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
112 Items found Print
Active Filters: Fantasy Fiction, Hardcover
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)
Annotated Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Arthur, High King of Britain
by Michael Morpurgo
from Harcourt
for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Bark of the Bog Owl (May 2024)
Wilderking #1
by Jonathan Rogers
2nd edition from Rabbit Room Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.95
Boy's King Arthur
by Sidney Lanier (illustrated by N.C. Wyeth)
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Camelot
by Jane Yolen
First Edition from Philomel Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase
by Wendy Mass
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang
by Ian Fleming
from Random House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Books of Wonder
by Mark Twain (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman)
from HarperCollins
for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Crying for a Vision
by Walter Wangerin Jr.
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
for 9th-Adult
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Doctor Dolittle and the Pirates
by Al Perkins
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo
Doctor Dolittle #6
by Hugh Lofting
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Ember Rising
by S.D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Endless Knot
Song of Albion #3
by Stephen R. Lawhead
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
Celtic Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Erak's Ransom
Ranger's Apprentice #07
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Gulliver's Travels
Macmillan Classics
by Jonathan Swift, retold by Padraic Colum and illustrated by Willy Pogany
from Macmillan
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Gulliver's Travels / Treasure Island
by Jonathan Swift, Robert Louis Stevenson
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-10th grade
in Companion Library (Location: VIN-FIC)
Halt's Peril
Ranger's Apprentice #09
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter Book 2
by J. K. Rowling
Illustrated from Arthur A. Levine Books
for 4th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$39.99
High Rhulain
by Brian Jacques
1st edition from Philomel Books
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Hobbit, The
by J.R.R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$35.00
Hobbit, The
by J.R.R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$40.00
Holes
Holes Series #1
by Louis Sachar
10th Anniversary Edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 4th-6th grade
1999 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$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)
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 5
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Indian in the Cupboard
Indian in the Cupboard #1
by Lynne Banks
from Weekly Reader
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Inheritance Cycle - Hardcover set
by Christopher Paolini
from Random House
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Into the Jungle
by Katherine Rundell, Illustrated by Kristjana S. Williams
from Walker Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$24.99
Invaders
by John A. Flanagan
1st edition from Philomel Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (3 in stock)
Jungle Book
Sterling Classics
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Maurice and Edward Detmold
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Jungle Book
Books of Wonder
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
from William Morrow & Company
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Earl Mayan
from Grosset & Dunlap
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Jungle Book
Calla Editions
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Maurice and Edward Detmold
from Dover Publications
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Nicola Bayley
from Candlewick Press
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Eric Kincaid
from Brimax Books
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Jungle Books
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Stuart Tresilian
from Reprint Society
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Jungle Books - 2 Volumes
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Aldren Watson
from Doubleday & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Just So Stories
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Safaya Salter
from Henry Holt and Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
King Arthur
by Sidney Lanier
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 6th-10th grade
in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB)
$29.99
King Arthur and His Knights
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Henry Frith, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
Fairy Tales, Fables, & Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
King Arthur and His Knights
by Sir James Knowles, illustrated by Louis Rhead and other artists
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
King Arthur and His Knights
Windermere Series 4
by Philip Schuyler Allen, illustrated by Mead Schaeffer & John R. Neill
1936 Edition from Rand McNally
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
King Arthur and His Knights
Windermere Readers #18
by Philip Schuyler Allen, illustrated by Mead Schaeffer & John R. Neill
1954 Edition, 2nd printing from Rand McNally
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
King Arthur and His Knights
Windermere Series 3
by Philip Schuyler Allen, illustrated by Mead Schaeffer & John R. Neill
1936 Edition from Rand McNally
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
King Arthur for Boys
by Henry Gilbert, illustrated by Frances Brundage
1926 edition from Saalfield Publishing Co.
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
King Arthur's Knights
by Henry Gilbert, illustrated by Walter Crane
Reprint of the 1911 edition from Bracken Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
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 (1 in stock)
Legend of the King
Squire's Tales Book 10
by Gerald Morris
1st edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Magician's Nephew
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Magician's Nephew
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Daniel Miyares
from Levine Querido
for 6th-9th grade
2024 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$21.99
Maps of Tolkien's Middle-Earth
by Brian Sibley
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-10th grade
in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
Mattimeo
by Brian Jacques
from Philomel Books
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mistmantle Chronicles Book 1
by M. I. McAllister
from Hyperion/Madison Press
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Mistmantle Chronicles Book 3
by M. I. McAllister
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Mistmantle Chronicles Book 4
by M.i. Mcallister
from Hyperion/Madison Press
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Mistmantle Chronicles Book 5
by M. I. McAllister
from Hyperion/Madison Press
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Mossflower
by Brian Jacques
from Philomel Books
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game
Mr. Lemoncello's Library #4
by Chris Grabenstein
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game
Mr. Lemoncello's Library #4
by Chris Grabenstein
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics
by Chris Grabenstein
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Mysterious Benedict Society
Mysterious Benedict Society #1
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages
Mysterious Benedict Society #4
by Trenton Lee Stewart
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Nightbirds on Nantucket
Wolves Chronicles #3
by Joan Aiken
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Out of the Silent Planet
Space Trilogy Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$24.00
Pagemaster
by David Kirschner, Ernie Contreras
from Turner Publishing, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Parsifal Rides the Time Wave
by Nell Chenault, illustrated by Vee Guthrie
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Perelandra
Space Trilogy Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$25.00
Peter Pan
Sterling Classics
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Reissue from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB)
$19.99
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt
from Unicorn Publishing House
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
Dover Evergreen Classics
by J. M. Barrie
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.79 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan
Children's Classics
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Flora White & F. D. Bedford
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie
from Barnes & Noble
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Scott Gustafson
from Viking Press
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Alice Woodward
Reissue from Barnes & Noble
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by F. D. Bedford
from Barnes & Noble
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
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)
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jule Feiffer
from Random House
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Pilgrim's Progress (retold)
by John Bunyan (retold by Gary D. Schmidt)
from Eerdmans
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Pilgrim's Progress (retold)
by John Bunyan (retold by Gary D. Schmidt)
from Eerdmans
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$17.50
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 4
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Prince Caspian
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Princess Bride
by William Goldman
from Harcourt
Humorous Adult Fairy Tale for 8th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$30.00
Redwall
by Brian Jacques
Later Printing from Philomel Books
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Rush Revere and the First Patriots
by Rush Limbaugh
1St Edition from Threshold Editions
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Saturdays at Sea
Tuesdays at the Tower #5
by Jessica Day George
Reprint from Bloomsbury Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor
by J. C. Mardrus (French rendering from the Arabic), translated by E. Powys Mathers and illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Heritage Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor
by John Yeoman (reteller), illustrated by Quentin Blake
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for 3rd-6th grade
$8.00 (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)
Silver Hand
Song of Albion #2
by Stephen R. Lawhead
1st edition from Lion Publishing
Celtic Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Sphinx at Dawn
by Madeleine L'Engle
1st edition from Seabury Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Squire's Quest
Squire's Tales Book 9
by Gerald Morris
1st edition from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Stories of King Arthur's Knights Told to the Children
by George MacDonald
from T.C. & E.C. Jack
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
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