Free summaries
Adventure — page 97
5,516 public-domain adventure books, summarised. Page 97 of 115.
The Congo Rovers: A Story of the Slave Squadron
Harry Collingwood
This narrative follows a young midshipman’s harrowing initiation into naval service, as he confronts the brutality of the slave trade and the unpredictable perils of the African coast.
The Lake Mystery
Marvin Dana
A reclusive miser’s death leaves behind a trail of gold and a musical cipher, drawing a group of treasure seekers into a deadly game of wits beneath a lake. This 1923 mystery balances adventure, romance, and greed within a remote wilderness setting.
The Princess Galva: A Romance
David Whitelaw
HOOK A bored London clerk trades his humdrum existence for a high-stakes conspiracy, finding himself the unlikely guardian of a princess and a kingdom’s fractured future.
The tale of Major Monkey
Arthur Scott Bailey
HOOK A mischievous, gold-braided soldier arrives in Pleasant Valley, but his insatiable appetite for eggs and maple sugar leads him into a series of humorous misadventures.
The Wedge of Gold
C. C. (Charles Carroll) Goodwin
The search for fortune often leads to the discovery of something more valuable than gold. This story follows the lives of determined men and the women who transform them.
The Young Oarsmen of Lakeview
Edward Stratemeyer
Two spirited teenagers channel their ambition into rowing, testing their mettle against rivals and the elements in a series of athletic and personal challenges.
Viking Boys
Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby
Two spirited Shetland children, yearning for the legendary past, launch a game of make-believe Viking raids that unexpectedly heals a bitter, multi-generational neighborhood feud.
When the birds fly south
Stanton A. (Stanton Arthur) Coblentz
A man finds himself stranded in a hidden, high-altitude valley, only to discover that the local tribe is bound by a mysterious, seasonal instinct linked to the migration of birds. This haunting tale explores the collision between a modern outsider and a people living under the shadow of ancient, elemental forces.
Within The Enemy's Lines
Oliver Optic
A young naval officer maneuvers through the high-stakes deception and tactical ingenuity of the Civil War, pitting his wit against Confederate conspirators to protect his family’s steamship.
A Cadet of the Black Star Line
Ralph Delahaye Paine
Young David Downes, a cadet on the mighty Roanoke, learns that the sea is as unforgiving as it is glorious, requiring a strength of character that outweighs any simple dream of adventure.
A Coffin for Jacob
Edward W. Ludwig
This story follows a young, panicked fugitive as he navigates the fringes of a hostile solar system, seeking redemption for a crime that haunts his waking hours. It is a work of hard-bitten science fiction that examines the thin line between duty and exile.
A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Adolphe Belot
The quest to recover a lost husband from the depths of the African interior becomes a harrowing journey of discovery, colonial intrigue, and unexpected transformation for a band of determined Parisians.
A Sub. of the R.N.R.: A Story of the Great War
Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman
This high-seas adventure follows a young naval officer navigating the perils of the First World War, from the mechanical sabotage of a merchant steamer to the tense, cat-and-mouse warfare of the North Sea. It is a quintessential example of wartime boys' fiction, blending stiff-upper-lip duty with rapid-fire naval…
Boy Scout Explorers at Emerald Valley
Don Palmer
The Boy Scouts of America serve as the launchpad for a high-stakes South American rescue mission involving a missing engineer and a cache of stolen gems. A group of alert young Explorers travels to the mountains of Colombia, where they must outwit a duplicitous company agent, a ruthless bandit named Carlos, and a…
Calling World-4 of Kithgol
H. B. (Horace Bowne) Fyfe
After accidentally triggering a two-century-old interstellar beacon, a roguish hunter on a primitive, post-catastrophic world finds his tribal life upended by the return of humanity’s advanced descendants.
Carl the Trailer
Harry Castlemon
A young scout navigates the volatile frontier of the American West, balancing duty to the army with a quiet, observant mastery of the landscape during the final days of the Indian Wars.
Deadwood Dick Jr. Branded
Edward L. (Edward Lytton) Wheeler
HOOK A relentless detective and a ruthless outlaw engage in a high-stakes duel of wits and violence, turning the lawless frontier into a personal arena for vengeance and retribution.
Harilek
Martin Louis Alan Gompertz
An intrepid British officer stumbles into a lost, ancient civilization hidden within the Gobi Desert, where he must trade his modern rifle for a suit of chainmail to defend a princess and her people.
Harper's Round Table, March 31, 1896
Various
This nineteenth-century miscellany offers a panoramic view of American youth culture, blending tales of Western exploration, nautical peril, and the whimsical humor that defined a bygone era of childhood.
In School and Out
Oliver Optic
A headstrong boy’s journey from petty delinquency to self-mastery unfolds through a series of rigorous trials at a military academy.
Orange and Green: A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick
G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
A sweeping historical chronicle of the Williamite War in Ireland, where two families on opposite sides of the conflict find their fates intertwined by loyalty, courage, and the bonds of personal honor.
Roy Blakeley's Tangled Trail
Percy Keese Fitzhugh
A group of mischievous scouts embarks on a purposely aimless hike, only to find themselves entangled in a genuine mystery involving a drowned man, a missing box of money, and a suspicious stranger.
