“What are the best Childrens Adventure books?” We looked at 180 of the top Kids Adventure books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 7 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Children’s Adventure” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 150+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Lists It Appears On:
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
Lists It Appears On:
A feisty young boy fakes his own death to escape his abusive father and heads off down the Mississippi River with his newfound friend Jim, a runaway slave.
Lists It Appears On:
This timeless classic, made world-famous partly by the 1967 animated Disney film adaptation, is now available in a handsome new package featuring a new Afterword. Presents the adventures of Mowgli, a boy reared by a pack of wolves, and the wild animals of the jungle, and includes other short stories set in India.
Lists It Appears On:
Records the courage and self-reliance of an Indian girl who lived alone for eighteen years on an isolated island off the California coast when her tribe emigrated and she was left behind.
Lists It Appears On:
A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father’s stories and singing, and share special occasions when they get together with relatives or neighbors.
Lists It Appears On:
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart’s desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.
Lists It Appears On:
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents’ divorce.
# | Books | Author | Lists |
8 | A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee | Oars | |
9 | A Nest Is Noisy | Science Friday | |
10 | A Series of Very Unfortunate Monsters; Oh The Places They’ll Go | Halimah Bint David | Goodreads |
11 | A Series of Very Unfortunate Monsters; Santa Clause, His Elves and A Tooth Fairy Too! | Halimah Bint David | Goodreads |
12 | Alex Rider Boxed Set, #1-6 (Alex Rider #1-6) | Anthony Horowitz | Goodreads |
13 | Alibi Junior High | Greg Logsted | Goodreads |
14 | Animal Architects: Amazing Animals Who Build Their Homes | Science Friday | |
15 | Animal Tracks Activity Book | Adventure Publications | |
16 | Animals Are Delicious | Science Friday | |
17 | Assassin? (Jimmy Coates, #1) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
18 | Baby Bear Discovers the World | Adventure Publications | |
19 | Bayou Magic | Imagination Soup | |
20 | Bears of Blue River | Charles Major | Outdoor Life |
21 | Bears on Hemlock Mountain | Alice Dalgliesh | Outdoor Life |
22 | Bird Log Kids | Adventure Publications | |
23 | Blackout (Jimmy Coates, #7) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
24 | Bounty Hunter | S.J. Hollis | Goodreads |
25 | BRAT and the Kids of Warriors | Michael Joseph Lyons | Goodreads |
26 | Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild | Read Brightly | |
27 | Captains Courageous | Rudyard Kipling | Goodreads |
28 | Catnapped! Puppy Pirates | Imagination Soup | |
29 | Constellations Activity Book | Adventure Publications | |
30 | Crossing the Line (The Raven Files) | Imagination Soup | |
31 | Dangerous Times (Nathan Fox, #1) | L. Brittney | Goodreads |
32 | Dark Territory (The Tracks, #1) | J. Gabriel Gates | Goodreads |
33 | Darwen Arkwright and The Peregrine Pact | A.J. Hartley | Barnes And Noble |
34 | Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling | Imagination Soup | |
35 | Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior | Imagination Soup | |
36 | Dio-Mike and the T.Rex Attack | Imagination Soup | |
37 | Downriver | Oars | |
38 | Edge of Extinction The Ark Plan | Imagination Soup | |
39 | Extreme Adventures series | Imagination Soup | |
40 | Ferno the Fire Dragon (Beast Quest #1) | Imagination Soup | |
41 | Floppers & Loppers | Adventure Publications | |
42 | Flying heroes | Adrian Schafer | Goodreads |
43 | From The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler | E.L. Konigsburg | Barnes And Noble |
44 | Fromage (Fromage, #1) | Kathleen Donovan | Goodreads |
45 | Ghost Crown (The Tracks, #2) | J. Gabriel Gates | Goodreads |
46 | Grand Canyon | Science Friday | |
47 | Hafren: A Fantasy for the Young at Heart | Craig W. Dressler | Goodreads |
48 | High Rhulain (Redwall, #18) | Brian Jacques | Goodreads |
49 | I Am the Mission | Imagination Soup | |
50 | Inkdeath (Inkworld, #3) | Cornelia Funke | Goodreads |
51 | Inkheart (Inkworld, #1) | Cornelia Funke | Goodreads |
52 | Inkspell (Inkworld, #2) | Cornelia Funke | Goodreads |
53 | Into the Wild | Jon Krakauer | Goodreads |
54 | Ivy and Bean | Imagination Soup | |
