Funny Adventure Books for Kids Ages 8–12
by Lindsay Barrett
Adventure stories are a reliable sweet spot for hooking tween readers. They’re fast-paced, to help kids start reading, and they’re exciting to keep them engaged. Of course, tweens also love to laugh, so adventure tales that include bizarre details and hilarious hijinks are even better. These 10 titles get rave reviews from the most critical crew: adolescents! (Bonus: Many of them are the first in duologies or series.)
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Impossible Creatures
Buy from:Quickly becoming a middle grade must-read, this series opener follows Christopher and new friend Mal on an epic adventure across an enchanted Archipelago. They seek help from myriad magical creatures to find out why the islands’ magic seems to suddenly be in peril. Plenty of clever banter between the friends will make readers chuckle as they get lost in the story.
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Chomp
Buy from:This standout middle grade author is known for his outlandish and hilarious novels. When his dad, a Florida animal wrangler, joins the production team for a wilderness survival reality TV show, Wahoo Cray doesn’t know what to expect. Soon, there are bat bites, a self-centered show host lost in the Everglades, and lost search parties. Tweens will keep reading to find out who will actually survive this mess.
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The Island of Dr. Libris
Buy from:Chris Grabenstein is a pro at balancing humor and adventure in middle grade literature. When Billy spends the summer at the lakeside cabin of Dr. Libris, he quickly realizes there’s something weird going on. Whenever he opens a new book from the cabin bookshelves, he hears sounds coming from an island in the lake. This energetic tale invites tweens to wonder what could happen if characters in books came to life.
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The Area 51 Files
Buy from:When Sky is sent to live with her strange uncle, there’s lots to get used to. He lives in Area 51, a top-secret military base filled with aliens, or “Break Throughs.” When some of them mysteriously disappear, Sky and her uncle need to figure out how to avoid being blamed…before it’s too late. The bizarre details of this novel’s otherworldly setting will have kids cracking up for sure.
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Max in the House of Spies
Buy from:When Max learns he has to be evacuated from Germany to London during World War II, he doesn’t want to go. Then, on the ferry, he’s joined by two quirky folkloric travel companions: Stein, a Jewish dybbuk, and Berg, a German kobold, who don’t hold back with their arguing and constant advice. Things turn even more surreal when Max’s impressive technical skills land him in a secret spy training program. Tweens will soon realize that this fantastic adventure is not your typical historical fiction novel.
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A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits)
Buy from:Kids who enjoy books by Stuart Gibbs, Mac Barnett, or Max Braillier will enjoy this series. A strange boarding school, a secret spy organization, and the heist of the century combine in the first installment featuring a group of mystery-solving misfits. This humorous and highly illustrated series will be your kid’s next favorite read!
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Not Another Banned Book
Buy from:Molly’s school book club has been a refuge for her, but when the school board receives an anonymous tip that one of their selections could be controversial, the club gets banned and her favorite teacher gets suspended. Molly launches a full-scale response, complete with a protest on the school football field. The author’s clever humor gives a sense of adventure and heart to a serious and timely topic.
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The Last Kids on Earth
Buy from:In this wildly popular illustrated series opener, readers meet thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan, who’s been hiding out in his treehouse since a Monster Apocalypse rocked his tiny town. His gameplan is to treat the event like a video game and battle his way through it, fueled by cookies and soda, of course. This series has also been adapted to graphic novel format and a TV series, also.
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Hyacinth and the Secrets Beneath
Buy from:In this zany adventure series starter, Hyacinth Hayward is trying to rescue her mom from the strange band of monsters that kidnapped her soon after they moved from Illinois to London. Her efforts take her into the sewers of London and include run-ins with a talking pig in a swimsuit, a boy with amnesia, and more.
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Benny Ramírez and the Nearly Departed
Buy from:When Benny moves into his dead grandfather’s mansion in Miami, he finds his ghost still there — and Benny is the only one who can see him. To earn entry to the afterlife, Abuelo, a master musician, decides to teach Benny to be a school trumpet star. Meanwhile, Benny’s just trying to fit in, and taking advice from a ghost may not be the smoothest way to do it. Growing up is an adventure, and tweens will appreciate this funny take on it.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2026.