for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Alexi's Secret Mission by Anita Deyneka from School of Tomorrow for 1st-4th grade in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	All the Mowgli Stories Junior Deluxe Editions by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Richard M. Powers from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Alpine Fugitives by Ambrose Haynes 1969 Reprint from Christian Literature Crusade for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Apache Gold A Story of the Strange Southwest by Joseph A. Altsheler from Appleton-Century-Crofts for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Boy of the Pyramids A Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Ruth Fosdick Jones from The Good and the Beautiful for 3rd-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Buddy's Crazy True-Life Adventures Buddy Davis Amazing Adventures by Buddy Davis from Answers in Genesis for 3rd-6th grade in Short Stories (Location: LIT-ANTH) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade 1941 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	Cay by Theodore Taylor from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Choose Your Own Adventure 04 The Lost Jewels of Nabooti by R. A. Montgomery from Chooseco for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Choose Your Own Adventure 06 House of Danger by R. A. Montgomery from Chooseco for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Computer Nut by Betsy Cromer Byars Reprint from Puffin Books for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Countdown by Ben Mikaelsen from Hyperion Books for Children for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Danger on Shadow Mountain by Marian Rumsey, Illustrated by Lydia Rosier from William Morrow & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Dangerous Journey The Story of Pilgrim's Progress by Oliver Hunkin (abridger) from Eerdmans Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $25.00 $15.00 (2 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin; illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (3 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Swamp Monster by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin; illustrated by Paul Sagsoorian from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Universal Glue by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Paul Sagsoorian from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Leo Summers from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Danny Dunn on a Desert Island by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats 1971 printing from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $25.00 (1 in stock)
	Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin; illustrated by Brinton Turkle from McGraw-Hill for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Dobie Sturgis and the Dog Soldiers by Carl G. Hodges First Edition from Bobbs-Merril Co for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Dolphin Adventure One diver's incredible undersea experience! by Wayne Grover from HarperTrophy for 3rd-7th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $5.99 $3.50 (4 in stock)
	Dolphin Treasure Baby to the Rescue by Wayne Grover from HarperTrophy for Ages 8-12 in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $5.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
	Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin from Yesterday's Classics for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $11.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin from New West Press for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Five Get Into Trouble Famous Five #8 by Enid Blyton from Hodder Children's for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Five Go Adventuring Again Famous Five #2 by Enid Blyton 2001 Printing from Hodder Children's for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Five On Kirrin Island Again Famous Five #6 by Enid Blyton Revised 2010 edition from Hodder Children's for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Flame Over Tara by Madeleine Polland, illustrated by Omar Davis from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	General Butterfingers by John Reynolds Gardiner Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.95 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Geronimo Stilton #01 Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye Geronimo Stilton #1 by Geronimo Stilton, Translated by Edizioni Piemme from Scholastic Inc. for 2nd-4th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Heath Cousins and the Kingsgate Bridge Heath Cousins #02 by Eileen Hobbs from Palmetto Publishing Group for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Heath Cousins and the Moonstone Cave Heath Cousins #01 by Eileen Hobbs from Xlibris Corp. for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Hidden Peril from Cupples & Leon for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis Reprint from HarperCollins for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis from Scholastic Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 I Survived #17 by Lauren Tarshis from Scholastic Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.00 (4 in stock)
	Ivan and the American Journey Ivan Series #6 by Myrna Grant from Christian Focus Publications for 3rd-6th grade in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Ivan and the Informer Ivan Series #3 by Myrna Grant from Christian Focus Publications for 3rd-6th grade in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Ivan and the Moscow Circus Ivan Series #1 by Myrna Grant from Christian Focus Publications for 3rd-6th grade in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05) $3.50 (2 in stock)
	Ivan and the Secret in the Suitcase Ivan Series #5 by Myrna Grant from Christian Focus Publications for 3rd-6th grade in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Jerry Todd and the Oak Island Treasure Jerry Todd #03 by Leo Edwards, illustrated by Bert Salg from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Johnny McKee and the Big Flood originally published as Johnny's Island Ark GATB Library Level 4 by Irmengarde Eberle 2021 Edition from The Good and the Beautiful for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Kidnapped Junior Deluxe Editions by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tom O'Sullivan from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Last Battle Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99 $5.00 (4 in stock)