55 | Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx | James Rollins | Goodreads |
56 | Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow | James Rollins | Goodreads |
57 | Johnny Hangtime | Imagination Soup | |
58 | Julie of the Wolves | Read Brightly | |
59 | Jungle Book | Ruyard Kipling | Outdoor Life |
60 | Just So Stories | Rudyard Kipling | Goodreads |
61 | Killer Species | Imagination Soup | |
62 | Kim | Rudyard Kipling | Goodreads |
63 | Kingdom Keepers series | Imagination Soup | |
64 | League of the Lost Fountain | Jason Born | Goodreads |
65 | Little Brother (Little Brother, #1) | Cory Doctorow | Goodreads |
66 | Lord of the Flies | William Golding | Outdoor Life |
67 | Lots: The Diversity of Life on Earth | Science Friday | |
68 | M Is for Mama’s Boy (NERDS, #2) | Michael Buckley | Goodreads |
69 | Middleworld (Jaguar Stones, #1) | J&P Voelkel | Goodreads |
70 | Mr. Tucket (The Tucket Adventures, #1) | Gary Paulsen | Goodreads |
71 | Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH | Robert C. O’Brien | Barnes And Noble |
72 | My First Travel Angelic Airline Adventures | Anna Othitis | Goodreads |
73 | Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion | Imagination Soup | |
74 | Nature Log Kids | Adventure Publications | |
75 | NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (NERDS, #1) | Michael Buckley | Goodreads |
76 | Nick and Tesla’s Solar-Powered Showdown | Imagination Soup | |
77 | Nightmares! | Imagination Soup | |
78 | Nim’s Island (Nim #1) | Wendy Orr | Goodreads |
79 | Nina Beana and the Owenroake Treasure Hunters | M.K. McDaniel | Goodreads |
80 | No Summit out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits | Oars | |
81 | Oasis | Jim Harrison | Goodreads |
82 | Old Yeller | Fred Gipson | Outdoor Life |
83 | One Day on our Blue Planet…in the Rainforest | Science Friday | |
84 | Operation Redwood | Oars | |
85 | Oracles of Delphi Keep (Oracles of Delphi Keep, #1) | Victoria Laurie | Goodreads |
86 | Paddle-to-the-Sea | Oars | |
87 | Pathfinder (Pathfinder, #1) | Orson Scott Card | Goodreads |
88 | Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes (Peter Nimble #1) | Jonathan Auxier | Goodreads |
89 | Pilfer Academy: a School So Bad It’s Criminal | Imagination Soup | |
90 | Power (Jimmy Coates, #6) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
91 | Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System | Science Friday | |
92 | Quest for the Secret Keeper (Oracles of Delphi Keep, #3) | Victoria Laurie | Goodreads |
93 | Raven Boy (Book 1 & 2) | Kateryna Kei | Goodreads |
94 | Recipe for Adventure #1 Naples! | Imagination Soup | |
95 | Revenge (Jimmy Coates, #3) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
96 | Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot The Voodoo Vultures from Venus | Imagination Soup | |
97 | Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Defoe | Outdoor Life |
98 | Rocket Science for Babies | Science Friday | |
99 | Rube Goldberg’s Simple Normal Humdrum School Day | Science Friday | |
100 | Sabotage (Jimmy Coates, #4) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
101 | Seaborne: The Lost Prince | Imagination Soup | |
102 | Seefer Elliot and the Darkness Within (Seefer Elliot, #2) | Pat Mallon | Goodreads |
103 | Seefer Elliot and the World Aside Ours (Seefer Elliot, #1) | Pat Mallon | Goodreads |
104 | Shadow Train (The Tracks, #3) | J. Gabriel Gates | Goodreads |
105 | Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper (Simon Bloom, #1) | Michael Reisman | Goodreads |
106 | Some Babies Are Wild | Adventure Publications | |
107 | Stone Fox | John Reynolds Gardiner | Outdoor Life |
108 | Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1) | Anthony Horowitz | Goodreads |
109 | Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel (Alex Rider: The Graphic Novels, #1) | Antony Johnston | Goodreads |
110 | Surrounded by Sharks | Imagination Soup | |
111 | Survival (Jimmy Coates, #5) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
112 | Surviving Desert View (Kids vs. Nature, #2) | Karl Steam | Goodreads |
113 | Surviving Horse Island (Kids vs. Nature, #3) | Karl Steam | Goodreads |
114 | Surviving Moose Lake (Kids vs. Nature, #1) | Karl Steam | Goodreads |
115 | Swiss Family Robinson | Johann David Wyss | Outdoor Life |
116 | Target (Jimmy Coates, #2) | Joe Craig | Goodreads |
117 | The 5th Wave | Imagination Soup | |
118 | The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
119 | The Berenstain Bears Blaze a Trail | Oars | |
120 | The Black Stallion (The Black Stallion, #1) | Walter Farley | Goodreads |
121 | The Book of Wonders | Jasmine Richards | Goodreads |
