The Best International Adventure Books for 10-14 Year-Olds

I grew up traveling around the world in a diplomatic family. My father’s work led us to foreign capitals in rival countries, where we were surrounded by secrets and spies. It was an exciting life, but difficult too: Every few years, I changed homes, schools, and friends. Books were my refuge. They showed me characters who traveled like I did. They opened new windows into the cultures I encountered, and others that I didn’t. And they showed me how much was possible. I craved stories that took me on  adventures to other times and places.

Books still do all those things for me, and and I believe they can do the same for young readers today who yearn for adventure. 

Most of the following books have protagonists who are fourteen years old themselves (or close to it, and only one doesn't). But they're great for young and old readers alike! 

See the whole list on Bookshop.org. 

Treasure Island

What I love most about this classic tale, set on the high seas and a Caribbean island, is the relationship between young Jim Hawkins (he’s around fourteen) and the book’s villain, Long John Silver. Silver is a pirate, never to be trusted, but he understands Jim in a way no one else does, and our protagonist reciprocates with a guarded respect. Jim’s parents are either absent or ineffectual, so Silver fills a gap and mirrors Jim’s yearning for adventure.
Get the book: Amazon | Bookshop

The Adventures of Tintin

The “boy reporter” from Belgium tangles with a wide array of villains from all over the world. He outsmarts every single one. I still marvel at Tintin’s bravery, his loyalty to friends, and his penchant for incredible escapes. Although I didn’t always get it as a kid, he also engaged with some pretty trenchant themes, many of which are still relevant today: drugs, human trafficking, war, disasters. 
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Alex Rider: Stormbreaker

Alex Rider didn’t ask to become a teenage spy, he rises to the occasion every time MI6 sends him on a mission — even when he has good reason to mistrust the motives of the adults running things. I love that about him. Throughout the series, his escapades take him to the French Alps, Southeast Asia, and even into orbit, accomplishing things only a fourteen-year-old kid could. 
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Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess

I love that this book and series about a forgotten, fourteen-year-old sister of Sherlock Holmes aren’t merely mysteries — they’re full fledged adventures. Enola feels abandoned and ignored by everyone in her life. She decides to abandon them back, and leaves home to take fate into her own hands. I love her resourcefulness and resilience. I’m also moved by her inability to understand the people she loves. Her family members are as much a mystery to her as the cases she investigates, maybe more, and that central problem makes those cases and the relationships she forges along the way even richer. 
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City Spies

This book makes it mark with the sheer number and creativity of conundrums faced by its ensemble of young spies, who range from twelve to fifteen years old. All of them hail from different parts of the world. Not only do they make up a truly international cast, but they all have their own special talents and — making it even more fun — their own unique ways of getting into trouble. 
Get the book: Amazon | Bookshop