Joan
Aiken- Dangerous
Games
Dido Twite travels to Aratu, a spice island where foreigners rarely go
because of the deadly snakes and monkeys. But Dido soon realizes that there’s
something much more sinister on the island than those creatures.
Grades 5+
Lloyd
Alexander- Westmark
In the Kingdom of Westmark, a young boy fleeing for his life joins forces
with 3 mysterious companions.
Grades 5+
Isaac Asimov-
Fantastic
Voyage
Five people in a miniaturized
submarine have one hour to travel through a man’s circulatory system to
save his life.
Grades 6+
Avi-
Beyond
the Western Sea
Three teenagers, escaping the Irish famine, share cliff-hanging adventures
amidst a cast of colorful characters.
Grades 5+
Avi-
Captain Grey
After the Revolutionary War, a young boy is captured by a band of
ruthless pirates.
Grades 5+
Avi-
The True Confessions of Charlotte
Doyle
In 1832, thirteen year old Charlotte Doyle is the only passenger aboard the
sinister ship Seahawk where she is accused of murder and found guilty.
Grades 5+
Lynn Reid
Banks- Harry
the Poisonous Centipede
Harry is a curious young centipede who gets himself into trouble when he
disobeys his mother and makes the forbidden trip into the dangerous world of
humans.
Grades 3 – 4
Malcolm Bosse-
The Examination
Two brothers, a scholar and an adventurer, face many perils as they journey
through sixteenth century China.
Grades 6+
Bill Brittain-
My Buddy, the King: A Novel
When King Tokab of Mokobway is saved from choking on a frankfurter by Tim
Quilt, they become fast friends and together outwit a plot to do in the
king.
Grades 4—6
Eve
Bunting- SOS
Titanic
Four Irish children, rich and poor, sail on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Grades 4+
Sheila Burnford-
The Incredible Journey
Two dogs and a cat set off on a 250 mile trek through the Canadian
wilderness in order to return to their beloved owners.
Grades 5+
Arthur Catherall-
Kidnapped by Accident
A brother and sister’s collision with a yacht begins a three day adventure
in Finland.
Grades 5+
Vera & Bill
Cleaver- Where
the Lilies Bloom
In the Appalachians, a 14 year old girl has to care for her younger brother
while keeping their father’s death a secret. Can they survive the winter?
Grades 4+
Susan Cooper-
The Dark is Rising
The cosmic struggle between good and evil plays itself out in modern day
England and Wales, when ancient myths come to life. The second book in The
Dark is Rising series.
Grades 5+
Alice Dalgliesh-
The Courage of Sarah Noble
An 8 year old colonial girl goes with her father to build a new home in the
Connecticut wilderness. She must find the courage to stay alone when her
father goes back to bring the rest of the family.
Grades 2 – 4
Cynthia DeFelice-
Weasel
Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father is
recovering from an injury, 11 year-old Nathan runs afoul of the renegade
killer known as Weasel.
Grades 5+
Peter
Dickinson- Tulku
A thirteen year old boy escapes slaughter by the Boxers in China and
travels to Tibet.
Grades 5 +
Alexandre
Dumas-
The Count of Monte Cristo
The classic French novel about false imprisonment, escape and revenge.
Grades 6+
Sid Fleischman-
Chancy and the Grand Rascal
Ohio River adventure before the Civil War– exciting and humorous.
Grades 5+
Sid Fleischman-
The Whipping Boy
A bratty prince and his whipping boy change places after becoming involved
with dangerous outlaws. 1987 Newbery Award Winner.
Grades 3 – 5
Monica
Furlong- Robin’s Country
A mute orphan boy, with only shadowy recollections of his past, runs away
from his cruel master and eventually joins Robin Hood and his followers in
their forest hideaway.
Grades 5+
Leon
Garfield- Young Nick and Jubilee
Two orphans try to survive by their wits on the streets of nineteenth
century London.
Grades 4 +
Jean Craighead
George- Julie
of the Wolves
While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen year old
Eskimo girl becomes lost and is befriended by a wolf pack.
Grades 5+
Judith Gorog-
Winning Scheherazade
After being released from her position as storyteller and doomed bride of
the sultan, Scheherazade finds herself on a dangerous adventure in the
desert.
Grades 5+
Charles Boardman
Hawes- The
Dark Frigate
The classic story of Philip Marsham, an English sailor, pirate and soldier.
Grades 6+
Sid
Hite- The
Distance of Hope
Yeshe Anger, the nearly blind heir to the throne of Padma, undertakes a
dangerous journey to find the legend who may restore his sight.
Grades 5+
Will
Hobbs- Ghost Canoe
Clues to a lost treasure and mysterious footprints lead a 14 year old boy to
suspect that all did not die in a nearby shipwreck off the Washington coast.
Grades 5+
Felice
Holman- Slakes
Limbo
Desperate and harassed to the breaking point, Slake decides to live in the
New York City subway.
Grades 5+
Kathleen
Karr- Skullduggery
In 1839, 12 year old Matthew’s job as an assistant to Dr. Cornwall takes
him up and down the Eastern Seaboard and Europe, where together they rob
graves and try to find out who is following them and why.
Grades 5+
Carol
Kendall- The Gammage Cup
A handful of Minnipins are exiled from their isolated mountain valley
community only to discover that their ancient enemies are planning an
attack.
