Action & Adventure

Thunderhead

by Neal Shusterman

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Justice, Good & Evil, Environment

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure

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Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

by Scott O'Dell

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Action & Adventure

The novel opens with Sound of Running Feet, a young Nez Perce girl and the daughter of Chief Joseph. She runs into a white settler and his wife in a familiar meadow near her village. She challenges the settler and reports the incident to her father, who tells her that white settlers are coming in droves. Chief Joseph is a thoughtful and respectable chief but not a war chief—he is worried about his people.Soon, the... Read Thunder Rolling in the Mountains Summary

Timeline

by Michael Crichton

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure, World History, Fantasy

Timeline (1999) is a best-selling thriller by Michael Crichton that combines science fiction and historical fiction. The novel tells the story of a group of graduate students in history from Yale University who go back in time to 1357 to rescue their professor. While Timeline received mixed reviews upon its release, it was adapted into a popular video game in 2000 and later made into a very poorly received movie in 2003. Timeline borrows from... Read Timeline Summary

To Build a Fire

by Jack London

Publication year 1902

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Tags Naturalism, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, American Literature, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction

“To Build a Fire” is a short story by American writer Jack London. It was published in Century Magazine in 1908, and this guide references the 1908 edition. An earlier version of the story was published in Youth’s Companion in 1902. It is one of London’s many adventure stories based in the Klondike, where he prospected as a young man. There are six film versions of the story.The story is set during the 1890s gold... Read To Build a Fire Summary

To Kill a Kingdom

by Alexandra Christo

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Family, Mothers, Community

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Mythology

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Toliver's Secret

by Esther Wood Brady

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Family, War

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, US History, World History, Historical Fiction, American Revolution, Action & Adventure

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Touching Spirit Bear

by Ben Mikaelsen

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Touching Spirit Bear is a young adult fiction novel written by Ben Mikaelsen and originally published in 2002. It is a bildungsroman and adventure story and the first in a two-part series. Ben Mikaelsen was inspired by his own pet black bear, Buffy, to whom he dedicated the book; the novel also takes cultural inspiration from the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska. Touching Spirit Bear is the recipient of nine awards, including the Nevada Young Readers’... Read Touching Spirit Bear Summary

Touching the Void

by Joe Simpson

Publication year 1988

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Death, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Fate, Safety & Danger

Tags Action & Adventure, Travel Literature, Sports, Science & Nature, Biography

Touching the Void is a 1988 memoir by British author Joe Simpson. The book recounts the disastrous, near-fatal attempt of Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, to ascend the West Face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. The book details Simpson’s harrowing ordeal, in which he broke his leg and fell into a crevasse, and how he survived against seemingly insurmountable odds.Simpson’s narrative highlights the resilience of the human spirit and explores the... Read Touching the Void Summary

Tracker

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Death, Animals

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

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Tracks

by Robyn Davidson

Publication year 1980

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Femininity, Animals, Place

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure

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Trapped

by Michael Northrop

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Trapped opens an unspecified amount of time after the completion of the story’s events. Scotty Weems (nicknamed Weems) introduces himself as the narrator and details the severity of the nor’easter (a type of snowstorm specific to the New England region) around which the book centers. Chapter 2 returns to the day the storm began, and events work their way forward.Due to the storm, school will let out early. Weems is upset because his basketball game... Read Trapped Summary

Trash

by Andy Mulligan

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Poverty, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure

Published in 2010, Andy Mulligan’s dystopian young adult novel Trash examines themes of poverty, homelessness, corruption, and friendship. Set in the near future in an unnamed country, it follows the adventures of three boys who take turns narrating the story: Raphael, Gardo, and Jun-Jun (known as Rat throughout most of the book). The boys are poor, as are the majority of the people in their region. They live, as do most, by picking through trash... Read Trash Summary

Travels With Charley

by John Steinbeck

Publication year 1962

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Place, Fear, Hope, Nostalgia, Memory, Masculinity, Aging, Future, The Past, Self Discovery, Beauty, Justice, Language, Community

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, American Literature, Animals, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Classic Fiction, Biography

Published in 1962, Travels With Charley: In Search of America is a narrative travelogue by John Steinbeck. The book follows a cross-country road trip the author took with his dog, a brown poodle named Charley. They travel in a camper-style pickup truck named Rosinante, which Steinbeck had custom built for the trip. Steinbeck embarked on the journey because he felt disconnected from the larger picture of American life after years of living in New York... Read Travels With Charley Summary

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Publication year 1883

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal

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

Treasure Island is an adventure novel for young adults written by Robert Louis Stevenson, which was serialized in 1881 and 1882 and published in 1883. It is frequently dramatized in plays, television, and film, and has had an enormous influence on popular culture, particularly on public perceptions of pirate and sea-faring life. It is considered a coming-of-age tale and belongs to a genre of sea novels popular in the 19th century.Plot SummaryTreasure Island is told... Read Treasure Island Summary

Trouble Don't Last

by Shelley Pearsall

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Perseverance, Fear, Coming of Age, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History

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