40 adventure books for kids of all ages

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. 

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.

This is a story about a little boy with a big imagination who learns not to judge people from first appearances. On a train journey with his sister, Milo draws pictures of the lives he imagines for the other passengers. He imagines a little boy with bright white trainers lives in a castle with a moat and butler, but when he gets off the train and realises the boy is heading to the same destination as him, he realises we're all more alike than different: both boys are visiting their mothers in prison. 

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. 

The Mouse King is up to some very sneaky shenanigans. The night before Christmas, he steals the key to the Kingdom of Sweets and sets out to cause as much festive mayhem as he can! Clara and Fritz Strudel, and their new friend the Nutcracker, are the only ones who can stop him. But when a magical curse is put on Fritz, it's a race against time to make it to the Kingdom of Sweets and find the Sugar Plum Fairy – the only one who can break the spell! Can the adventurers stop the Mouse King's naughty plan and save Fritz, before it's too late?

A hilarious high-stakes fantasy adventure about friendship and bravery set in the world of the Norse Gods. Failing trainee valkyrie Lotta's journey takes an unexpected turn when she mistakenly brings a viking thief, Whetstone, to Valhalla. They must now recover a lost talking cup to salvage their heroic reputation. However, the mischievous Loki seeks the cup, aiming to sow chaos across the realms. As the stakes rise, Whetstone must rise to the occasion and prove himself a true hero.

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.

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.

The Ice Children is an exciting, modern, magical mystery adventure inspired by classic fairy tale 'The Snow Queen'. On a cold December dawn, young Finn Albedo is inexplicably frozen at a park, yet he remains alive. His situation appears to be tied to a vanished enchanting book. Finn's sister, Bianca, grows alarmed as more 'Ice Children' cases come to light. With time running out, Bianca navigates a dangerous winter world, which deceives with its beauty. Can Bianca unravel the truth and rescue the Ice Children, including her brother, from their freezing fate?

The Adventure is Now follows Milton P. Greene, an outcast young boy transformed into a heroic explorer in his video game, Isle of Wild. Shipped to remote Lone Island for the summer, Milton seizes the chance to live his explorer dreams, discovering amazing species, and making new friends. But as the island faces looming disaster, the only hope lies in a mysterious field guide. Milton and his new companions embark on a riveting quest, making his in-game adventures a real-life thrill.

Esha Verma, along with her snooty apprentice Broccoli and his clever pet tortoise, have a plan. The gang are determined to win the famous Brain Trophy for genius inventors. Their entry is the RoarEasy – a machine that lets people speak to animals. But rival inventor Ernie steps in and the RoarEasy goes haywire, turning Monsieur Crépeau into a pigeon. So Esha, Broccoli, Archibald and Monsieur Crépeau take a trip to the Central Research Laboratories – with Ernie on their tail –  to try to solve the problem, encountering huge robots, killer plants, mechanical spiders and shrinking machines along the way.

Weaving together the well-known stories of Rapunzel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, this modern retelling offers a fresh new perspective on three classic fairytales. Locked away in a tower for her whole life by an evil witch, Rumaysa has no idea what lies outside, until one day, she lowers her hijab out of the window and escapes to freedom. As funny as it is escapist, this debut novel will be loved by fans of young adult fiction as well as readers who enjoy retellings of classic stories. 

Erika can sometimes get a little angry . . . Her little brother manages to ruin everything, and her parents don’t have any time for her. And one night things go from bad to worse when she falls asleep upset – she finds herself stuck in a bad dream with no way to get home and being chased by a terrifying Angermare! Enter the Dream Defenders – a top-secret organisation that will banish your worries while you sleep! Can they help Erika stand up to the Angermare, or will she be trapped forever?

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. 

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. 

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? 

Star footballer and food-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford brings you his first work of fiction, written with Alex Falase-Koya. The third book in the Marcus Rashford Book Club, it is dense with illustrations by Marta Kissi, and is an ideal title for children aged 8–11. 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. 

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.

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.

Hal and Uncle Nat step on board the Solar Express for its maiden voyage, at the invitation of billionaire train enthusiast August Reza. They are set for an exciting trip across the Australian Outback, but it turns out to be a journey with more thrills and spills than foreseen: the train has been sabotaged and is hurtling on its journey at breakneck speed. Sabotage on the Solar Express can be a stand alone read, or enjoy it alongside other Adventures on Trains novels by award-winning duo M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman.

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.