Illustrated Adventure Stories

by Lesley Sims (Editor)

This is a rip-roaring collection of knuckle-whitening action stories, thrillers, and adventures retold for younger readers. It contains classic stories such as 'Don Quizote', 'The 39 Steps', 'The Three Musketeers', and 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.

Genres: Childrens

Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Lesley dreamed of being a writer, but studied law as her mother insisted she had "something to fall back on". Since joining Usborne Publishing, she has written and edited hundreds of books, from funny rhyming stories to an award-winning history book. Nowadays, she is often found recording books, too, in Usborne's very own recording studio.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right off the bat - I haven't read the unabridged versions of any of these books, so these are my first-impressions of the stories (rather than a comparison between the originals and the abridged).

One of my goals this year is to pick up more classic works and when I spotted this book, I thought it could be a fun way for me to get an idea of the full versions of the stories.

The Count of Monte Cristo

"Before Edmond could reply, the soldiers grabbed his arm and yanked him away...They were headed for a craggy island beyond the bay, from which a stone fortress rose to the soot-black sky."

Edmond Dantes, on the eve of his wedding night, is falsely accused of carrying a letter to the traitorous Napoleon Bonaparte and is falsely imprisoned for twenty years. A chance encounter with a fellow prisoner allows for him to escape...and for him to get a map to the treasure on the Island of Monte Cristo. As Edmond escapes, he gets word that the people who accused him of treasonous activity (Danglers and Fernand) are both rich and in Paris, Fernand has even wed Edmond's ex-fiance. And so begins Edmond (aka the Counte of Monte Cristo)'s plot for revenge.

I haven't read the original story for this one but it's definitely on my list now. As with many of the abridged books, I could definitely tell that there were missing elements though I wasn't always sure what was missing. For example, we abruptly transition from Edmond in a boat plotting to get the treasure and then ruin Fernand and Danglers's lives...and start the next chapter one year later with the revenge plot. Maybe the full book skips over finding the treasure as well, but even so, I would expect a sentence or two bridging the gap. In general, the book definitely felt choppy in terms of character development and plot - but the last few chapters were rather gripping.

The Prisoner of Zenda

"Really, you've done nothing with your life except-"
"Mess around?" I said. "What's wrong with that? I don't want a job."

A family legend says that the King of Ruritania sowed wild oats in Rudolf's family, as seen by some of them having red hair and unusually straight noses. Before Rudolf commits to cleaning up his life, he decides to visit Ruritania...and stumbles upon the kind, discovering that they were nearly mirror images of each other. After a drugged bottle of wine, Rudolf finds himself in quite the predicament - he must stand in for the king of Ruritania on his coronation night! Wait till his family finds out!

I have never heard of this one but I felt like it worked quite well - the narrative felt much smoother and the images were more pleasant to look at than the previous book. I liked the bit of humor that the author kept in and overall found the story interesting. The action at the end of the book was very fast paced and fun to follow. I feel like I would want to read the full version of this book (eventually) (I have a pretty long TBR).

Don Quixote

"I'll do it!" cried Quixada, kicking the coffee away. "I will! I'll be famous...immortal! Watch me right the world's wrongs, kill dragons, and rescue damsels in distress."

Quixada, who renamed himself Don Quixote, spends much of his time reading wonderful adventure books. He longs for the battles and adventures despite him being quite old...and so he decides age should not act as a barrier and he sets off with rusty armor, and a cardboard shield. After a wild night at the inn and with two ruffians firmly defeated, a shocked innkeeper knights Don Quixote - who quickly leaves in search of a squire. From there hilarity ensues - from attacking a herd of sheep (of which Don Quixote thinks are enchanted men) to charging a field of giants (windmills) - Don Quixote does his best to live out the wild fantasies from his books.

I've had an idea of what Don Quixote was about for many years. I thought he was this serious, stoic hero figure...and boy was I wrong. This book was much more comedic than I expected and it was fun to see the dichotomy between Don Quixote's beliefs and impressions of events compared to the real thing. This one felt a little choppy but not too bad, all things considered. Sometimes the ridiculousness bordered absurd (as in too much for me) but there might be more development in the original to make it stronger. And part of me felt empathy throughout for the old man and these possible delusions - the ending especially made me feel for the old man.

