Adventure Stories for Grades 4-6

Aiken, Joan. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
Two girls confront hungry wolves, a wicked governess, and other villains in this spoof of melodrama.
Alcock, Vivien. The Trial of Anna Cotman.
New to town, Anna is happy to join a secret society, until she commits a "crime" that the group won't forgive.
Allan, Ted. Willie the Squowse.
Willie, part mouse and part squirrel, lives in the walls between houses of two very different families.
Anderson, Alonzo. Zeb.
A boy and his dog are stranded on the 1680's Colonial frontier.
Anderson, Margaret. Searching for Shona.
During an evacuation of children during World War II, two young girls trade identities.
Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
The only female on a sea voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is treacherous and the crew is mutinous.
Avi. Wolf Rider.
Andy answers the phone, hearing someone admit to a murder. Is it a crank call, or is a murderer on the loose?
Bellairs, John. The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn.
After stumbling on a clue at the public library, Anthony sets out on a wild and dangerous treasure hunt.
Brittain, Bill. The Wish Giver.
When a strange man comes to a carnival promising that he can give people exactly what they ask for, three people make wishes that come true in unexpected ways.
Byars, Betsy. The 18th Emergency.
Mousie is prepared for EVERY emergency, except the one that now awaits him: being beaten up by the school bully.
Clifford, Eth. Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library.
Two girls spend an adventurous night in the public library during a blizzard.
Conrad, Pam. My Daniel.
Grandmother Julia remembers life on a Nebraska farm during the dinosaur bone wars of the 19th century.
Danziger, Paula. Remember Me to Harold Square.
Three kids experience a summer-long scavenger hunt throughout New York City.
DeFelice, Cynthia. Weasel.
Alone in the frontier wilderness during the winter of 1839, Nathan and Molly hear a knock at the cabin door. There stands a stranger holding a locket belonging to their missing father.
Duane, Diane. So You Want to be a Wizard.
Nita is tormented by bullies, until she finds a VERY helpful library book.
Duncan, Lois. A Gift of Magic.
Kirby has the gift of dance. Brendon has the gift of music. But what gift does Nancy have? ESP.
Eager, Edward. Half Magic.
Four children find a coin that grants HALF of every wish. And what good is that?
Eckert, Allan. Incident at Hawk's Hill.
A shy, lost, 6-year-old boy spends a summer wandering through the Canadian wilderness.
Enright, Elizabeth. Gone-Away Lake.
An abandoned summer colony bordering a swamp leads to a vacation of exploration and adventure.
Erwin, Betty. Go the the Room of the Eyes.
A treasure hunt is afoot when the Evans children find a message left 30 years earlier.
Fleischman, Sid. By the Great Horn Spoon.
Accompanied by his butler, an orphan boy runs away and becomes involved in the California gold rush of 1849.
Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy.
A prince and his hard-knocked whipping boy face adventures when their roles are reversed.
Greer, Gery & Bob Ruddick. Max and Me and the Time Machine.
Steve buys a time machine at a garage sale which lands him in a joust in the year 1250.
Holland, Barbara. Prisoners at the Kitchen Table.
Two friends, one confident and the other timid, find their positions reversed when they must plot to escape kidnappers.
Jones, Diana Wynne. Aunt Maria.
While caring for their great aunt, Mig and Chris discover that this "helpless" woman has frightening powers.
Manes, Stephen. Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday.
Jason attracts a lot of attention when he follows zany advice in a get-rich-quick book.
Paterson, Katherine. The Master Puppeteer.
Feudal Japan is the setting for this story of his apprentice puppeteer and his search for a Robin Hood-like bandit.
Pearce, Philippa. Tom's Midnight Garden.
Tom's expecting a boring summer at his great-aunt and uncle's house. But in the middle of the night, when the clock strikes THIRTEEN, Tom goes to investigate...
Pullman, Philip. Spring-Heeled Jack.
Three children escape from a Victorian ophanage with the help of the legendary Spring-Heeled Jack.
Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game.
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an assortment of heirs who must discover the murderer before they can claim their inheritance.
Roberts, Willo D. The Girl with the Silver Eyes.
Silver eyes are not all that set Katie apart from other kids. She also has telekinetic powers!
Roberts, Willo D. The View from the Cherry Tree.
Robert witnesses a murder, but nobody believes him. Except the murderer.
Ruckman, Ivy. Night of the Twisters.
In 1980, seven tornadoes hit Grand Island, Nebraska. Relive the night through the accounts of a fictional twelve-year-old boy.
Sleator, William. The Spirit House.
When a Thai eschange student moves in with her family, Julie is convinced that a spirit with wish granting powers has followed him across the sea.
Speare, Elizabeth G. The Sign of the Beaver.
Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in 1768, a boy is hard-pressed to survive.
Speare, Elizabeth G. The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
An exciting story about the Salem witch hunts.
Wright, Betty Ren. The Dollhouse Murders.
A dollhouse fills with ghostly light; dolls change positions when nobody's home. Are the dolls trying to send a message.

Compiled by Mary D'Eliso for MCPL. Updated 1995.