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
67 Items found Print
Active Filters: Realistic Fiction, Hardcover
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Illustrated Junior Library Series 4
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.95
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Illustrated Junior Library Series 3
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Books of Wonder
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Illustrated Junior Library Series 4
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Troy Howell
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
from International Collectors Library
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Norman Rockwell
from Heritage Press
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Illustrated Junior Library Series 3
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Books of Wonder
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Barry Moser
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Ted Lewin
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Kamil Lohták
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Worth Brehm
from Harper & Brothers
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer / Tom Sawyer Abroad / Tom Sawyer, Detective
by Mark Twain
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Alexi's Secret Mission
by Anita Deyneka
from School of Tomorrow
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Banner in the Sky
by James Ramsey Ullman
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Black Stallion
by Walter Farley
from Junior Deluxe Editions
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink, illustrated by Kate Seredy
from Macmillan
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$19.99
Call of the Wild
G&D Famous Dog Stories
by Jack London
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Camel Caravan
by Arthur Catherall, illustrated by Joseph Papin
from Seabury Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Captains Courageous
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Classic Library: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
from Smithmark Publishers
for 6th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Drumbeats in Williamsburg
by Isabelle Lawrence
from Rand McNally
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Emil and the Detectives
by Erich Kästner
1st edition from Barnes & Noble
for 4th-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
37th printing from Atheneum
for 4th-6th grade
1968 Newbery Medal Winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
35th Anniversary Edition from Atheneum
Mystery/Suspense for 4th-7th grade
1968 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Golden Cup
by Isabelle Lawrence, illustrated by Charles V. John
from Bobbs-Merril Co
for 7th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Journey to the River Sea
by Eva Ibbotson
First Edition from Dutton Juvenile
for 5th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Kings Mountain
by G. Clifton Wisler
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Long Walk to Water
by Linda Sue Park
from Clarion Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Moccasin Trail
Puffin Newbery Library
by Eloise J. McGraw
9th impression from Coward McCann
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1953 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
by E. L. Konigsburg
1st edition from Atheneum
for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Nine Man Tree
by Robert Newton Peck
from Random House
for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
On the Far Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
from Dutton Children's Books
Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Outlaw Red
G&D Famous Dog Stories
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Prisoners in the Snow
by Arthur Catherall
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
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)
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)
Snow Dog
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Holiday House
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Snow Dog
G&D Famous Dog Stories
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Storyteller's Beads
by Jane Kurtz, Michael Bryant
1st edition from Gulliver Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Swallowdale
Swallows and Amazons #2
by Arthur Ransome
from Jonathan Cape
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Illustrated Junior Library Series 4
by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston and illustrated by Lynd Ward
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Stories/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann David Wyss, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Rainbow Classics
by Johann David Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston and illustrated by Jeanne Edwards
from World Publishing Company
for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston and illustrated by Lynd Ward
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Children's Classics
by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston, and illustrated by T.H. Robinson, Milo Winter, and Louis Rhead
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston and illustrated by Lynd Ward
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Illustrated Junior Library Series 3
by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston and illustrated by Lynd Ward
from Grosset & Dunlap
Realistic Stories/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann Wyss, Illustrated by T.H. Robinson
from Barnes & Noble
for 4th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Swiss Family Robinson
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Johann Wyss, translated by W.H.G. Kingston and illustrated by Lynd Ward
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-9th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Swiss Family Robinson
Everyman Children's Classics
by Johann Wyss, illustrated by Louis Rhead
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Realistic Stories/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann Wyss, illustrated by David Gentleman
from Heritage Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann Wyss
ca 1920 from Hurst Publishing
for 4th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann Wyss, translated by David Clarke and illustrated by Charles Folkard
from J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Swiss Twins
by Lucy Fitch Perkins
from Walker and Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Trumpeter of Krakow
by Eric P. Kelly, illustrated by Angela Pruszynska
from Macmillan
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1929 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
1st edition from Greenwillow Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Wonderstruck
by Brian Selznick
First Edition from Scholastic Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$29.99