Travel the world, explore new realms you've only dreamed of, or get a glimpse of what might await on snowy mountain tops, scorching desserts or in the wilderness. Explore the world with some of our favorite adventure stories for school-age children.
Have An Adventure
Compiled by:
Children's Services Staff
Picture Books and Younger Elementary
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Montijo)
Series: Gum Girl; 1
When Mom issues a no-gum rule, Gabby Gomez sneaks a piece of special bubble gum that turns her into a superhero. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Osborne)
Series: Magic tree house series: book 1
*This item also available on Libby and CloudLibrary. Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs. Recommended for ages 6–9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Flat Pen)
Series: Flat Stanley's worldwide adventures: book 1
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. Hoping to escape the attention brought on by the accident that flattened Stanley, the Lambchop family drives to South Dakota, where they become involved in a wild west adventure at Mt. Rushmore. Recommended for ages 6-9.
Older Elementary
(Juvenile Fiction - J Colfer)
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. In the late 19th century, when Conor Broekhart discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king, he is branded a traitor, imprisoned, and forced to mine for diamonds while he plans a daring escape from Little Saltee prison by way of a flying machine of his own invention. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Larson)
Series: Larson, Kirby. Audacity Jones ; 1.
*This item also available on Hoopla (audiobook). In 1910, Audacity Jones is an eleven-year-old orphan living a monotonous life at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls, and wondering why nothing exciting ever happens--but when the mysterious Commodore Crutchfield whisks her away to Washington D.C., she finds herself involved in a sinister and dangerous plot against the president of the United States. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Murdock)
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. Bullied and marginalized because of the hump on his back and his tendency to talk to animals, Boy is engaged as a servant to a shadowy pilgrim who takes him on an expedition across Europe to steal seven religious artifacts from dangerous enemies. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels - J-GN Sell Cardboard Kingdom)
*This item also available on Libby. Follows the adventures of a group of neighborhood children who make costumes from cardboard and use their imagination to create adventures with knights, robots, and monsters. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Older)
Series: Dactyl Hill Squad; 1
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. During the Civil War, orphan Magdalys Roca is just trying to survive, but when she receives a letter telling her that her brother Montez is wounded, she is determined to reach him and her ability to communicate telepathically with dinosaurs may help. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Waldren)
Series: H.I.V.E. : Higher Institute of Villainous Education: book 1
Swept away to a hidden academy for training budding evil geniuses, Otto, a brilliant orphan, Wing, a sensitive warrior, Laura, a shy computer specialist, and Shelby, an infamous jewel thief, plot to beat the odds and escape the prison known as H.I.V.E. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Vernon)
Series: Hamster Princess; 1
*This item also available on Libby. Never a conventional princess, Harriet becomes an adventurer after learning she is cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her twelfth birthday, but after two years of slaying ogres, cliff-diving, and more with her riding quail, Mumfrey, things go awry at home and she must seek a prince to set things right. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Tarshis)
Series: I survived
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla (audiobook). During the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, one boy struggles to escape. Can he survive the most devastating disaster of ancient times? Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Gutman)
Series: Genius Files: book 1
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Philbri)
*This item also available on Libby (audiobook). Twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, has extraordinary adventures after running away from his evil uncle to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Stewart)
*This item also available on Libby and CloudLibrary. After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. Recommended for ages 9–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Vanderp)
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. Odyssey-like adventure of two boys' incredible quest on the Appalachian Trail where they deal with pirates, buried secrets, and extraordinary encounters. Recommended for ages 9-12+.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Timberl)
*This item also available on Libby (audiobook) and CloudLibrary. In 1871 Wisconsin, thirteen-year-old Georgia sets out to find her sister Agatha, presumed dead when remains are found with the dress she was last seen wearing. Before the end of the year, Georgia gains fame as a sharpshooter and foiler of counterfeiters. Recommended for ages 9–12+.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels - J Hale)
*This item also available on Libby. In this Old West retelling, Rapunzel uses her hair as a lasso to take on outlaws. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Dicamil)
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess and devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Brown)
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants. Recommended for ages 9-12.