Awesome Adventure Books for Kids aged 9-12

The Girl who Stole an Elephant Nizrana Farook – This is a glorious fast-paced adventure through the jungle set in Sri Lanka. I love Chaya’s spirit and determination and the friendships that are built along the way. A beautiful story for those who want to see the world!

Clifftoppers Series – Fleur Hitchock. Famous Five for a modern readership!  I loved the fast-paced adventure! There is creeping fog, a farm/coastal town setting and nighttime escapades with plenty of thrills and adventure! These books are good for younger kids too.

Wildfire by Roman Philbrick An intense tail of survival and action but with gripping characters and a moral about natural disasters.

National Geographic’s “Explorer Academy” series is fun for curious and adventurous minds. 12-year-old Cruz joins Explorer Academy, to become one of the next great explorers. My 8 year old loves these books and I love the fact that the science is based on real life events.

Wren by Lucy Hope is a mesmerising, dark gothic adventure that completely captured me as I was swept in to the mystery surrounding the ancient castle and Wren’s struggle for freedom. A brilliant book with a fabulous female protagonist.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George – This Newbery award winning author has created a classic about a boy who is terribly unhappy in his family’s crowded New York City apartment so he runs away to the solitude-and danger-of the mountains to discover himself. It’s a must read for adventure lovers!

Kestrel Island by A.B Martin – This is a thrilling adventure story about friendship, courage and never giving up. Groups of friends who love to plot adventures together will love this! There’s a whole series to keep you going too!

Hatchet by Gary Paulson – A classic tale which hasn’t lost it’s charm. It’s a perfect read for those who dream of being lost in the wilderness or surviving whilst camping! Brian is a city boy. Not used to living rough. Until his plane crash-lands in the Canadian wilderness. All he has is a hatchet – and a desperate will to survive.

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
We’ve loved all of Katherine Rundell’s books. The Explorer is about Four kids who crash land in the Amazon Rainforest. They’re lost, scared, and have no survival skills. This adventure transports the reader into learning all about survival skills and how to protect the rainforest. It’s one of the best books for girls and boys.

Stranded by Jeff Probst and Chris Tebbetts This is a great adventure with real-life conflict between new step-siblings who are on a sailboat trip with their uncle. A storm sinks their ship and they barely make it to a deserted island. They’ll have to work together to survive. Great reading for anyone who loves action and adventure and full of great characters.

The Last Wild Trilogy Piers Torday This the perfect adventure book for nature lovers. I think the way it is written is very clever; from the point of view of a child and the animals he rescues. A poignant, touching novel with a great message.

The Adventurers and the Cursed Castle – Jemma Hart My kids loves the Adventurers. There is a mystery, adventure, friendship, a pinch of history, travel through different countries. They are a great adventure stories with characters you feel you know like friends! We’ve read them all and can’t wait for the next book!

Escape Room by Christopher Edge – This has won the ‘Times Children’s Book of the Week’. This is an intense, rollercoaster of a read, with an almighty twist towards the end. It’s like Dr Who mixed with Crystal Maze and it’s perfect for readers who like fast-paced, spine-tingling reads.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith
Roland Smith writes non-stop action and adventure books. This series is about what happens when a hurricane hits, flips the school bus, and Chase and his classmates are stuck in a swamp. There are 3 in the series about storms, tornadoes and floods!

Skander and the Unicorn Thief by AF Steadman This is a new series – get ready for unlikely heroes, magic, sky battles, ancient secrets, nail-biting races and a unicorn twist!

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau This is a great dystopian story with memorable characters, code breaking, friendship and trust!

Escape from Atlantis by Kate O’Hearn
This is a highly inventive book following Riley, her dad, her cousin, and her aunt who are sailing in the Bermuda Triangle when they’re attacked by a leviathan. Riley and her unpleasant cousin, Alfie, wake up on an island with overly-friendly, rule-centered people including half-animal people.

The Aventures of Team Pom, The last Dodo by Isabel Roxas This is a great graphic novel which can really encourage reluctant readers. This has a quirky inspiring storyline with lots of laughs.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – The whole family enjoyed this series because the characters are realistic and they have great adventures. This is a good story, detailed plot line with interesting characters. Fun reading for children and young of heart adults! For more ideas for funny kids books for 9 years old – see this list!

The Arctic Railway Assassin Adventures on Trains by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman The bestselling, prize-winning Adventures on Trains series has a newly released adventure. This is another exciting, gripping and intriguing mystery, once again set in a fabulous setting (this time the Arctic). A fabulous adventure book series.