Reading for pleasure when you鈥檙e young can be a challenge. Chances are that if your parents don鈥檛 turn you off to the whole concept by preaching from dreary, socially conscious picture books (the ice caps are melting, the animals are dying, let鈥檚 all have some recycling fun!), your high school English teacher will ruin some truly great works (Catcher in the Rye or For Whom the Bell Tolls) by having you memorize any symbolism that might be helpful on a No Child Left Behind test. It鈥檚 a shame, because books鈥攆ar more than movies or television or video games鈥攊mpose a very useful obligation on the reader: the joy of exercising your imagination. They help you navigate around the youthful shoals of insipidness and set you on a path of adventure.
鈥楳y Side of the Mountain鈥 by Jean Craighead George
For any kid who鈥檚 ever daydreamed of , this 1959 classic is a must. Told from the point of view of a 12-year-old who chucks it all to live in a hollow tree, this is a deeply affecting鈥攁nd remarkably nuanced鈥攔endering of this most primal of childhood fantasies.

鈥楾he Red Badge of Courage鈥 by Stephen Crane
One of the to realistically depict the true horror of war, this slim volume grapples with the question that has haunted young men since the beginning of time: When the shooting starts, will I be brave? If Crane provided a slightly too tidy answer, he also penned the first great American antiwar novel.

鈥楢 Short Walk in the Hindu Kush鈥 by Eric Newby
Newby proves聽聽that all you need for a rollicking good time in a sketchy corner of the world is pluck, determination, and a hapless straight-man companion to make fun of along the way.

鈥業nto the Wild鈥 by Jon Krakauer
Despite what cruise-ship companies might tell you, adventure is only adventure when it involves an element of risk鈥攚hich also means that sometimes things can go terribly, fatally wrong. If you ever find yourself theorizing, 鈥淚鈥檓 sure the flames will go out long before I hit the water,鈥 read first.

鈥楾he 黑料吃瓜网s of Tintin鈥 by Herg茅
The original graphic novels, this series recounts the peril-filled exploits of Tintin, boy reporter, and his snarky little dog聽Snowy. Start with : it鈥檚 got opium smugglers, plane crashes, marauding Bedouins, and a demented, alcoholic sea captain who mistakes Tintin for a giant bottle of champagne. What鈥檚 not to love?
