Action/Adventure


This list contains books that most likely could be classified as falling into this category, either as a main or sub-genre.  (Read my post here to see why I say most likely!)  This was one of the easiest genre lists to make - either a story has action and/or adventure or it doesn't.  You'll find most of these books on other genre lists as well, because there is a lot of action in some historical fiction, fantasy, paranormal, science fiction . . .  you get the picture.  The tags for each book will give you more of an idea.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the review/mini-review if I have one.  Also, see my note about reading and age appropriate levels at the bottom of the list.


A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper (series)
(6.5) (UG) (WWII, family, royalty)

A House Called Awful End by Philip Ardagh (series)
(6.3/6.1/6.6) (MG-) (1800’s, family, humor, adventure)

After the End by Amy Plum (series)
(5.5/5.6) (UG) (family relationships, secrets, supernatural abilities, romance)

Altered by Jennifer Rush (series)
(4.4) (MG+) (genetic experiments, friendship, secrets, survival)

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (series)
(4.6/4.4) (UG) (horror, ghosts, ghost hunters, love)

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (series) *
(4.5/4.1) (UG) (Greek mythology in modern times, friendship, family, action/adventure,  romance) 

Ashfall by Mike Mullin
(5.0) (UG) (volcanic winter, survival, friendship, family relationships, coming of age)

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne
(/) (MG+) (brothers and sisters, special abilities, wild west, Scandanavian immigrants)

Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart (series) *
(4.9/5.4/5.1/5.4/5.7/6.3/6.4/7.2/7.3/7.7) (MG) (orphans, action/adventure, mystery)

Blackout by Robison Wells (series) 
(5.2/5.1) (UG) (teenagers, paranormal abilities, terrorism) 

Boy Nobody/I Am the Weapon (alternate titles) by Allen Zadoff (series)
(3.6) (UG) (assassins, action-adventure, thrillers/suspense)

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
(5.0) (MG-) (orphans, Great Depression, racial injustice, adventure)

Crispin: the Cross of Lead by Avi (series)
(5.0/4.8/4.8) (MG) (Middle Ages, secrets, adventure)

Crusade by Nancy Holder
(5.5) (UG) (vampires, werewolves, magic, vampire hunters)

Dark Energy by Robison Wells
(4.8) (UG) (aliens, boarding school, secrets)

Daughter of the Pirate King by Trisha Levenseller (series)
(4.4/4.6) (UG) (pirates, action-adventure, secrets, family relationships, romance)

Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist *
(/) (MG+) (Wild West, zombies, sibling relationships, coming of age)

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
(5.2) (UG) (kidnapping, murder, experiments)
 
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland *
(/) (UG) (post-Civil War, racism, mother & daughters, friendship, zombies, alternate history)

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross
(5.1) (MG+) (special abilities, friendship, good vs evil)

Enclave by Ann Aguirre (series)
(4.8/5.5/5.9) (MG+) (post-pandemic, friendship, survival, romance)

Eve by Anna Carey (series)
(5.2) (MG+) (Dystopian, romance, action/adventure)

Everlost by Neal Shusterman  (series) *
(5.6/5.9/6.4) (MG) (ghosts, friendship, alternate dimension)

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaimon
(4.3) (MG-) (adventure, humor)

Fortune’s Folly by Deva Fagan *
(5.3) (MG-) (middle ages, family, fairy tales, adventure)

Half Bad by Sally Green (series) *
(4.5/4.5/4.6) (UG) (modern witches, friendship, fathers & sons, persecution, coming of age, *)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (series)
(5.9/6.1/6.4) (UG) (assassins, adventure, romance, court intrigue, Middle Ages)

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (series) 
(4.4/5.3/4.8/4.9/5.7/5.3) (MG+) (aliens, secret powers, survival, adventure)

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (series)
(5.2/4.9/5.4) (UG) (serial killers, family, friendship, fathers & sons)

Icebreaker by Lian Tanner
(5.3) (MG) (dystopian, steampunk, family, orphans, secrets, ships)

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan
(5.0) (survival, revolutions, Central America)


In the Hall of the Dragon King by Stephen Lawhead (series)
(6.6/5.5/7.3) (MG) (knights, magic, quests, adventure)

King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett 
(5.5) (MG+) (ancient Greece, son of Odysseus, adventure, coming of age)

Mark of the Thief  by Jennifer Nielson
(4.6) (MG) (Roman Empire, magic, slavery, friendship)

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner
(4.6) (MG-) (adventure, friendship, fantasy)

Nil by Lynne Matson
(4.2) (MG+) (alternate worlds, survival, adventure, romance)

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
(4.8) (MG+) (paranormal abilities, invisibility, assassins, action, romance)

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Shaeffer  (series)
(/) (UG) (paranormal creatures, survival, black market, ethics)

Partials by Dan Wells (series)
(6.1/6.6/6.3) (UG) (post-apocalyptic, dystopian, super soldiers, mystery, relationships)

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (series)
(6.5) (UG) (time travel, family relationships, romance, action-adventure, secrets, *)

Pulse by Patrick Carman (series)
(5.9/5.8) (MG+) (friendship, dystopian, special abilities) 

Reawakened by Colleen Houk
(6.0) (MG+) (ancient Egyptian deities, secret societies, magic, adventure)

Reboot by Amy Tintera (series)
(4.7/4.9) (MG+) (post-apocalyptic, “zombies”, relationships, identity)

