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 wolves of Willoughby Chase
Aiken, Joan
Paper Book
1832 - a period of English History that never happened. Good King James III is on the throne and the country is ravaged by wolves which have migrated through the newly-opened Channel Tunnel. When Sylvia and Bonnie (both orphans) fall into the hands of evil Miss Slighcarp, they must use all their...
Endling : the last
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller from the beloved author of the action-packed Animorphs series and the award-winning The One and Only Ivan. In this first book of an epic middle grade series, Katherine Applegate takes us on an unforgettable journey.  Byx...
The girl who drank the moon
Barnhill, Kelly Regan
Paper Book
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby for the witch in the forest to keep her from terrorizing their town. But Xan is kind. She nourishes the babies with starlight and delivers them to welcoming families. Until she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight, filling her with...
Alice's adventures in Wonderland and Through the looking-glass
Carroll, Lewis
Paper Book
The Mad Hatter, the Ugly Duchess, the Mock Turtle, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat-characters each more eccentric than the last, and that could only have come from Lewis Carroll, the master of sublime nonsense. In these two brilliant burlesques he created two of the most famous and...
Troublemaker
Cho, John
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestselller! An Indiebound bestseller! 12-year-old Jordan feels like he can't live up to the example his older sister set, or his parent's expectations. When he returns home from school one day hoping to hide his suspension, Los Angeles...
We the children
Clements, Andrew
Paper Book
Benjamin Pratt's school is about to become the site of a new amusement park. It sounds like a dream come true! But lately, Ben has been wondering if he's going to like an amusement park in the middle of his town--with all the buses and traffic and eight dollar slices of pizza. It's going to change...
The wizards of once
Cowell, Cressida
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of How to Train Your Dragon comes an exciting high-adventure series - set in an ancient, magical time, full of Wizards, Warriors, Giants and Sprites. Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award This is the...
How to train your dragon
Cowell, Cressida
Paper Book
7 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE SERIES THAT INSPIRED THE HIT MOVIES!   Action-packed, hilarious, and perfectly illustrated, How to Train Your Dragon is a beloved modern classic with millions of fans across the globe. Journey into the adventure that...
A noob's diary of an 8-bit warrior
Cube Kid (Author of fan fiction)
Paper Book
An all-new Minecraft warrior adventure series for young readers from bestselling author Cube Kid! Diary of a Junior 8-Bit Warrior combines the familiar narrative and characters of the illustrated novel series with the artwork style from the graphic novel...
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...
La vie sauvage
Do, Anh
Paper Book
From nerd to ninja!
Do, Anh
Paper Book
Nelson wakes up on his birthday to discover that he has gained ninja powers overnight! This funny, heavily-illustrated series from Anh Do is action packed, with an appealingly grounded heart.Nelson's a nerd. Unfit, uncool . . . totally awkward! But when he wakes up on his tenth birthday, he...
The traveling restaurant : Jasper's voyage in three parts : a novel for children
Else, Barbara.
Paper Book
On the mysterious sailing ship The Traveling Restaurant, twelve-year-old Jasper Ludlow--by all accounts an ordinary boy--embarks on an adventure across Old Ocean and Lake Riversea in search of his baby sister. Jasper faces whirlpools, troublesome monkeys, and hungry pirates in this edge-of-your...
The ruins of Gorlan
Flanagan, John
Paper Book
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 cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary...
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...
Princess Leia : royal rebel
Glass, Calliope
Paper Book
Who is Princess Leia? How did a princess become a rebel leader? And what happened to her after the Empire was defeated? In this biography--complete with black-and-white illustrations, timelines, and character profiles--young readers will delight in learning the complete history of Star Wars'...
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
Join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter's Warriors series a #1 national bestseller! Epic adventures. Fierce Warrior cats. A thrilling fantasy world. It all begins here with Warriors #1: Into the Wild. For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to...
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 : a tale of Redwall
Jacques, Brian.
Paper Book
Soon to be a Netflix original movie! One of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time   The book that inspired a legend--the first novel in the beloved, bestselling Redwall saga. Welcome to Mossflower Wood,...
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...
Listen and respond Bridge to Terabithia
Merrifield, Janice.
Other
The 40th anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Medal-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 been...
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...
Swallows and Amazons
Ransome, Arthur
Paper Book
Friendship, resourcefulness, adventures! Here's the classic tale of two families of children who band together 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...
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 paperback edition of the...
The sword of summer
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
The first book in Rick Riordan's #1 New York Times best-selling Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, based on Norse mythology, is now available in paperback. "The Sword of Summer is a propulsive, kinetic, witty rebooting of Norse...
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...
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
NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so...
Treasure island
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paper Book
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate adventure that has thrilled readers for over a hundred years. Masterfully crafted, Treasure Island is a stunning yarn of piracy on the fiery tropic seas--an unforgettable tale of treachery that embroils a host of legendary...
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
The beginning of a thrilling new dragon saga-- now in paperback!Clay and his friends have grown up under a mountain, secretly raised by the Talons of Peace to fulfill a mysterious prophecy. The five young dragons are destined to end the war that's been raging between the tribes of Pyrrhia...
I survived the Hindenburg disaster, 1937
Tarshis, Lauren
Ebook
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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