by Laura Falin posted in Life

I've noticed something about good adventure books for kids. Almost always, if you're sending a kid character on an adventure in a book you have to get rid of the parents.
I'm trying not to take this personally, especially since I remember this from books I loved when I was little as well. For kids, adventure comes when you're on your own. Harry Potter, the Pevensie children from The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, even Nate the Great -- the kid detective -- solves his crimes without his parents getting in the way.
So I've collected a range of books here, selections for young readers just getting into chapter books and slightly more advanced (probably upper elementary school). I've noticed, though, that even young readers will sit and listen while you read even if the book is a little beyond their level. These are all books for kids who love adventure and usually some intrigue. And they all managed to -- temporarily or permanently -- get the parents out of the way.
11 Chapter Books for Adventurous Kids:
1. The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne - My absolute favorite starter chapter books. They're manageable for beginning readers, but they have storylines that are interesting and build on each other throughout the series. And (bonus!) each book takes place in a different time or place so kids pick up a lot of facts about history or geography without necessarily realizing it.
2. My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett - This boo...