122 | The Bully and the Leprechaun | Richard J. Ward | Goodreads |
123 | The Call of the Wild and White Fang | Read Brightly | |
124 | The Camping Trip that Changed America | Oars | |
125 | The Cheerleaders of Doom (NERDS, #3) | Michael Buckley | Goodreads |
126 | The Cross of Lead (Crispin series #1) | Avi | Barnes And Noble |
127 | The Curse of Deadman’s Forest (Oracles of Delphi Keep, #2) | Victoria Laurie | Goodreads |
128 | The Cutest Critter | Adventure Publications | |
129 | The Demigod Files | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
130 | The Dragon’s Tooth (Ashtown Burials, #1) | N.D. Wilson | Goodreads |
131 | The End of the World Club (Jaguar Stones, #2) | Jon Voelkel | Goodreads |
132 | The Fixer | Imagination Soup | |
133 | The Grey Ghost: The Shadow that Walks #1 | Nicholas Cara | Goodreads |
134 | The Gumazing Gum Girl! | Imagination Soup | |
135 | The Hampton Summit | Mike Dunbar | Goodreads |
136 | The Haunted Abbey | Richard J. Ward | Goodreads |
137 | The Hermit and the Time Machine | Richard J. Ward | Goodreads |
138 | The Hobbit or There and Back Again | J.R.R. Tolkien | Goodreads |
139 | The Influxitron (Captain Disaster, #1) | Del Shannon | Goodreads |
140 | The Invention of Hugo Cabret | Brian Selznick | Barnes And Noble |
141 | The Invisible Tower (Otherworld Chronicles, #1) | Nils Johnson-Shelton | Goodreads |
142 | The Land of Stories series #1), | Barnes And Noble | |
143 | The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
144 | The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
145 | The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3) | J.R.R. Tolkien | Goodreads |
146 | The Lost Gate (Mither Mages, #1) | Orson Scott Card | Goodreads |
147 | The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
148 | The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane | Kate DiCamillo | Barnes And Noble |
149 | The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail | Imagination Soup | |
150 | The Neverending Story | Michael Ende | Barnes And Noble |
151 | The Pearls of Lutra (Redwall, #9) | Brian Jacques | Goodreads |
152 | The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Michael Vey #1) | Imagination Soup | |
153 | The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, #1) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
154 | The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
155 | The Secret of Platform 13 | Eva Ibbotson | Barnes And Noble |
156 | The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
157 | The Star of Kazan | Eva Ibbotson | Barnes And Noble |
158 | The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder | Science Friday | |
159 | The Taggerung (Redwall, #14) | Brian Jacques | Goodreads |
160 | The Throne of Fire (The Kane Chronicles, #2) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
161 | The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3) | Rick Riordan | Goodreads |
162 | The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones | Imagination Soup | |
163 | The Wild Robot | Oars | |
164 | The Wind in the Willows | Read Brightly | |
165 | The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories series #1) | Chris Colfer | Barnes And Noble |
166 | The Yearling | Read Brightly | |
167 | The Zombie Chasers | Imagination Soup | |
168 | Thunder (Thunder: An Elephant’s Journey, #1) | Erik Daniel Shein | Goodreads |
169 | Tiger Rising | Read Brightly | |
170 | Tikta’liktak: An Inuit-Eskimo Legend | Read Brightly | |
171 | Tikta’ Liktak | James M. Houston | Outdoor Life |
172 | To Catch a Cheat | Imagination Soup | |
173 | Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | Goodreads |
174 | Tulku | Peter Dickinson | Goodreads |
175 | Two Little Savages | Oars | |
176 | We’re Going on a Bear Hunt | Oars | |
177 | Welcome to Wonderland Home Sweet Motel | Imagination Soup | |
178 | White Fang | Jack London | Outdoor Life |
179 | Whose Butt? | Adventure Publications | |
180 | Yellowstone & Grand Teton Activity Book | Adventure Publications |
Source | Article |
Adventure Publications | Top 10 Best Children’s Books from Adventure |
Barnes And Noble | 10 Adventure Books That Should Be In Every Kid’s Library |
Goodreads | Best Kid’s Action/Adventure Books |
Imagination Soup | Adventure Books for Kids |
Oars | 15 of the Best Outdoor Books for Kids |
Outdoor Life | The 16 Best Fiction Adventure Books Every Outdoor Kid Should Read |
Read Brightly | 14 Books That Teach Children to Be Adventurous |
Science Friday | Ten Awesome Science Books For Curious Kids |
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