The Three Musketeers

"I want to join the three musketeers," d'Artagnan declared...
"An inexperienced boy like you join the most famous regiment in France?" he scoffed.

d'Artagnan has a dream - one that very well be unachievable. After an attempt at an illegal duel, d'Artagnan meets with Mr. de Treville in Paris. d'Artagnan is told that he might be able to join the Musketeers BUT only if he can prove himself worthy. Quite by accident, he also manages to offend the Three Musketeers so thoroughly that he is challenged to three separate duels (12pm, 1pm, and 2pm the next day). Only one problem - duels are still illegal, and when they're all caught, d'Artagnan fights on the side of the Musketeers. Perhaps proving himself worthy wasn't quite so difficult after all.

I don't know why, but I thought this one would be much more of a comedy. I remember the popular media depictions of the Three Musketeers and it's always a cheery 'one for all and all for one' with them toasting each other via swords. So, I came into this abridged story expecting funny moments and comedic bits throughout...but it was so much more action-and-adventure than I expected. I definitely liked this one. Of the abridged books, this one felt only a little choppy to me. The story flowed smoothly for the most part and there was a bit of character development shown. I'll admit it, I'm impressed.

The 39 Steps

"Yet as I approached my rented house that evening, little could I have imagined the breathtaking adventures that lay ahead of me."

We follow Mr. Richard Hannay as he us beseeched by a Franklin P. Scudder. There's a Greek Premier who is in danger of being assassinated, and Scudder needs to lay low for four days. He must hide from foreign agents in order to enact a plan to protect the Premier...but Scudder is murdered before the date. Mr. Hannay takes Scudder's notebook, hops on a train to Scotland and decides to take up his mantle. After quite a lot of decoding, Mr. Hannay has one final clue - 39 steps, I counted them - 10:17pm, high tide. Whatever can that mean? Can Mr. Hannay figure this out in time to prevent an assassination? Or will he be caught for the police and tried for Scudder's murder?

This one was really good. I think the last one was actually my favorite - it definitely flowed the best of the five stories. I like the murder mystery element and the various clues scattered throughout. There wasn't much character development in the abridged one but it also didn't really need it, I was more focused on how the plot was shaping up to focus too much on the lack of character development. I really liked the various chase scenes and sneaky reveals. The illustrations in this one worked particularly well.

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam-packed with adventure, this was one of my family's favourite Usborne books. I had never read The Prisoner of Zenda nor The 39 Steps, but both are among the stories included in this volume.

[Afifah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 bintang. Paling suka dengan kisah The Count of Monte Cristo.

[James Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely tails adapted for illustrated print. While not all the stories' narratives fit logically into the condensed format, and The 39 Steps story lacks illustrations the general content and quality is at a high level. The binding and cover of the book are well-made and beautiful. Additionally, the illustrations do have the feeling of somehow matching the story they go along with. All in all, a nice story book for young children.

[Adam Schetselaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

My six-year-old liked Don Quixote cause it was so silly. She also liked the Three Musketeers. I liked 39 steps as I previously had not read this. All in all it was good. We really enjoyed these stories and it was an opportunity to talk about a lot of topics together.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yay for children's books!

[Diah Utami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kisah-kisah petualangan klasik yang seru dengan ilustrasi yang indah.

[Skyelr · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids really enjoyed these stories. It was fun reading them to them.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Children’s edition!!!!

[Caroline Lonsdale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a children's book, despite the cover and marketing. The idea of reading your little guy (mine is 7) great works of (abridged) literature may be tempting, but don't do it! We started with the 39 Steps and then went on to The Count of Monte Cristo. Lots of death and people consumed by hatred after great injustices. Not bedtime ready material. We'll go back to the Magic School Bus. My son picked the rating. I think he has been humouring me so far, or else just likes to listen to the sound of my voice as he drifts off to sleep and the phone book would do.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series of books for (very) abridged versions of classic stories. I think of versions like these should be approached in the way we read The Jesus Storybook Bible (or other children's Bible storybooks)--as an introduction to the real thing, so that when they DO read the real then (as we expect them to) it is familiar. So, not a replacement for the unabridged and original language, but an introduction.

Ages 5-8

[Victoria Drob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia, 7-years-old: This book I read was sometimes scary but I still liked it. My favorite adventure story was The Three Musketeers, it was interesting. I liked the phrase "all for one and one for all!" I didn't like that all the stories were about fighting. But I was happy that all the stories ended in a happy way.

[Aidan Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, is very good . The authors make each story interesting . It sometimes gets sad .

[Rebellion Violetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ilustrasinya bagus dan cerita-cerita klasik dunia dikisahkan dengan baik. Buku ini lebih tepat dibaca oleh pembaca dewasa atau anak usia 9 tahun ke atas.