Sea, spray and spindrift
H. Taprell (Henry Taprell) Dorling
This collection of naval yarns captures the visceral, salt-sprayed reality of the Great War at sea, documenting the courage of merchant sailors and patrol officers facing unseen enemies. It offers a glimpse into a vanished world where maritime duty meant enduring freezing nights, constant vigilance, and the sudden,…
Shaggo, the Mighty Buffalo: His Many Adventures
Richard Barnum
After a restless, adventurous buffalo decides to flee his government-protected range, he finds himself ensnared in a series of circus and zoo life challenges that test his strength and his spirit.
The Claim Jumpers: A Romance
Stewart Edward White
The wide-eyed Easterner finds his romantic notions of the frontier tested by a landscape that demands grit, wit, and the abandonment of his carefully curated illusions.
The Color of His Boots
W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle
Two down-on-their-luck cowboys find their lives upended when a series of accidental kidnappings forces them to become reluctant caretakers for a trio of wailing infants.
The Girl's Own Paper. Vol. XX. No. 1007. April 15, 1899
Various
This periodical serves as a vibrant time capsule, offering a window into the daily preoccupations, moral instruction, and literary tastes of young women at the close of the nineteenth century. It balances historical narrative, practical advice, and domestic guidance with the earnest, instructive tone of the late…
The Harbor Master
Theodore Goodridge Roberts
A remote Newfoundland cove hides a community of wreckers whose fierce leader claims every prize of the sea until a shipwrecked singer and a brave sailor challenge his brutal rule.
The lure of Piper's Glen
Theodore Goodridge Roberts
A young man from the States finds himself in the unforgiving wilderness, where his education and grit are tested by a local tyrant and the unpredictable currents of a rugged frontier.
The Madman and the Pirate
R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
In the sun-drenched silence of the South Pacific, a peaceful island home is shattered by the cruelty of mutineers, setting a father and son on a harrowing, years-long journey toward redemption and restoration.
The Minute Boys of York Town
James Otis
Amid the closing maneuvers of the American Revolution, three young boys risk capture and execution by infiltrating the British-held town of Yorktown to aid the patriot cause.
The Mystery of Seal Islands
Harrison Bardwell
An intrepid young pilot finds herself in the crosshairs of a ruthless smuggling ring after unwittingly accepting a job from a mysterious woman with a hidden, dangerous agenda.
The Pygmy Planet
Jack Williamson
A desk-bound copywriter answered a desperate call, only to step through a hidden laboratory threshold into an impossibly small world where human intellects inhabit metallic horrors.
The Radio Boys' First Wireless
Allen Chapman
When four small-town teenagers construct home-made radio receiving sets, their new pastime plunges them straight into local rivalries, nighttime raids, and a search for a missing swindler.
The Young Engineers in Mexico
H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock
Two young American engineers find themselves trapped in a web of deceit when they are hired to manage a Mexican mine that is not what it seems.
A Pride of Islands
C. C. MacApp
The people of this world live atop the backs of colossal, wandering creatures, navigating a landscape of shifting hair and biting insects. When a young man decides to steal a wife from a neighboring clan, he inadvertently triggers a journey that uncovers the rusted, mechanical remnants of the ancestors who once…
Air Service boys flying for France
Charles Amory Beach
Young American aviators test their mettle against German foes in the skies over France during the First World War. This brisk adventure captures the era’s fascination with early flight and the urgent patriotism of the Great War.
Beyond Rope and Fence
David Grew
The struggle of a wild horse for freedom against the encroaching fences of humanity defines a poignant, rugged journey across the Canadian prairie. This narrative captures the spirit of the untamed, reflecting on the profound cost of captivity.
Beyond the Law
Jackson Gregory
A prospector sets out to avenge his partner’s brutal murder, only to discover that the wilderness holds both a dangerous secret and the woman he is destined to love.
Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story
George Manville Fenn
A secret passage, a fractured home, and a friendship tested by the fires of the English Civil War define this tale of survival.
Defending the Island: A story of Bar Harbor in 1758
James Otis
A frontier settlement transforms into a desperate fortress when children must defend their coastal homestead against an impending assault.
Frank Merriwell on the Road
Burt L. Standish
A resourceful young man faces down theatrical rivals and villains while striving to earn his way through the unpredictable world of traveling stage companies.
Heart of Oak: A Three-Stranded Yarn, vol. 1
William Clark Russell
This nautical drama captures the visceral isolation of a young woman’s ill-fated voyage toward health, tracing her transition from a sheltered life to the harrowing reality of survival on the open ocean.
Navy boys behind the big guns
Halsey Davidson
Four young Navy recruits face off against enemy saboteurs in this high-stakes maritime thriller set during the final days of the First World War.
Scarred Eagle
Andrew Dearborn
This is a quintessential nineteenth-century frontier adventure, a high-stakes tale of survival set against the backdrop of the 1763 Siege of Detroit. It follows a band of seasoned scouts and their allies as they navigate a wilderness defined by shifting loyalties, desperate tactical gambits, and the constant threat…
The Boy Allies in Great Peril
Clair W. (Clair Wallace) Hayes
A crowd of thousands gathers outside the royal palace in Rome, waiting for word that Italy will enter the World War against Austria.
The Boy Scouts In Russia
John Blaine
A young American finds himself trapped behind enemy lines at the outbreak of World War I, relying on his wits and scout training to survive a web of espionage.
The Bunnikins-Bunnies and the Moon King
Edith B. Davidson
A family of rabbits swaps their cozy life for a perilous journey across the stars, discovering that the most extraordinary adventures often end with a longing for home.