Adventure Books The Whole Family Will Love

Does your child love a good outdoor adventure book? Children and adults alike who are outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy these inspiring survival stories and nature based books. If you or your child adore classic stories like Hatchet, your kid’s are sure to adore these fascinating tales, ideal for ages 7-12. From an early age I’ve fostered a love for reading in my children with captivating stories and I am thrilled my kids share my enthusiasm. Over the years of reading together as a family before bed or listening to audio books, we’ve collected a list of our families favorite fiction books inspired by nature and outdoor adventures our entire family enjoyed. They make great reads for boys and girls ages 7-12 to read independently, but also are ideal read alouds or audiobooks during family vacations.

This list of children’s books are filled with outdoor adventures, survival stories, nature, lovable animal characters, and rich character development. These are my personal recommendations as a parent, all of which I’ve read with my four children. I’ve included the read time for audio books and the number of pages, plus helpful links.

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Read Alouds Nature Books for Children 5+

My four children span a wide gamete of ages from elementary school to middle school. From an early age we have done read alouds before bed and around the campfire while camping. Although the reading level says ages 8 -12, these books are appropriate for even lower elementary ages. In addition, my children from as early as age 5 and up enjoy listening to chapter books as audiobooks during many 3-hour car rides to my parent’s house across the state. A great time to venture into audio books is when you’ll be spending a substantial amount of time traveling on a family vacation in the car? Skip the electronics and screens and instead keep your kids entertained while improving their language skills on you’re next road trip with these family-friendly audio books. Listening aloud to books has a lengthy list of benefits including improved listening comprehension and increased vocabulary, not to mention bonding your family through shared enjoyment of a book. If you want your children to listen better, here are 20 Activities to do while listening to audio books.

Wild Robot by Peter Brown | Ages 5-12

320 Pages | Read Time: 4 hours 37 minutes

A favorite with all my children, ages 4-10, The Wild Robot is the story of Roz, is a robot who gets left on an island after her ship is destroyed in a hurricane. Unexpectedly, Roz starts to adapt to the island and even finds a way to communicate with animals. In addition, there is a sequel Wild Robot Returns, and the first book has been made into a movie, which is we loved just as much as the book.

Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate | Ages 7-12

224 Pages | Read Time: 2 hours 33 minutes

A towering Red Oak Tree looks down on the community from her vantage point. Here she takes in the ways of humans and animals, who make there home in her branches. A heart warming tale, with an unlikely narrator is woven together by the beloved writer, Katherine Applegate. A sweet story with quirky animal characters that my children ages 4- 10 all enjoyed and prompted quality conversations about acceptance and friendship.

Poppy by Avi | Ages 7-10

Pages 100 | Read Time: 4 hours 8 minutes

Children, who love animal adventures, will especially enjoy the book Poppy. Follow the journey of a little mouse named Poppy, who courageously challenges the owl, Mr. Ocax, as she searches for a safe home for her family. This story is part of a series of books. Check out these fun ideas and activities that correspond with this book here.

GreenWild by Pari Thomson | Ages 8-12

384 Pages | Read Time: 9 hours 6 minutes

When Daisy Thistledown’s learns her mother has disappeared, evil men our hunting her she stubbles upon a secret doorway into a magical world of Greenwild. Here she learn and fight to find her mother. ( Book one in the series. )

The Green Ember by S.D. Smith | Ages 7 -12

400 Pages | Read Time: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Siblings, Heather and Picket our ordinary rabbits until tragedy enters there lives. They become wrapped up in a world full of daring adventures, sword fights and hidden secrets. Rich nature descriptions and complex characters will delight children and adults. ( Book one in a Series of Three Books)

Pax by Sarah Pennypacker | ages 8-12

304 Pages | Read Time: 5 hrs and 32 mins

After a young fox loses his parents, he is rescued by young boy, Peter. They soon become the best of friends, until Peter is forced to let his dear pet free into the wilds. This story reveals the depths and span a friendship can survive. Grab a tissue for this moving story of loyalty & friendship.

Campground Kids Series by C. R. Fulton and Dylan Bakken | Ages 6+

172 Pages | Read Time: 2 hrs 47 mins

If you’ve got any trips planned for National Parks, pick up one of these books in the Campground Kid’s series. They feature a family that journeys to each National Park. Although fictional, throughout each story there are fun facts woven in about the specific parks along with camping tips, safety, animals and plants facts.

Survival and Outdoor Adventure Books for Ages 8 + Up

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen | Ages 10 & Up

192 Pages | Read Time: 3 hours 42 minutes

A classic survival stories for both children and adults. When Brian is stranded after his plane crashes, he must attempt to stay alive all alone in the Ozark mountains. With only a hatchet, this 13 year old boy must face wild animals, unfavorable weather and locate food in Northern Canada. Themes deal with survival, death and divorce.

Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson | Ages 10 & up

Pages 288 | Read Time 4 hours 44 minutes

A winter survival story featuring Victoria Secord, a young female musher and her dogs. When a snow storm forces fourteen year old, Victoria to pull every ounce of grit she’s got to face of with ravenous Alaskan weather. She must travel through Alaskan wilds, as she assists a boy and her dogs to see if they can make it out alive.

Leepike Ridge by N.D Wilson | Ages 9-12

Pages 256 | Read time 5 hours

Cave exploration, greedy treasure hunters, dead bodies, and a loyal dog are crafted into this survival story. Tom, a boy of 10, falls asleep aboard a foam packing raft and find himself swept into an underground, with no way out. Fast paced book with rich, descriptive language, quirky characters and humor will leave you on the edge of your seat.

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel |Ages 8-12

336 Pages | Read Time: 8 hrs 7 mins

This action packed story aboard a massive train features a boy Will Everett trying to save his father, avoid evil money-hungry men, and build friendship with unusual cast of circus performers while trying to survive out west.

Willa of the Woods by Robert Beatty Ages 9-12

400 Pages | Read Time 8 hours

While on a family trip to the Smokey Mountains our family listened to this audio book while driving to Tennessee and through Cade’s Cove scenic loop. The story Willa of the Woods is set in the Smokey Mountains, so its a great for children before visiting. When a young, sprite girl encounter a human, it leaves her questioning the rules of her clan. She must boldly challenge what she’s been taught her whole life and dig into secrets of the past. The book will keep you riveted from the very opening chapter. There were some darker scenes scenes so I recommend it for children 9 and up.

How to Get Free or Low Cost Books & Audio Books

1. Acquire or listen to these books for FREE by picking them up at your local library. Our family has saved hundreds of dollars this way. All you need is a library card to access thousands of books. If your local library doesn’t own the book, many libraries participate in an interactive library loan program, where they can obtain the desired book from a massive data base of libraries in your state. Generally book’s requested take about a week to arrive at your library.

2. Utilize your libraries online resource programs by downloading the Libby or Hoopla app. Check with your local library if they participate and start enjoying audiobooks for FREE.

3. Join Audible today and get one month free . You can even enjoy a select number of books free through their "Free Listens" section.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully you’ll love these nature themed, adventure books as much as we did! They make great audio books for kid’s who love the outdoors. Reading quality literature together is a unique way to connect as a family. Stop in at your local library to acquire your next book through Libby or Hoopla or join Audible today.

Follow Discovering Anew’s on Instagram for tons of fun videos showcasing Midwest travel, camping, Michigan day trips, and the best kid-friendly hiking trails and parks. Need some more book recommendations?