Adventure Fiction for 4th – 6th Grades

=Newbery Medal Award Winner
=Newbery Honor Book

Note: All books are located in the children’s fiction section unless otherwise noted.

Avi. THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE

As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew is rebellious.

Burnford, Sheila Every. THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

A Siamese cat, an old terrier bull, and a young Labrador retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family.

Burgess, Melvin. THE COPPER TREASURE

In mid-nineteenth century London, three boys try to retrieve a valuable roll of copper from the bottom of the Thames River.

Carey, Peter. THE BIG BAZOOHLEY

When his family runs low on funds while on a trip to Toronto, nine-year-old Sam allows himself to “be borrowed” and entered in a contest to find the Perfecto Kiddo, hoping to win $10,000.

Clark, Clara Gillow. HILL HAWK HATTIE

Angry and lonely after her mother dies, eleven-year-old Hattie pretends to be a boy and joins her father on a rafting trip down the Delaware River in the late 1800s.

Clements, Andrew. A WEEK IN THE WOODS

The fifth grade’s annual camping trip in the woods tests Mark’s survival skills and his ability to relate to a teacher who seems out to get him.

Colfer, Eoin. ARTEMIS FOWL

When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding ransom, the fairies fight back. First in a series.

Corder, Zizou. LIONBOY

A boy with the ability to speak the language of cats sets out from London to seek his kidnapped parents and finds himself on a Paris-bound circus ship learning to train lions. First in a series.

Creech, Sharon. RUBY HOLLER

Thirteen-year-old twins Dallas and Florida have grown up in a terrible orphanage but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure. Also, THE WANDERER.

Farmer, Nancy. A GIRL NAMED DISASTER (YAF)

While journeying to Zimbabwe, eleven-year-old Nhamo struggles to escape drowning and starvation and in doing so comes close to the luminous world of the African spirits.

Fleischman, Sid. THE WHIPPING BOY

A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. Also, THE MIDNIGHT HORSE.

Funke, Cornelia. THE THIEF LORD

Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one, find shelter with and protection from Venice’s “Thief Lord.”

George, Jean Craighead. JULIE OF THE WOLVES

While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack. Also, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

Hill, Kirkpatrick. TOUGHBOY AND SISTER

The death of their father strands ten-year-old Toughboy and his younger sister at a remote fishing cabin in the Yukon, where they spend a summer trying to cope with dwindling food supplies and hostile wildlife.

Hirsch, Odo. BARTLETT AND THE ICE VOYAGE

When an impatient queen longs to taste the delicious but fragile melidrop fruit, explorer Bartlett sets out on a voyage and figures out a clever way to bring the fruit back to her. Also, BARTLETT AND THE CITY OF FLAMES.

Hobbs, Will. FAR NORTH (YAF)

After the destruction of their floatplane, fifteen-year-old Gabe and his Dene friend, Raymond, struggle to survive a winter in the wilderness of the Northwest Territories. Also WILD MAN ISLAND and JASON’S GOLD.

Holm, Anne. NORTH TO FREEDOM (I AM DAVID)

After escaping from an eastern European concentration camp, a twelve-year-old boy struggles to cope with an entirely strange world as he flees northward to freedom in Denmark.

Konigsburg, E.L. FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER

Eleven-year-old Claudia invites her miserly younger brother Jamie to runaway with her to live in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, only to uncover a mystery that surrounds a piece of art.

Lisle, Rebecca. COPPER

Pursued by the enemies of the family she never knew, ten-year-old Copper Beach decides to uncover the truth about a feud between the Stone and Wood clans that sent her into exile six years earlier.

Paulsen, Gary. HATCHET

Thirteen-year-old Brian, the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, must draw on untested skills and strength to survive. Also, THE RIVER and BRIAN’S WINTER.

Pullman, Philip. THE FIREWORKMAKER’S DAUGHTER

In a country far to the east, Chulak helps Lila seek the Royal Sulphur from the sacred volcano so that she can become a master maker of fireworks like her father.

Van Leeuwen, Jean. CABIN ON TROUBLE CREEK

In 1803, two young brothers in Ohio are left to finish the log cabin and guard the land while their father goes back to Pennsylvania to fetch their mother and younger siblings.

Yolen, Jane. ATALANTA AND THE ARCADIAN BEAST

Twelve-year-old Atalanta gains a grudging respect from the hunter Orion, as together they pursue the mysterious creature that killed her father.

February 2005. (sj)