Action and Adventure (Tamariki)

On the lookout for some excitement, adventure and some action? While a Jedi from Star Wars may not crave excitement or adventure, you will certainly get your fix with this list of Action and Adventure themed books. Read and get inspired by heroes such as Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase and the most unlikely people, animals and creatures.

Updated August 21, 2024
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Wellington City LibrariesChildren's team at Wellington City Libraries
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The last
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
In this first book of an epic middle grade series, Katherine Applegate takes us on an unforgettable journey. A New York Times bestseller from the beloved author of the action-packed Animorphs series and the award-winning The One and Only Ivan. Byx is the youngest member of...
The girl who drank the moon
Barnhill, Kelly Regan
Paper Book
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal The New York Times Bestseller An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 A New York Public Library Best Book of 2016 A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016
Alice's adventures in Wonderland ; &, Through the looking glass and what Alice found there
Carroll, Lewis
Audiobook
First published in 1865, these endearing tales of an imaginative child's dream world by Lewis Carroll, pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, are written with charming simplicity. While delighting children with a heroine who represents their own thoughts and feelings about growing up, the tale is...
Troublemaker
Cho, John
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller! An Indiebound bestseller! An Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book! Troublemaker follows the events of the LA Riots through the eyes of 12-year-old Jordan...
The wizards of once
Cowell, Cressida
Paper Book
In the first book of a new series by the bestselling author of How to Train Your Dragon, the warring worlds of Wizards and Warriors collide in a thrilling and enchanting adventure. Once there were Wizards, who were Magic, and Warriors, who were not. But Xar, son of the...
How to train your dragon
Cowell, Cressida.
Paper Book
Read the New York Times bestselling book that inspired the hit movies! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a...
A noob's diary of an 8-bit warrior
Cube Kid (Author of fan fiction)
Audiobook
The magician's elephant
DiCamillo, Kate.
Paper Book
Kate DiCamillo conjures a haunting fable about trusting the unexpected and making the extraordinary come true. What if? Why not? Could it be? When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the...
Ninja kid!
Do, Anh
Paper Book
  Laugh-out-loud and fully illustrated Ninja Kidis the start of a brand new series from bestselling comedian Anh Do! Nelson is a nerd! Unfit, uncool...totally awkward! But when he wakes up on his tenth birthday, he discovers he is a NINJA! THE LAST NINJA ON...
The ruins of Gorlan
Flanagan, John
Paper Book
The fantasy adventure that launched the international bestselling series, with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone! They have always scared him in the past--the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that...
Spy school
Gibbs, Stuart
Paper Book
"Combines Alex Rider's espionage skills with a huge dose of the sarcasm of Artemis Fowl." --School Library Journal Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? In the first book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley sure hopes so-...
The inquisitor's tale, or, The three magical children and their holy dog
Gidwitz, Adam
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award An exciting and hilarious medieval adventure from the bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm. Beautifully illustrated throughout by Hatem Aly!  ★ A New York Times...
The magic misfits
Harris, Neil Patrick
Paper Book
A New York Times and USA Today bestseller! From award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris comes the magical first book in a series with plenty of tricks up its sleeve. When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic...
Things in the basement
Hatke, Ben
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Ben Hatke comes Things in the Basement, a young readers graphic novel about Milo, a young boy who discovers a portal to a secret world in his basement. It was supposed to just be a normal basement--some storage boxes, dust, you...
The empty city
Hunter, Erin.
Paper Book
The time has come for dogs to rule the wild! Discover another action-packed animal fantasy series from the #1 nationally bestselling author of Warriors The first book in the Survivors series is full of "wild and wonderful adventure" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) that will thrill fans of...
Into the wild
Hunter, Erin.
Paper Book
Epic adventures. Fierce warrior cats. A thrilling fantasy world. It all begins here. Read the book that began a phenomenon--and join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter's Warriors series a #1 national bestseller. For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the...
