Adventure
... for grades 3 and 4
Click a title to check the Skokie Public Library catalog for the status of the book in the Youth Services collection. Titles marked with * are also available on audio.
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- Alcock, Vivien. The Stranger at the Window. 1998.
Youth Fiction ALC - Eleven-year-old Lesley wonders whose face is at the window. The three teenagers next door pay no attention to Lesley, until she asks about the face at the window. Then Lesley joins the teenagers in their attempt to provide a safe haven for Erri, a young boy they have rescued. Erri doesn’t speak English very well, but he draws strange and terrifying pictures.
- Avi. Poppy. 1995. *
Youth Fiction AVI - When Poppy, a young deer mouse, sneaks out one night, she can’t imagine what horrible events will ensue. Follow Poppy on her dangerous quest to find a safe home for her family -- away from the tyranny of Mr. Ocax, the great horned owl who rules over all the woodland creatures.
- Babbitt, Natalie. Kneeknock Rise. 1970. *
Youth Fiction BAB - What makes that wailing noise that comes down from the peak of Kneeknock Rise? When Egan arrives in the town of Instep he senses the spell that is cast over the town. Follow Egan as he climbs the Rise and uncovers the explanation of the mysterious "something" that lurks and roars.
- Balliett, Blue. Chasing Vermeer. 2004.
Youth Fiction BAL - Petra and Calder find themselves in the middle of a puzzle when strange things happen and a famous painting disappears. Anyone -- even their teacher or Petra’s dad -- could be involved, and in order to rescue the painting and expose the thief, the children use pentominoes, encoded letters about a missing boy named Frog, and odd communications with a figure in a painting to solve the puzzle!
- Bledsoe, Lucy Jane. Tracks in the Snow. 1997.
Youth Fiction BLE - Are Erin and Tiffany just looking for animal tracks in the woods -- or are they are looking for something else? Join these two girls as they get lost in the woods and battle cold, hunger, and wild animals in their search for something much more valuable than mere tracks in the snow.
- Clifford, Eth. Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library. 1979.
Youth Fiction CLI - Usually, libraries are safe, wonderful places for books. After their car runs out of gas, Mary Rose and Jo-Beth trudge through the snow and find a curious old library with a curious old librarian. When they get locked in, the adventure begins. Don’t miss the strange things that happen on that long winter night!
- Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy. 1986. *
Youth Fiction FLE - When a rotten prince runs away from home with his whipping boy and they encounter dangerous outlaws, everyone is confused. Which boy is the real prince? Follow the adventures of Prince Brat and Jemmy, his whipping boy, as they escape the bad guys and make their way back to the royal court.
- Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart. 2003. *
Youth Fiction FUN - Imagine what would happen if the characters in books actually came to life! That’s exactly what happens when Meggie’s father reads out loud. Everyone has a lot to lose if the characters from Inkheart –– the evil Capricorn and his henchmen –– rule the day. In order to defeat the evildoers, Meggie must help the writer Fenoglio with a secret plan, and in the process she finds her own special talent, as well.
- George, Twig C. Swimming with Sharks. 1999.
Youth Fiction GEO - When Sarah goes to visit her grandfather for the summer she learns about sharks and she swims with sharks -- but she’s not quite prepared for the adventures that ensue when she tries to stop a fisherman who wants to hunt the sharks and sell their fins for soup!
- Gilson, Jamie. Hobie Hanson, You’re Weird. 1987.
Youth Fiction GIL - Summer is the time for adventures, but how can you have summer adventures if your best friend is away at camp? Hobie Hanson reluctantly finds a new buddy, and together they set out on a new set of adventures that last all summer long.
- Hill, Kirkpatrick. Winter Camp. 1993.
Youth Fiction HIL - You can almost feel the cold Alaskan winter in the pages of this book, as Toughboy and his younger sister must survive in a winter trapping camp. When their caretaker, Natasha, must leave to help an old miner who is injured, the children are alone -- and pushed to their limits.
- Hirsch, Odo. Bartlett and the Ice Voyage. 2003.
Youth Fiction HIR - When the queen wants something, she gets it! This queen wants to taste the melidrop fruit, which grows far, far from home and must be eaten the day it is picked. Just how can Bartlett and his trusted friend Jacob bring the melidrop fruit back to the royal court? It will take inventiveness, desperation, and perseverance -- and seven months’ time. Read to see if they succeed!
- Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth. 1961. *
Youth Fiction JUS - Milo is bored, bored, bored with his life. But, when he goes through a magic tollbooth on a journey through the Kingdom of Knowledge, he leaves his boring life far, far behind. Go with Milo -- through the tollbooth -- on an amazing adventure!
- Kennedy, Richard. Amy’s Eyes. 1985.
Youth Fiction KEN - Almost anything can happen in this book of adventure on the high seas. When Amy’s sailor doll turns into a sea captain, Amy turns into a doll with bright blue button eyes. They sail off on the ship Ariel with a crew of rabbits, cats, and monkeys, on a dangerous quest for gold -- and more!
- Kimmel, Eric A. Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan. 1999.
Youth Fiction KIM - Can a samurai warrior survive a beheading? Can a tea ceremony help a renegade knight in battle? Can a coward escape execution? Read these three stories and eight more about the samurai knights that ruled Japan for 1200 years.
- Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Carlotta’s Kittens and the Club of Mysteries. 2000.
Youth Fiction NAY - Can Carlotta protect her kittens from the neighborhood bullies? Join Carlotta, Marco, and the rest of the gang as they teach the young kittens how to battle their archenemies and find a permanent home.
- Osborne, Mary Pope. Night of the Ninjas. 1995. *
Youth Easy Fiction OSB - What will Jack and Annie do when they are whisked back in time to ancient Japan? They must learn the secrets of the ninjas -- and battle the evil samurai warriors, or else!
- Petersen, P. J. White Water. 1997.
Youth Fiction PET - What would you do if you were hundreds of miles from home on a whitewater rafting trip with your dad and he was bitten by a rattlesnake? Would you know what to do? Join Greg and his stepbrother as they face disaster on the rapids, a wild bear, and their father’s steadily worsening condition.
- Pullman, Philip. The Firework-Maker’s Daughter. 1999.
Youth Fiction PUL - Lila wants to be a firework maker like her father -- but he has other plans. Follow Lila as she runs away in search of royal sulphur, the secret to the firework maker’s art. When she retrieves it from the heart of a volcano, she encounters kidnappers, a frightening tiger, and a Fire-Fiend named Razvani. But, can she get home in time to save her father?
- Shahan, Sherry. Frozen Stiff. 1998.
Youth Fiction SHA - When two cousins set out on a kayak trip, they think they’ll be home before their mothers even know they are gone. But, it doesn’t work out that way. Join Cody and Derek on their unplanned and unpredictable adventure -- battling the raw elements of the Alaskan wilderness.
- Speare, Elizabeth George. The Sign of the Beaver. 1983. *
Youth Fiction SPE - When his parents go to town for provisions, 13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard their new cabin. Matt must survive in the wild -- but how? Read how an unlikely person -- the young Indian boy Attean -- helps him and becomes his friend.