Adventure books for kids

[DuckCootLoon]

My child loves the Famous Five, but I am quite uncomfortable with the outdated attitudes towards women, travellers, working class people, foreigners etc etc.
What other books would appeal to his interests. He likes children having adventures and outwitting the grown ups.
He's only seven, so nothing too violent (Hunger games).

My 7 & 9 year olds like the choose your own adventure series. But be warned some of these are a bit violent.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391466552781?_skw=choose+your+own+adventure&epid=239662648&itmmeta=01K1BQYQFCV901887JRZ9SGFD4&hash=item5b25398dcd:g:8UAAAeSwYVBoHjoC&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cKmFLEWx8gLW%2BifDqcnDFXAEuSBsMC%2FeBpXVINAVc51ivmdBY0XrFiQ36%2FmRlrzw99%2Bf9BNP525XTlhVY%2Bjwuhf52RiRfzJ1ITu%2BE9CijAaFjUxQFcRXh5%2FMvWjyTKi3w4vw7YN5b16QTTuweTrPyxciBTOwKP6IvW0RYIaYZTG9%2B9f%2FukPvmu7%2FqgH29F0niu3875Ut7sd3SBuVID%2FydguexkpFJ64J8FjRhTV4g3%2FMec6uiajaGQb24s9a7aiv8%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_r3-veKZg

my dc loved the Podkin One Ear series and
How to Train Your Dragon (maybe for age8+ but worth having on your list)

There’s a series of books called the Bear Grylls Adventures which my DS enjoyed most at that age. He also liked he Izzy and Friends series by Pamela Butchart and has just started The Creakers

We are the same OP. There’s lots of Enid Blyton that isn’t too bad and the modern reprints have changed names. I wondered if they tweaked the other things too that you’ve mentioned? The underlying themes.

Our Enid Blytons are the modern ones, there is a statement at the front saying that they've been modernised.
It's the attitudes that concern me. Overt racism was presumably removed, but these books now have many subtle issues, which individually wouldn't be a problem, but when the patterns are repeated over and over reinforces negative stereotypes.

One dark, foreign baddy wouldn't be an issue. Crooks come from all walks of life, but in these books ALL the baddies have similar characteristics.

Anne is completely dismissed as a wet blanket because she likes "girl" things, when clearly "boy" things are superior. She is actually kind, caring, thoughtful, observant, brave, and this is only ever described in the context of helping the boys.

We do like the can-do attitudes, the wholesome outdoors, child-centered adventures.

Thanks for the suggestions. We'll see what the library has.

I agree with you about all of this. I'm really disturbed by the whole attitude to Anne, as well as all the other things you mention.

Some modern adventure series in the same style of children having adventures and outwitting grown ups:

The Boy Who Met a Whale and other books in the series
Maisie Vs Antarctica (and one other in the series)
The Highland Falcon Thief (and others, if he likes trains)

Worth taking a look at the colourfully illustrated Binny the Bin Dog stories aimed at 5 - 7 year olds. This charming story set in India features the adventures of street dog Binny & his friends as they battle to save themselves & the wider world.

Helen Moss books are brilliant, Adventure Island The Mystery of…are like proper modern day Enid Blyton stories. Highly recommend them.

A Legacy of Ghosts by Colin Dann.