Grades 5+
Richard
Kennedy- Amy’s
Eyes
An indescribable adventure book for thoughtful fantasy readers. A doll comes
alive, and a girl becomes a doll for a great adventure on the high seas.
Grades 6+
Iain
Lawrence- The Wreckers
Shipwrecked after a vicious storm, 14 year old John Spencer attempts to save
his father and himself while dealing with the evil people in the English
coastal town where they are stranded.
Grades 6+
Madeleine L’Engle-
The Arm of the Starfish
A young marine biologist becomes involved in intrigue and the disappearance
of a young girl in this tale of danger.
Grades 6+
Jack
London- The Call of the Wild
During the Klondike Gold Rush, a sled dog escapes captivity to become a
leader of a wolf pack and a legend of the North.
Grades 5+
Ben Mikaelson-
Sparrow Hawk Red
Thirteen year old Ricky tries to avenge his mother’s murder by crossing
into Mexico to steal a high-tech radar plane.
Grades 5+
Hilary
Milton- Mayday! Mayday!
After their plane crashes on a mountainside, two injured friends try to get
help for their badly injured parents
Grades 5+
Michael Morpurgo-
King of the Cloud Forests
A 14 year old boy, trying to escape into India, becomes trapped in a Tibetan
blizzard where he is rescued by a tribe of the legendary Yeti.
Grades 4+
Farley Mowat-
Lost in the Barrens
Two boys become stranded in the dangerous forests of Northern Canada.
Grades 6+
Andre
Norton- Steel
Magic
Fantasy adventure as three young Americans help to recover the lost
treasures of Avalon: Arthur’s sword, Merlin’s ring, and Huon’s horn.
Grades 5+
Scott O’Dell-
Island of the Blue Dolphins
In this fact-based story, a Native American girl is accidentally left behind
on her island home where she lives alone for many years.
Grades 5+
Mary Pope
Osborne- The
Magic Tree House Series
8 year old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a Magic Tree House, which
whisks them back to a variety of times and places.
Grades 1 - 3
Bjorn Konow Paulsson-
Blind Landing
A Norwegian fighter pilot risks his life to help an injured pilot land his
damaged plane.
Grades 5 +
Gary
Paulsen- Hatchet
When his plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, 13 year old Brian is left
alone with only a hatchet to help him survive.
Grades 4+
Gary
Paulsen- The Voyage of the Frog
Alone on a 22 foot sailboat, 14 year old David survives a nine day sea
ordeal.
Grades 4+
P. J.
Petersen- White
Water
When their father is bitten by a rattlesnake on a white water rafting trip,
two young brothers must steer him and
their raft to safety.
Grades 5+
Joan Phipson-
When the City Stopped
An Australian brother and sister try to flee their deserted and dangerous
city home.
Grades 6+
Arthur
Roth- The
Iceberg Hermit
Shipwrecked in 1757 on an iceberg with only a polar cub for companionship,
17 year old Allan begins a seemingly hopeless struggle for survival.
Grades 5+
Marian Rumsey-
Carolina Hurricane
A twelve year old boy and his dog face a hurricane when they are stranded on
an island off the coast of South Carolina.
Grades 5+
Louis Sachar-
Holes
As further evidence of his family’s bad fortune, Stanley Yelnats is sent
to a correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real
friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Grades 5+
Zilpha Keatley
Snyder- Song
of the Gargoyle
When mysterious men abduct his father, 13 year old Tymmon runs away to the
forest where he meets a strange animal companion and plots to rescue his
father.
Grades 5+
Armstrong
Sperry-
Call It Courage
A Polynesian boy overcomes his terrible fear of the sea. Newbery Medal
winner.
Grades 4+
Robert Louis
Stevenson- Treasure
Island
Join Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins on this incredible journey from the
high seas to Treasure Island. The classic adventure story of all time!
Grades 5+
Rosemary Sutcliff-
The Shining Company
Set in early Britain, this novel tells the story of a young man who
confronts the enemy Saxons.
Grades 5 +
Ann Turnbull-
The Wolf King
A young bronze-age boy sets out to kill the Wolf King, a mysterious figure
who controls a wolf pack that has been raiding the local villages.
Grades 5+
Megan Whalen
Turner- The
Queen of Attolia
Foresaken by the gods and left to his own devices, Eugenides summons all of
his wit and wiles in an attempt to conquer the rival Queen of Attolia.
Grades 6+
Mark
Twain- The
Prince and the Pauper
A king and a poor boy switch places in sixteenth century England.
Grade 5+
Cynthia Voigt-
The Wings of a Falcon
Fourteen year old Oreil and his friend Griff flee the slavery of Damall’s
Island and seek a new life on the mainland.
Grades 6+
Barbara Brooks
Wallace-
Cousins in the Castle
An orphaned English girl, abandoned in turn of the century New York City, is
surrounded by villains, secrecy, and suspense.
Grades 5+
Robb
White- Deathwatch
A college student left in the middle of the desert without clothes, food or
water is hunted by an armed madman.
Grades 6+
Many of the above titles are also available
in paperback editions.
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more booklists
Look for these and other
great books in
The Children's Library
Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412/531-1913 1.01
www.mtlebanonlibrary.org