Old School Adventure Stories for Young Readers

This week we’ll look at children’s books in the classic style, where adventurous youngsters take on the world in a healthy, outdoorsy, risk-of something-terrible-happening sort of way. These aren’t the Beatrix Potter type of story, where apparently naughty children who disobey their wise parents run into trouble and have to be rescued. No, these are kids who are very much in charge of their own destiny. Adults are often at the edge of the picture, either oblivious to what’s going on, or – quite often – the cause of all the peril. At best, adults are needed to do things that kids can’t do themselves, like drive cars or arrest villains.

After all, the most popular children’s books of our lifetime feature deliberately old-fashioned elements; Harry Potter goes to a boarding school, plays team sports, and fights an evil that most of the world is completely unaware of. Kids love danger – that’s why Conn and Hal Iggulden’s Dangerous Book For Boys was so successful. They love the sense of excitement that comes from challenging themselves, and pushing beyond the PlayStation culture. Encouraging them to read stories with these elements stimulates their imagination and gets them thinking about doing more active, adventurous things.

I decided to ask a broad selection of people – mostly writers and librarians, but all sorts of book-loving folk – for their nominations. Quite a lot of great books were suggested that don’t quite meet the criteria, either because they featured non-humans as their protagonists (is Paddington a hero? How about Curious George?). Others – like the sci-fi classic “Ender’s Game” aren’t really old school enough.

Stay with us this week for a mixture of old-school classics and some newer titles.