Action & Adventure

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Education

Tags Realistic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Relationships, Children's Literature, Animals, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Fantasy

Paolo Bacigalupi’s young adult dystopian novel Ship Breaker (2010) was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and the recipient of both the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book and the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult fiction. The story takes place in a postapocalyptic future in the United States, somewhere west of old New Orleans. The human race is facing economic and environmental devastation due to climate change... Read Ship Breaker Summary


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Action / Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Survival Fiction, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1998

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams

Tags Action / Adventure, Inspirational, History: World, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Biography

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by American author Jennifer Armstrong is a work of narrative non-fiction that tells the story of the survival of explorer Ernest Henry Shackleton and the crew of the ship Endurance after they were shipwrecked in the Antarctic Circle. Published in 1998, the book was the winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction and was also named an... Read Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World Summary


Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, History: Asian, Politics / Government, Military / War, American Literature, History: World, Fantasy, Japanese Literature, Classic Fiction

Shogun is a 1975 novel by American author James Clavell. It is one of six books in Clavell’s Asian Saga, which chronicles the ways Europeans interacted with countries in Asia from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The novel tells the story of English ship pilot John Blackthorne, loosely based on the real life navigator William Adams, who becomes intimately involved in the rise to power of Yoshi Toranaga, a fictionalized version of Tokugawa Ieyasu... Read Shogun Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: War, Self Discovery, Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Leadership/Organization/Management, Love / Sexuality, Military / War, Politics / Government, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Religion / Spirituality, Romance


Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Animals, Relationships, Children's Literature

Kenneth Oppel’s 1997 award-winning middle-grade novel Silverwing is a high-fantasy work that follows a young bat’s journey to find his colony. The novel has sold over a million copies and been adapted for television as an animated children’s series. This book is the first of four in The Silverwing Book Series.Other works by this author include Inkling, Bloom, Half Brother, and Airborn.Plot SummaryThe novel is divided into three parts, and it shifts point of view... Read Silverwing Summary


Publication year 1970

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Community, Identity: Gender, Society: Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, History: U.S., Children's Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Scott O’Dell’s children’s novel Sing Down the Moon (1970) is a work of historical fiction focusing on a mid-19th-century Navajo teen girl who calls herself Bright Morning. She and her people live as shepherds and farmers in Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. Bright Morning faces a series of trials in the novel: First, she is taken captive and sold into slavery; after she escapes home, white soldiers force her people to leave their village and... Read Sing Down the Moon Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Action / Adventure

Published in 2015, Leigh Bardugo’s young adult fantasy novel Six of Crows, the first in a two-part series, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Kirkus Reviews. A fantasy heist story, the novel shifts between the alternating points of view of five teenagers who team up to pull off the ultimate prison break.Six of Crows begins in Ketterdam, an invented version of 17th-century Amsterdam, and the novel’s main characters hail from the seedy criminal... Read Six of Crows Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Mythology, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War

Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Mental Illness, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Mental Illness, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Small as an Elephant is a middle grade realistic fiction novel written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson and originally published in 2011. In addition to writing, Jacobson teaches literacy workshops across the US. She grew up in Maine, which is the inspiration for the setting of many of her stories. Small as an Elephant examines several themes related to unstable attachment, support, and hardship. The novel received more than 10 awards, including the Maine Lupine Award... Read Small as an Elephant Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Small Steps was written by internationally acclaimed American author Louis Sachar. The novel was first published in 2006 by Delacorte Press (US) and Bloomsbury (UK). Louis Sachar is an award-winning young adult mystery and comedy writer, best known for his Wayside School series (1978-2020), and his novel Holes (1998), which won the John Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. Small Steps is a sequel to Holes and focuses on Theodore “Armpit” Johnson, a supporting... Read Small Steps Summary


Publication year 1942

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: War, Society: Nation, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, WWII / World War II


Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, History: World


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Action / Adventure


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness

Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Humor


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Children's Literature, Inspirational, Disability, Relationships, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure