Adventure and Survival Fiction for Kids

Updated June 16, 2026
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The wild robot
Brown, Peter
Paper Book
Now a DreamWorks movie available on Prime Video! This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to survive--and...
The incredible journey
Burnford, Sheila
Paper Book
Fans of Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Shiloh will love this timeless classic about two dogs and a cat that embark on a journey to return to their owner and inspired the movie Homeward Bound.      An inquisitive Labrador...
Forgotten city
Ford, Michael
Paper Book
Survival is just the beginning in this action-packed middle grade adventure that's Mad Max for kids. Thirteen years ago, the world ended. A deadly chemical called Waste began to spread across the globe, leaving devastation in its wake. Millions died. Cities fell into chaos. Anything the...
Alone
Freeman, Megan E.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! Perfect for fans ofHatchet and the I Survived series, this "riveting, immersive" (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade debut novel in verse from a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to...
Two degrees
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller! #1 New York Times bestselling author Alan Gratz (Refugee; Ground Zero) is back, tackling the urgent topic of climate change in this breathtaking, action-packed novel that will keep readers turning pages while making...
Red Fox Road
Greenslade, Frances
Paper Book
A thirteen-year-old girl on a family vacation becomes stranded alone in the wilderness when the family's GPS leads them astray. A compelling survival story for ages 10 to 14, for fans of Hatchet and The Skeleton Tree. Francie and her parents are on a spring road...
Off the map
Hashimoto, Meika
Paper Book
From Meika Hashimoto, author of The Trail, comes an action-packed adventure about doing what it takes to survive--and realizing you can't do it alone. Amos and Marlo have always been best friends. From hiking trips to backyard camp-outs, from playing soccer at the park to sitting...
Lalani of the distant sea
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
"A lush and mysterious fable, full of beauty, full of wonder."--Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly's debut fantasy novel is a gorgeous, literary adventure about bravery, friendship, self-reliance, and the...
Masterminds
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
The first book in the action-packed trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman is perfect for fans of Stranger Things and James Patterson.  Eli Frieden has never left Serenity, New Mexico...why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city...
A whale of the wild
Parry, Rosanne
Paper Book
"A spellbinding, heart-stopping adventure." --Booklist (starred review) "A dreamily written, slyly educational, rousing maritime adventure." --New York Times Book Review In the stand-alone companion to the New York Times-bestselling A Wolf Called...
Northwind
Paulsen, Gary
Paper Book
The stunning New York Times bestseller from three-time Newbery Honor winner and survival story master Gary Paulsen, whose books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Set centuries ago along a rugged coastline, Northwind does for the ocean what Hatchet does for the...
Pax
Pennypacker, Sara
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller * National Book Award Longlist  From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become a classic,...
It's the end of the world and I'm in my bathing suit
Reynolds, Justin A.
Paper Book
A hilarious new middle-grade from Justin A. Reynolds that asks: What happens when five unsupervised kids face the apocalypse under outrageously silly circumstances? Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores . . . especially the dreaded L...
The Amazon
Smith, Roland
Paper Book
Ring and Asia Wilde's life is anything but ordinary. Some of their closest friends are endangered monkeys and rare birds. Instead of attending middle school, they accompany their parents (scientists who work to save endangered species) on adventures around the world. They spend more time climbing...
The Swiss family Robinson
Wyss, Johann David
CD
Swept off course by a raging storm, a Swiss pastor, his wife, and their four sons are shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island. As they struggle to survive in the wilderness, the Robinsons discover their own amazing ingenuity and courage, each of the sons utilizing his own unique nature...

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