Action & Adventure Stories

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
235 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Trade Paperback
100 Cupboards - Paperback Trilogy
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$24.62
100-Year-Old Secret
Sherlock Files #1
by Tracy Barrett
1st edition from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Adara
by Beatrice Gormley
from Eerdmans
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.00 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Adventure in Grand Canyon National Park
A Mystery Adventure in the National Parks #3
by Aaron Johnson
from Aaron Johnson
for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$13.99
Adventures of Munford: The American Revolution
by Jamie Aramini
1st edition from Geography Matters
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Adventures of Munford: The Klondike Gold Rush
by Jamie Aramini
1st edition from Geography Matters
for 2nd-4th grade
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated
The Knights' Tales Book 4
by Gerald Morris
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Adventures of Sir Gawain the True
The Knights' Tales Book 3
by Gerald Morris
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Adventures of Tintin - Complete Package
by Herge
from Little, Brown & Company
Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade
in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN)
$241.39
American Twins of the Revolution
by Lucy Fitch Perkins
from Salem Ridge Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Ancient, Strange, and Lovely
Dragon Chronicles #4
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Angry Waters
by Walt Morey
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Angry Waters
by Walt Morey
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Barbary Jihad
Monroe Family Chronicles #4
by Douglas Wilson
from Veritas Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.00
Battle for Skandia
Ranger's Apprentice #04
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Battle for Skandia
Ranger's Apprentice #04
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson & the Olympians #4
by Rick Riordan
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson & the Olympians #4
by Rick Riordan
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Beast of Blackslope
Sherlock Files #2
by Tracy Barrett
1st edition from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Beowulf the Warrior
by Ian Serraillier
from Bethlehem Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.95
Big Chunk of Ice
Mad Scientists' Club
by Bertrand R. Brinley, Charles Geer
from Purple House Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$14.99
Black Buccaneer
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Stephen W. Meader
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.99
Black Fox of Lorne
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Hillside Education
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Book of Boy
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
Frist Paperback from Greenwillow Books
for 3rd-7th grade
2019 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Book of Pirates
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$16.95
Boy of Old Prague
by S. Ish-Kishor
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.99
Boy of the Pyramids
by Ruth Fosdick Jones
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Breaking Stalin's Nose
by Eugene Yelchin
from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
2012 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Broken Blade
by William Durbin
Reprint from Lake Vermillion Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Burning Bridge
Ranger's Apprentice #02
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Candy Shop War: Arcade Catastrophe
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Case of the Baker Street Irregular
by Robert Newman
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Castle in the Attic
by Elizabeth Winthrop
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Castle in the Attic
by Elizabeth Winthrop
from Weekly Reader
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Chameleon, A Boy, and A Quest
from New Growth Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$13.00
Chronicles of Narnia - Quality Softcover Boxed Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$90.93
Chronicles of Narnia - Quality Softcover Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
Circus Mirandus
by Cassie Beasley
from Puffin Books
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Climb (Everest 2)
by Gordon Korman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
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)
Contest (Everest 1)
by Gordon Korman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
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)
Cry From Egypt
by Hope Auer
from Great Waters Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.50 (2 in stock)
Dark Canoe
by Scott O'Dell
Reprint from Sourcebooks
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Detectives in Togas
by Henry Winterfeld
from Harcourt
Humorous Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Dipper of Copper Creek
by Jean Craighead George, John George
from Puffin Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Discovery in Great Sand Dunes National Park
A Mystery Adventure in the National Parks #2
by Aaron Johnson
from Aaron Johnson
for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$13.99
Double Trouble in Bugland
by William Kozwinkle
from David R. Godine
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Down the Big River
Purple House Living History Library
by Stephen W. Meader, illustrated by Edward Shenton
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$10.99
Dragon's Hoard
Hall of Doors #1
by Rebecca Gilleland
from Progeny Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Dragon's Milk (The Dragon Chronicles)
Dragon Chronicles #1
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Dutch Color
by Doug Jones
from Canon Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.00
Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
by Nancy Farmer
from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
by Nancy Farmer
First Printing from Scholastic Press
for 4th-6th grade
1995 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Edward Eager's Tales of Magic
by Edward M. Eager
from Harcourt
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
El Guero
by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
from Hampton-Brown
Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Ember Falls
Green Ember #2
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.95
Ember Rising
Green Ember #3
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.95
Ember's End
Green Ember #4
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.95
Emperor of Nihon-Ja
Ranger's Apprentice #10
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Endymion Spring
by Matthew Skelton
from Delacorte Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Erak's Ransom
Ranger's Apprentice #07
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Fablehaven
Fablehaven #1
by Brandon Mull
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Father's Road
by Ji-yun Jang
from Eerdmans
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00
Fear in the Forest
by Cateau de Leeuw
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Fiddler's Green
from Rabbit Room Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99
Flame Over Tara
by Madeleine Polland, illustrated by Omar Davis
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Flight of the Dragon Kyn
Dragon Chronicles #2
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Fridays with the Wizards
Tuesdays at the Tower #4
by Jessica Day George
Reprint from Bloomsbury Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Lynd Ward
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Girl Named Disaster
by Nancy Farmer
First Printing Dec.2011 from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Give Me Liberty
by L. M. Elliott
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Gone Crazy in Alabama
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Reprint from Amistad Press
for 4th-7th grade
Coretta Scott King Award
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Great and Terrible Quest
by Margaret Lovett
from Avyx, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Green Ember
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.95
Gregor and the Code of Claw
Underland Chronicles #5
by Suzanne Collins
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Gregor And The Curse Of The Warmbloods
Underland Chronicles #3
by Suzanne Collins
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Gregor And The Marks Of Secret
Underland Chronicles #4
by Suzanne Collins
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Gregor The Overlander
Underland Chronicles #1
by Suzanne Collins
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Half Moon Investigations
by Eoin Colfer
Reprint from Disney-Hyperion
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Halt's Peril
Ranger's Apprentice #09
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Harriet the Spy, Double Agent
by Maya Gold (based on Louise Fitzhugh)
Reprint from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-8th grade
1988 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.19
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)
Hold Fast
by Blue Balliett
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Holes
Holes Series #1
by Louis Sachar
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
1999 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen
from Ember
for 4th-6th grade
2003 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by Lewis, C. S.
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99 $7.00 (4 in stock)
I Am David
by Anne Holm
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade
by Diane Wilson
from Sourcebooks
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
In a Dark Wood
by Michael Cadnum
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Incident at Hawk's Hill
by Allan W. Eckert
from Little, Brown & Company
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Iqbal
by Francesco D'Adamo
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Island of Adventure
Adventure #1
by Enid Blyton
New ed from Pan Macmillan
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Ivan and the American Journey
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 Hidden Bible
by Myrna Grant
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Ivan and the Moscow Circus
by Myrna Grant
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Jericho's Journey
by G. Clifton Wisler
from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
King Arthur
by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
$5.99
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