50 adventure books for kids of all ages

Join little unicorns Mini and Hardly as they explore fields full of spiky cactuses, experience thunder and lightning and gallop along the beach together. And, as the pair venture further away from home, they find themselves on an adventure bigger than they could have ever imagined! This stunningly illustrated tale of two tiny unicorns from Catherine Rayner is a must-read for adventurous young readers.

Freya and her mum are taking a holiday in a small cabin, trying to recover from Freya's dad passing away. Freya is unsure about going sledging, but when she meets a magic fox out in the snow, she follows him into the forest and an exciting adventure ensues. Inspired by the Finnish Saami legend of the revontulet – fox fires – which are sparks that fly from a mythic fox to become the Northern Lights, The Fire Fox is gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written. A story about hope and the light of love, it is sure to enthral young readers.

This is a fairytale with a distinctive twist: in Once Upon a Fairytale the reader gets to decide where the adventure leads. The choices are endless – would you like to live in a tree, dine with the fairies or jump on a unicorn and ride through the sky? And which character would you choose? You can be a smart princess, a gingerbread man or a kindly knight . . . This sparkling story encourages the reader to embrace creativity and weave their own tale.

You Can Do Anything, Tyrone! is a fantastic fun tale of imagination and adventure and the first picture book from award-winning comedian and actor Sir Lenny Henry. Tyrone is going to build a rocket ship out of building blocks and go on an adventure to the moon! But the blocks won't work, and Tyrone quickly loses his temper. Luckily, Grandad Cleveland is on hand to show him that with self belief, a bit of determination and a lot of imagination, there’s nothing Tyrone can't do. 

Once upon a golden day, beside a silver brook, Alice and her older sister sat and read a book . . . A retelling of the classic tale told in bouncing verse and splashed with lively illustrations. When a talking rabbit shoots past Alice, she follows him down a hole to Wonderland, where she encounters a host of eccentric and perplexing characters. There's the ever-smiling Cheshire Cat, the Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, and a tea party the like of which Alice has never seen. 

From the creator of the Claude series comes Astrid and the Space Cadets!, the first book in a new adventure series for newly independent readers. During the day, Astrid is just like other kids, but when the sun goes down, she turns into a Space Cadet and blasts off on adventures into the unknown with her best friends Beryl, Professor Quackers, and Zoink aboard the trusty rocket Stardust. Can the explorers avoid the giant snaliens and clean up the Milky Way in time for school tomorrow?

From the co-creator of the beloved Treehouse series comes The Land of Lost Things, the first book in a brand-new illustrated adventure series. Packed with all of the fun and mayhem that Treehouse fans love, young readers will be captivated as they journey through the Land of Lost Things, and meet all of the wild and wonderful creatures that live there.

The first title in a magical adventure series, perfect for readers aged 6+, Aziza's Secret Fairy Door is packed with mischief, friendship and magic. A mysterious gift arrives on Aziza's birthday – a secret fairy door that will whisk her away to a magical world with princesses, fairies, unicorns and more! But when the precious jewelled doorknob is taken, Aziza is trapped. Will she ever see her home and family again? Maybe her new friends can help . . .

Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton's bestselling Treehouse books have captivated the most reluctant young readers with their trademark cartoon illustrations and hilarious stories. Now, fans can enjoy their favourite treehouse adventures in colour! Discover their giant catapult, a secret underground laboratory, a tank of man-eating sharks and a marshmallow machine that follows you around. Kids will roar with laughter as they explore the wacky world and amazing inventions on each floor of The 13-Storey Treehouse.

An extraordinary adventure book with an environmental twist and a mystery at its heart. Daisy Thistledown has escaped from boarding school and is trying to find her missing mother. Her search takes her across London and through a hidden doorway into a world bursting with plants and magic: the Greenwild. But it soon becomes clear that all is not well. Can Daisy revive the Greenwild, save our world, and solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance? A botanical genius, a boy who can talk to animals and cat with an attitude are on-hand to help. 

Meet Mango and Brash, two toothsome alligators who spend their days fighting crime and having lots of fun. Join the duo as they go undercover to find out who has kidnapped Chef Gustavo, and try not to get distracted by eating too much cake along the way. The book that started a seven-book series loved by kids all over the world, John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators is a hilarious, full-color graphic novel perfect for newly independent readers.

Star footballer and food-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford brings you this adventure, packed with illustrations by Marta Kissi. When young Marcus kicks his football over the fence, he knows he won't be getting it back. But then a mysterious note arrives from the Breakfast Club Investigators, and soon Marcus finds himself on an adventure with some new pals, trying to figure out the mystery and claim his football back. 