Ruined by Amy Tintera (series)
(4.9) (UG) (fantasy, prince and princes, powers, action/adventure, romance)

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper (series) *
(6.2) (MG+) (1800's, magic, family, secrets, whaling industry, coming of age)

Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen (series)  *
(4.4) (UG) (Robin Hood, Middle Ages, action/adventure, romance)


Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
(5.8) (MG+) (seafaring, girls, revenge, action/adventure, coming of age)

Sea Legs by Alex Shearer
(4.8) (MG) (brothers, pirates, humor, adventure)

Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (series)
(4.4/4.6/5.2) (UG) (adventure, loyalty, abuse, poverty, dystopian)

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier (series)
(5.3/5.7) (MG+) (magic, oppression, rebellion, romance, adventure, Celtic mythology)

Shutter by Courtney Alameda
(MG+) (ghosts, ghost hunting, paranormal abilities, fathers & daughters)

Sidekicked by John Anderson *
(5.4) (MG) (superhero sidekicks, paranormal abilities, friendship)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (series) 
(4.6/5.7/4.9) (UG) (alien invasion, survival, family, friendship, romance) 

(4.3) (MG+) (werewolves, humor, action/adventure)

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman *
(5.5) (UG) (murder, secret societies, mystery) 

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (series)
(5.7/5.9/5.9) (UG) (post-pandemic, friendship, adventure, survival, special abilities)

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
(5.3) (UG) (pirates, curses, reincarnation)


The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (series) *
(4.9/5.2/5.9) (MG +/-) (orphans, siblings, magic, mystery, adventure)

The Fall of Fergal by Philip Ardagh (series)
(6.5/6.3/5.5) (MG-) (family, humor, adventure)

The False Prince by Jennifer Neilsen (series)
(5.1/5.0/5.6) (MG-) (orphans, royalty, mystery, palace intrigue, adventure)

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
(5.2) (UG) (fathers & daughters, time travel, seafaring, Hawaii, 1800’s)

The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett *
(/) (MG-) (Middle Ages, knights, quests, mystery, adventure)

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda (series) 
(5.2/4.8/5.3) (UG) (‘vampires’, secrets, survival) 

The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan
(4.1)(MG) (family, Hawaii, epilepsy, adventure/survival)

The Keeper’s Tattoo by Gill Arbuthnott
(5.3) (MG) (mystery, adventure)

The Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson (series)
(5.5) (UG) (fantasy, royalty, romance, action/adventure, mystery)



(4.3) (MG+) (coming of age, loss, revenge, gold mining)

The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan
(5.0) (MG) (adventure, mystery, dimensional travel)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
(5.3) (MG+) (mystery, confinement, dystopian, survival)

The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis (series)
(5.1/5.2) (MG) (Wild West, sisters) 

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrik
(5.6) (MG+) (Civil War, slavery, brothers, adventure)

The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater
(5.1) (MG-) (family, adventures, mystery, humor)

The Pig Scrolls by Paul Shipton 
(5.5) (MG) (Greek mythology, humor, adventure)

(5.3) (MG+) (vampires, humor, action/adventure)

The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain (series) 
(5.3/5.7) (MG+) (Greek mythology in modern times, family secrets, romance)

The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow by Kaye Umansky (series)
(4.0) (MG-) (adventure, friendship, orphans, Dickens)

The Taking by Kimberly Derting
(5.7) (MG+) (alien abductions)

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
(5.3) (MG) (1800’s, sea voyages, mystery, adventure)

The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts by Avi
(5.8) (MG) (1700’s, highwaymen, England)

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (series)
(5.8) (MG+) (monsters, identity, family relationships, sequel, *)

Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi
(5.2) (MG+) (dystopian, genetic hybrids, survival, action/adventure, loyalty)

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (series)
(4.9) (UG) (malevolent spirits, action/adventure, mystery, secret societies)

Undertow by Michael Buckley (series)
(4.9) (UG) (sea-peoples, action-adventure, survival, conspiracies, romance)

V is for Villain by Peter Moore
(4.8) (MG+) (special abilities, heroes & villains, family, friendship, secrets)

Variant by Robison Wells (series)
(4.5/4.3) (UG) (boarding schools, friendship, survival, mystery)

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan (series)
(?) (UG) (magic, war, orphans, gods, secrets, intrigue)



Note:  Lists are arranged with Title, Author, Reading Level, Age Appropriate Level, and Descriptive Tags.
(Age appropriate level denotes the youngest readers that the book is appropriate for.  That doesn't mean that older readers will not enjoy the book!)

* =  books that I thought were GREAT

UG = upper grades  (contain sex, drugs, and/or very graphic violence; deal with mature subject matter such as rape, prostitution, child abuse, etc. )
MG+ = junior high  (may contain some profanity or sexual references; may deal with subject matter too mature for younger audiences)
MG = 4th through 6th grades (nothing inappropriate for children, but may not keep the interest of younger readers)
MG- = all ages (perfect for bedtime stories or read-alouds, or for precocious readers in the lower grades)

* = LGBTQ themes - characters, situations, or references to same-sex couples

Books included in this list are all ones that I have read myself and given a rating of at least 3 out of 5 Stars (why would I recommend anything less?)  When a book is part of a series, only the first title is listed, but the reading level for all books in the series is shown.  Lists will be updated periodically as I read new books.


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