- The Adventures with Lily Lapp books by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The girls in my daughter’s book club chose these books as their very favorites. They LOVED them! They’re sweet and inspiring, full of wisdom and fun – perfect for this age group.
- The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. These classic mysteries are easy to read but full of adventures by some very smart and independent children.
- The American Girl Series – particularly Felicity, Kirsten, and Kit. The historical American Girls are great examples of what was happening in American at their particular time in history, and each set covers a full year, so you can see activities that might happen in each season. This provides lots of ideas for club meetings. The American Girl History Mysteries are a bit longer and more challenging, but also great for book clubs.
- Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures by Jeff Brown & Macky Pamintuan. The Flat Stanley books are cute and adventuresome, but they don’t hold a candle to the new ones! Stanley’s flat again and traveling the world, solving mysteries and exploring new territories. This series is a great way to learn about a new place in a fun way. The website also has fun activities listed for each book, so part of your planning is already done for you.
- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Another classic, kids will love seeing how kids lived back on the prairie – and they’ll especially like trying Laura’s favorite activities.
- The Mandie Books by Lois Gladdys Leppard. I loved these books when I was a kid and saved my money to buy them at our local bookstore. They’re not as easy to find now, but they are available in collections and digitally. My Big Helper is now flying through the series – she loves reading about this adventuresome girl from North Carolina!
- The Cul-de-Sac Kids by Beverly Lewis. These simple chapter books are about a group of kids who are friends and neighbors and the problems they face. In each book that I’ve read, the kids have faced their problems and learned from them.
- Adventures in Odyssey’s Imagination Station. These books are full of adventure but involve lots of history, too, and you can be sure that they’re family friendly.
- Edison’s Gold by Geoff Watson. This book for tweens is packed full of action and adventure, science, history, math – and fun!
- The Recipe for Adventure series by Giada de Laurentiis. These books are easy to read and full of foodie fun!