Loosely based on one of Lioness captain Leah Williamson's big inspirations, the Dick Kerr Ladies and their brave protest against the ban on women's football, The Wonder Team and the Forgotten Footballers is a fun adventure that comes from the heart. When Leah unearths a mysterious time capsule in her local park with her two best friends Mimi and George, she opens up a whole new world of adventure. Transported a hundred years back in time, she finds a women's football team in crisis. Can she and her friends lead them back to victory? Fans can follow Leah on her next adventure in The Wonder Team and the Pharaoh’s Fortune.

Comic Lenny Henry has written a suitably laugh-out-loud adventure story for readers of 6 to 8 years, with dazzling illustrations throughout by Keenon Ferrell. Tunde has some problems with the school bully, but when he sprouts wings and realises his true mission is to save the Earth, school becomes the least of his problems. Flying high in the face of danger, Tunde is the boy with wings.

For Peanut Jones, drawing is like magic. But art can't solve all her issues: her dad has disappeared and she is in a dull new school. But one day Peanut finds a pencil turbo charged with super powers. And all of a sudden she is in a new world of colour, thrills and perils, where she just might find out what happened to her dad. Aptly illustrated with beautiful black and white illustrations, this is an engaging title for girls and boys aged 8–11.

Meet Esha Verma, a genius inventor extraordinaire who is about to be in big trouble! When her absolutely-not-a-genius sister hijacks Esha’s newest invention, a time machine, she catapults herself back millions of years in time and gets lost in the Cretaceous age. Can Esha find her missing big sister and make it back in time to win the legendary Brain Trophy for her incredible time travelling invention?

Cousins Middy and Nathan both love magic, but they have very different approaches. Middy relies on patience and practice while Nathan craves spectacle. When the iconic Blackpool Tower vanishes during a televised event, Nathan boldly declares their ability to magic it back home. However, their journey takes an unexpected turn, landing them in Las Vegas, where they encounter the legendary illusionist Perplexion. Packed with surprises, twists, and illusions, this story from award-winning author Frank Cottrell-Boyce will keep young readers guessing until the very end. 

Marty's mother hoards EVERYTHING – so much so that it's hard to leave the house! Then, on his birthday, Grandad surprises him with a remarkable seed. As the seed grows, it ignites a thrilling adventure for Marty, Grandad, and best friend Gracie. Fueled by love, hope, and dreams, they embark on an extraordinary plan, evoking the spirit of Grandad's past inventions. With each step, they defy the odds and embrace the impossible, bound together by their shared excitement and determination.

On the run after witnessing a horrific crime, young wolfdog Delta navigates her new life in the wild among the thieves and predators that surround the ancient city of Pompeii. With the threat of an eruption looming, Delta must travel back into the city to warn her family of the danger before it’s too late. Will she make it in time, or will the city be lost forever? An enchanting historical adventure set in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Delta and the Lost City is a chapter book inspired by the legend of the Hero Dog of Pompeii.

When young stargazer Aya is struck by a falling star, she discovers she holds magic powers beyond her wildest dreams. As she learns to use her abilities, Aya realizes that her home of Alferra is under threat from the new ruler, Abnus. Will she be able to harness her magic to save her family, friends, and home from the evil afoot? Inspired by Bengali folklore, Aya and the Star Chase is a glorious adventure story. 

When a precious jewel goes missing aboard the famous steam train Highland Falcon while Harrison Beck and his Uncle Nat are onboard, Harrison and his friend Lenny find themselves at the heart of the investigation. Will they find the thief before they escape into the wilds of Scotland? A closed-room mystery for middle grade readers, packed with red herrings and puzzles to solve, The Highland Falcon Thief is the first book in M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman’s much-loved Adventures on Trains series.

Beautiful and full of adventure, Escape to the River Sea is Emma Carroll's compelling novel inspired by Eva Ibbotson's classic masterpiece, Journey to the River Sea. Featuring places and characters known and loved by fans of Journey to the River Sea (including, among others, Maia, Finn, Miss Minton and Clovis) this spectacular new chapter in the story tells of the next generation and the growing threats to the Amazon rainforest that continue to this day.

Guaranteed to inspire young adventurers to want to travel the world, Epic Adventures celebrates the wonder of travel through the world’s most incredible train journeys. From the safari sights of the African plains, to the transcontinental journey of the Orient Express and the epic engineering that created the Eurostar, each page of Epic Adventures is packed with beautiful illustrations, fascinating facts and stories of incredible feats of science that any young train fan will enjoy time and again.