Best Adventure Books for Kids

This middle-grade survival fiction series begins with a teenage boy who is the sole survivor of a small plane crash and must survive alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a hatchet. The series follows his survival and its aftermath across multiple books, and is known for its unflinching detail, emotional honesty, and deeply immersive portrayal of what it takes to stay alive in the wild.

This five-book young adult science fiction and fantasy series follows the children of a family of scientists across several generations as they travel through time and space — tessering across dimensions, visiting alien worlds, and confronting the nature of good and evil on a cosmic scale. The series begins with one of the most beloved children's novels of the twentieth century and is known for its unusual blend of science, theology, and deeply human emotional themes.

This five-book middle-grade fantasy series is set in a modern America where the ancient Greek gods are still very much alive and active, and follows a twelve-year-old boy who discovers he is the son of one of the Olympians and is drawn into a conflict between gods that threatens to start a world war. The series is fast-paced, funny, and packed with Greek mythology adapted for contemporary readers, and launched one of the most successful franchises in modern children's publishing.