	Last Battle Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 by C. S. Lewis from HarperTrophy Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Last Battle Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Last Battle Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick from Scholastic Press for 3rd-6th grade 2010 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Motor Boat Boys: River Chase Six Chums Afloat and Ashore Motor Boat Boys #06 by Louis Arundel from M. A. Donohue & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein 1^st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers for 3rd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics Limoncello's Library #2 by Chris Grabenstein from Yearling for 3rd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of Banshee Towers Famous Five #15 by Enid Blyton for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Neeluk An Eskimo Boy in the Days of the Whaling Ships by Frances Kittredge from Alaska Northwest Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	New York's Bravest by Mary Pope Osborne First Edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 1st-3rd grade in Oversized Biographies $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Pagemaster by David Kirschner, Ernie Contreras from Turner Publishing, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Pearl Divers California State Series - The Deep Sea Adventures by James C. Coleman, Frances Berres, Frank M. Hewett, William S. Briscoe, illustrated by Joseph Maniscalco from California State Department of Education for 2nd-3rd grade in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Peter Pan (abridged) by J. M. Barrie, abridged by Vic Parker and illustrated by Claudia Venturini from Viking Press Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Pirate's Promise by Clyde Robert Bulla, illustrated by Peter Burchard from HarperTrophy for 1st-3rd grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins for 3rd-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Prince Caspian Chronicles of Narnia Book 2 by C. S. Lewis 1972 Printing from Collier Books Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Rocky Point Campers by Jane Rietveld from Viking Press for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Terry Fan from Simon and Schuster for 3rd-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Rowan Hood Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Secret Journey of the Silver Reindeer by Lee Kingman, illustrated by Lynd Ward from Doubleday & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Secret of the Shark Pit Ladd Family Adventures #1 by Lee Roddy from Focus on the Family for 3rd-6th grade in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC) $1.00 (1 in stock)
	Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor by John Yeoman (reteller), illustrated by Quentin Blake from Margaret K. McElderry Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Seven-Day Magic by Edward Eager from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Sherlock Holmes Junior Deluxe Editions by Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Richard M. Powers from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Ship's Boy with Magellan by Milton Lomask, illustrated by William Plummer from Doubleday & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Shipwreck Inuk Quartet Volume 1 by Jorn Riel, illustrated by Helen Cann from Barefoot Books for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Shirley Temple Edition of Captain January & The Little Colonel by Laura E. Richards and Annie Fellows Johnston from Random House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Silver Chair Chronicles of Narnia Book 4 by C. S. Lewis from Collier Books Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Silver Chair Chronicles of Narnia Book 4 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner from Scholastic Inc. for 2nd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner from Trumpet Club for 2nd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children by H. E. Marshall from Yesterday's Classics for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.95 $5.50 (1 in stock)
	Swampfire by Patricia Cecil Hass, illustrated by Charles Robinson from Dodd, Mead & Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.99 $3.50 (4 in stock)
	Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt from Richard R. Dahlstedt the Attic in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (5 in stock)
	Tikta'Liktak An Inuit-Eskimo Legend by James Houston from Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (3 in stock)
	Tom Swift and His Flying Lab Tom Swift Jr. #1 by Victor Appleton II, illustrated by Graham Kaye from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Tom Swift (Location: VIN-SER) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Tom Swift and His Jetmarine Tom Swift Jr. #2 by Victor Appleton II from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Tom Swift (Location: VIN-SER) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Triple-Threat Patrol Junior Literary Guild by Kenneth Gilbert, illustrated by Ernest Norling from Henry Holt and Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chronicles of Narnia Book 5 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chronicles of Narnia Book 3 by C. S. Lewis from Collier Books Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	War Horse by Michael Morpurgo from Scholastic Press for 2nd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman First Scholastic Printing from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-5th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Wish Giver Three Tales of Coven Tree by Bill Brittain, illustrated by Andrew Glass from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect