Action & Adventure

Publication year 1850

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, French Literature, World History

Among the most widely read and translated of all French authors, Alexandre Dumas lived and worked in the 19th century. A playwright, journalist, and travel writer, Dumas is likely best known for his historical fiction, much of which was initially published in serialized form. Along with The Count of Monte Cristo, his most enduring works are the three books that make up his D’Artagnan Romances: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de... Read The Man In The Iron Mask Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Femininity, Coming of Age

Tags Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Immigration & Refugeeism, Gender & Feminism, Military & War, American Literature, Middle Eastern Literature

Zeyn Joukhadar is a transgender Syrian American writer (also published under the name Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar). His first novel, The Map of Salt and Stars (2018), won the 2018 Middle East Book Award in Youth Literature and became a 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist in Historical Fiction. Comprising two interwoven narratives, the novel follows Nour, the present-day protagonist whose flight from a war-torn Syria parallels the journey of her imaginary heroine—Rawiya, a medieval mapmaker’s apprentice... Read The Map of Salt and Stars Summary

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Revenge, Nation

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Romance

Published in 2012, The Mark of Athena is the third novel in Rick Riordan’s young adult fantasy series The Heroes of Olympus, his second series in the Percy Jackson universe inspired by Greek and Roman mythologies. The Mark of Athena picks up the narrative where The Son of Neptune left off, with a Greek warship from Camp Half-Blood approaching Roman Camp Jupiter in hopes of collaborating to stop Gaea from waking up and destroying the... Read The Mark Of Athena Summary

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Perseverance, Teamwork, Community, Science & Technology, Space

Tags Science Fiction, Science & Nature, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Humor

Andy Weir’s debut novel, The Martian, was originally published in 2011 as serialized blog posts; after its 2014 book publication, it was a New York Times bestseller. A software engineer and son of a physicist and an electrical engineer, Weir identifies himself in the book jacket biography as a “lifelong space nerd,” and the novel is notable for staying strictly within the bounds of existing scientific understanding. Set just over two decades beyond the novel’s... Read The Martian Summary

Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Family, Power & Greed

Tags Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

Published by Scholastic in 2008, Rick Riordan’s The Maze of Bones is the first novel in an interactive middle grade mystery-adventure series called The 39 Clues that follows the hidden exploits and conflicts of the Cahills, the most influential family in history. Riordan is a former teacher and prolific author best known for publishing the Percy Jackson series. The 39 Clues franchise proved to be another success, with books from the series landing on the... Read The Maze of Bones Summary

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Order & Chaos

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The Maze Runner is a young adult dystopian novel set in a post-apocalyptic world. The story begins in a dark metal elevator, where a teenage boy awakens with no real memories other than the fact that his name is Thomas. When the elevator stops and the doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by teenage boys. Their leader, a boy named Alby, welcomes Thomas to the Glade. Thomas quickly sees that the Glade is surrounded by... Read The Maze Runner Summary

Publication year 1883

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Friendship, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Classic Fiction, Poverty, Social Justice, Social Class, Medieval, Renaissance, Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is a much-beloved adventure novel by Howard Pyle (1853-1911), published in 1883. Pyle, an American illustrator and children’s author, wove together several of the early ballads about the famed medieval outlaw Robin Hood and his companions, the Merry Men, in an episodic and entertaining plot aimed at young readers of the late nineteenth century. Written in a pseudo-archaic English actually modeled on Elizabethan-era English, the book reflects a colorful... Read The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Summary

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Animals, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Kate DiCamillo’s The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, published in 2006, is a novel about the life of Edward Tulane, a three-foot tall china rabbit. While the book functions like a fairy tale, having magical content and a clear moral, both young and adult audiences can relate to the themes of love and loss that Edward endures. Although the chapters are short, and the language is geared towards children, the themes serve as a larger... Read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Summary

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Politics & Government

Tags Humor, Science & Nature, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Written by environmental advocate Edward Abbey in 1975, The Monkey Wrench Gang tells the story of a motley crew of environmental activists fighting industrialization in the American Southwest. Abbey's most famous work of fiction, this novel inspired a generation of eco-activists. Opening in the so-called "aftermath" (1) of the novel, Abbey immediately situates the reader in media res, at the site of a newly-built bridge between Arizona and Utah, over Glen Canyon. A "workman" (4)... Read The Monkey Wrench Gang Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure

The Moor’s Account (2014) is a fictionalized memoir of the first African explorer in the new world. Very little is known about him beyond the fact that he was one of only four survivors of the ill-fated Narváez expedition. In this historical novel, which cleverly employs flashbacks and first-person narration, author Laila Lalami imagines Mustafa telling his own story of endurance and survival.Mustafa was born in North Africa in the early 16th century. Despite his... Read The Moor's Account Summary

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Colonialism, Truth & Lies

Tags Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Travel Literature, Classic Fiction

The Mosquito Coast, published in 1981 by Paul Theroux, is an adventure story narrated by 13-year-old Charlie Fox, the son of a brilliant inventor who uproots his family to establish a self-sustaining settlement in the jungles of Honduras. Writing in the tradition of novels like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, and Lord of the Flies, Theroux cited the Jonestown Massacre and the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith as influences in... Read The Mosquito Coast Summary

Publication year 1924

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Perseverance

Tags Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Education, Education

Written in 1924, Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” has achieved fame as a popular short story worldwide. The story is an iconic tale that questions the value of human life and offers a commentary on the morality of man and instinct versus reason. It has sparked numerous adaptations and inspired other pieces of fiction, from poems and novels to several films and TV series.As the story opens, Sanger Rainsford, a game hunter, is on... Read The Most Dangerous Game Summary

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure, Humor

Rodman Philbrick’s The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (2009) is a historical fiction novel for middle-grade readers. It won the Newbery Honor award for its story about a young boy’s travels across Civil War America in search of his lost brother. The 2011 e-book edition is the basis for this study guide. Plot SummaryHomer Figg, 12 years old in 1863, lives on a farm in Maine with his older brother, Harold. They’re in... Read The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg Summary