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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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 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's Filly Black Stallion #8 by Walter Farley from Random House Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman from Henry Holt and Company for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry 1963 printing from Macmillan for 2nd-6th grade 1941 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Canterbury Tales Selected, translated, adapted and illustrated by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman from William Morrow & Company Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $17.50 (1 in stock)
	Caught Missing #05 by Margaret Peterson Haddix from Simon and Schuster for 4th-7th grade in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Cowboy Boots by Shannon Garst from Abingdon-Cokesbury Press for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Danger Downriver by Emmy West and Christine Govan, illustrated by Charles Robinson First Ediition from Viking Press for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (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)
	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) $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)
	Drackenberg Adventure by Lloyd Alexander from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	ECL: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, illustrated by Don Irwin for 3rd-8th grade in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	ECL: Virginian Educator Classic Library #6 by Owen Wister, illustrated by Don Irwin Complete and Unabridged Edition from Classic Press in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	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)
	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)
	Good Comrades by Felix Salten from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Hidden Peril from Cupples & Leon for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Holes with Bonus Material 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)
	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)
	Innocent Voyage or A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes, illustrated by Lynd Ward from Heritage Press for 4th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.00 (2 in stock)
	Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt First Edition (first thus) from MDC Books for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (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)
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George from HarperCollins Adventure for 4th-8th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenherr from HarperCollins Adventure for 4th-8th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Julie's Wolf Pack by Jean Craighead George 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	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)
	Kings Mountain by G. Clifton Wisler 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Land of Williwaws A Story of Adventure in Patagonia and the Falkland Islands by M. I. Ross, illustrated by George M. Richards from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (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) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	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)
	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)
	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)
	Pagemaster by David Kirschner, Ernie Contreras from Turner Publishing, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	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 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 (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)
	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 Read Aloud Edition 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)
	Rockets and Crackers by Alvin M. Westcott, illustrated by Lee Le Blanc from Oddo for 4th-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (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)
	Rush Revere and the First Patriots Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh 1St Edition from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (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)
	Sent Missing #02 by Margaret Peterson Haddix from Simon and Schuster for 4th-7th grade in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $16.99 $8.00 (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)
	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)
	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 Sword Also Published As Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges from Criterion Books for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (3 in stock)
	Son of the Black Stallion by Walter Farley from Random House for 4th-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Son of the Black Stallion by Walter Farley from Random House for 4th-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (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 of Clontarf by Charles A. Brady from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Sword of the Wilderness by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Harve Stein from Macmillan for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger 1971 printing from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade 1925 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Three Times Lucky Mo and Dale Mysteries #1 by Sheila Turnage Reprint from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade 2013 Newbery Honor Book in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O'Dell & Elizabeth Hall from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (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) $6.00 (2 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) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Traitor Among Us by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk from Eerdmans for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Treasure Island Macmillan Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by John Falter from Macmillan for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $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)
	Tunnel of Hugsy Goode by Eleanor Estes, Illustrated by Edward Ardizzone from Harcourt Brace Jovanich for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois from Viking Press for 4th-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (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)
	Wanderer by Sharon Creech 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Well of Sacrifice by Chris Eboch 1^st edition from Clarion Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman 1^st edition from Greenwillow Books for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Wilderness Journey by William O. Steele, illustrated by Paul Galdone from Harcourt, Brace & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	William Shakespeare's Star Wars Trilogy: The Royal Imperial Boxed Set Includes: Verily, a New Hope; The Empire Striketh Back; The Jedi Doth Return William Shakespeare Star Wars by Ian Doescher from Quirk Books for 4th-10th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $47.97 $32.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows Heritage Illustrated Library by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Heritage Press for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $18.00 (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)

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