The quest begins
Hunter, Erin.
Paper Book
The first book in a thrilling animal fantasy series following the epic journey of three bears, from the #1 nationally bestselling author of Warriors. When three young bears from different species--black, polar, and grizzly--are separated from their families, fate brings them together...
Redwall
Jacques, Brian.
Audiobook
The book that inspired a legend-the first novel in the bestselling saga of RedwallWelcome to Mossflower Wood, where the gentle mice have gathered to celebrate a year of peace and abundance. All is well...until a sinister shadow falls across the ancient stone abbey of Redwall. It is...
Keeper of the lost cities
Messenger, Shannon.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestselling series A USA TODAY bestselling series A California Young Reader Medal-winning series In this riveting series opener, a telepathic girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world before the...
Bridge to Terabithia
Paterson, Katherine.
Paper Book
The fortieth anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Award-winning title by beloved author Katherine Paterson, with brand-new bonus materials including an author's note by Katherine herself, and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo.  Jess Aarons has...
Lightfall. Book one, The girl & the Galdurian
Probert, Tim
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Kazu Kibuishi says of Lightfall: "Beautifully drawn. Tim Probert has created a world readers will want to visit." For fans of Amulet and middle grade readers who love sweeping worlds like Star Wars, the first book of the Lightfall series introduces Bea and...
Swallows and Amazons
Ransome, Arthur
Ebook
The classic English series begins with a tale of two families of children uniting against a common foe: an uncle who claims he's too busy for his nieces. The Walker children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) are on school holiday in the Lake District and are sailing a...
The hidden oracle
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
Favorite Greek and Roman demigods return in a new five-book adventure quest with a fresh twist: they're helping Apollo regain his immortal status. "A clash of mythic intrigues and centuries of pop culture to thrill die-hard and new fans alike."--...
The lightning thief
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times Bestseller | Now a series on Disney+ 12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers he is the son of Poseidon in the opener to the hilarious, fast-paced adventure fantasy series for young readers ages 10 and up The hardcover edition of the...
Magnus Chase and the sword of summer
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows--a man his mother...
The maze of bones
Riordan, Rick.
Paper Book
The first book in the #1 bestselling phenomenon sends readers around the world on the hunt for the 39 Clues!Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."Grace is the last matriarch of...
The invention of Hugo Cabret : a novel in words and pictures
Selznick, Brian
Paper Book
Don't miss Selznick's other novels in words and pictures, Wonderstruck and The Marvels, which together with The Invention of Hugo Cabret, form an extraordinary thematic trilogy!2008 Caldecott Medal winnerThe groundbreaking debut novel from bookmaking pioneer, Brian Selznick!<...
The bad beginning
Snicket, Lemony.
Paper Book
It's a good thing that Violet Baudelaire has a real knack for inventing things. When misery comes to call, the right invention at the right time can mean everything. It's also fortunate that her brother, Klaus, has read lots of books and knows many important things, like how to tell an alligator...
Treasure Island
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Audiobook
Treasure Island must be the most enthralling adventure book ever written. As we listen to the voice of Jim Hawkins telling his extraordinary tale, and later that of his companion Dr Livesey, we are plunged into a world of pirates, buried treasure, mutiny and deceit. We meet Billy Bones, Blind Pew,...
The mysterious Benedict Society
Stewart, Trenton Lee.
Paper Book
For fans of Lemony Snicket and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, this first book in the bestselling, award-winning Mysterious Benedict Society series is not to be missed! "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" Dozens of children...
The dragonet prophecy
Sutherland, Tui
Paper Book
A thrilling new series soars above the competition and redefines middle-grade fantasy fiction for a new generation!The seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to bring...
I survived the Hindenburg disaster, 1937
Tarshis, Lauren
Audiobook
Nevermoor : the trials of Morrigan Crow
Townsend, Jessica
Paper Book
A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination. Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any...
The mysterious howling
Wood, Maryrose.
Paper Book
Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age...

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