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Boys seek adventure. It’s a longing that lives deep inside them.
For my boy his heart is constantly calling for a mountain to climb, a forest to explore, and a challenge to meet.
And, a great book can do that for those sweet boy hearts.
Below I’ve listed adventure books for boys that we have read together as read alouds. And, also ones that would be good for boys to read independently. All with my 11-year-old adventure seeking boy’s approval. I tried to only list our absolute favorites, so the list is not long, but instead is quality books we highly recommend. Many are part of a series and if so, I also linked to the full series.
Most of these stories are for boys 9 and up. Especially, if they’re reading on their own. But, children can understand far above their own reading level, so reading any of these aloud to a child who is interested would work well. If you have an adventuring outdoor boy like I do you should also check out the Outdoor Boy’s Booklist.
Reading to my son is one of the best things I did for him when he was struggling with reading at about the age of 9. He wanted to hear all of these stories, but most often it was before he was able to successfully read them on his own.
And, just to be perfectly clear, I loved the adventure in all of these stories too. I believe C.S. Lewis said it best and I wholeheartedly agree.
“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
―
Adventure Books for Boys
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
This is the origin story to the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. You will be introduced to Jadis the Ice Queen and her dying world with the cool red sun. It’s a little creepy and a lot exciting. Everything a boy will love.
The Chronicles of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis
There are so many other great adventures to have in Narnia, from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to A Horse and His Boy. You can’t go wrong with any of the stories in this classic and fantastic series.
Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
This is one book we’ve read several times. I mean can you imagine if your toys really came to life? And, then they took you on amazing adventures?! This book is part of a series, but the first is definitely our favorite. We’ve also read The Return of the Indian and The Secret of the Indian.
Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol
Did you read Encyclopedia Brown books growing up? They were some of my absolute favorites! And, one of the first series I bought my son as a step-up from the Magic Tree House Series.
The series is about boy detective Leroy Brown, otherwise known as Encyclopedia Brown. Each book provides multiple mysteries that your child can solve along with Encyclopedia, with the answers provided in the back, so they can check to see if they’ve solved it correctly. That was always the fun part for me!
The stories provide interesting mysteries, problem-solving, opportunities to improve attention to detail and of course fun. My son was comfortably reading these books in 4th grade and loving them.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
This is one of those books that we saw the movie of before we read the book. And, of course, the book was better as it provided more details to the story.
After 200 years the city of Ember is beginning to die. The lights are flickering and the blackouts are getting longer each time. The fate of the city lies in the hands of two children and how well they can decipher the clues that will lead them out of the city.
The City of Ember Series by Jeanne DuPrau
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
I have read this book several times to my son, even though he’s old enough to read it on his own. It’s just that good! It follows Kendra and Seth, brother and sister, as they spend a summer at their grandparents home in Connecticut. They find out some amazing magical secrets about their grandparent’s home over the summer. It’s filled with mysteries to solve, plot twists, and crazy adventures your child will love.
Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull
Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull
This is the first book in the continuing series of the original Fablehaven books. It follows Seth and Kendra on another great adventure. This book was as good as we hoped and if you like Fablehaven you’ll really enjoy this new series.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
This is the first book in the Harry Potter Series. It’s where Harry finds out he’s a wizard, where he begins his years of school at Hogwarts, and where he goes on the first of his wild and magical adventures. My son says the second book, The Chamber of secrets, is his favorite. But, why not read them all? The series is 7 books long and packed full of magical adventures.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is a classic tale that shouldn’t be missed. Gandalf the magician and a group of adventure seeking dwarves convince the hobbit, Bilbo, to join them on a journey to face the dragon Smaug and reclaim their lost fortune and home. The book takes you on a literal adventure, where you’ll meet monsters, giants, follow a map to the treasure, and have to solve a riddle to find a secret entrance to reach the end of the journey.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Lightning Theif is the first in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan. The fourth book in the series, The Battle of the Labyrinth is his absolute favorite. But, you cannot go wrong with these books. They are by far the most read books my son owns. I have read the series to him, but he continues to read and reread these books. The bindings are broken and the covers are tattered and torn on every single one, which I love to see. It means he’s spending so much time reading that he’s actually wearing the books out.
The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus Series Book #1) by Rick Riordan
This is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus Series. In this sequel series to Percy Jackson, your child will meet the Roman counterparts of the Mythical Greek Gods. And, learn even more ancient mythological history as Percy works to once again save Olympus.
The Apollo Trials, Book 1 by Rick Riordan
This is a new series by Rick Riordan chronicling the adventures of Apollo the mythical Sun God. Apollo has been turned mortal and sent to earth by his father Zeus as punishment. Now, he must face trials to gain back his God status and go home to Olympus. The series continues with Book two: Dark Prophecy and Book three: The Burning Maze.
Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1 by Mary Pope Osborne
There are so many retellings of the famous stories in the Odyssey, but this series of books by the author of the Magic Tree House books is perfect for younger readers. They get all the adventure of the stories without the reading level being beyond them. There are 4 books in this Tales of the Odyssey series.
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
Meet Wart, the boy who has no idea who he really is or that he will grow up to be King Arthur. In this fun adventure story, he is tutored by Merlyn and taught to transform into different animals. He even meets up with Robin Hood and of course eventually pulls a sword from a stone.
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What are your favorite adventure books?
Let me know in the comments.
Heidi
