Happy Leif Ericson Day! In honor of the intrepid Norse explorer, here are five books sure to scratch your adventurer’s itch!

- The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. An
absolutely harrowing account of (barely) surviving the disastrous 1911 Scott
expedition to the South Pole.
- Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss. Washed up on a deserted
island, shipwrecked parents and their four sons must rely on their wits — and
luck — to stay alive.
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. This white-knuckle retelling of a
real-life climbing disaster on Mt. Everest is an example of narrative
nonfiction at its best.
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Running away
from home and living in a hollowed-out tree never sounded cooler than it does
in this coming-of-age tale about a 12-year-old boy on his own in the Catskills.
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. You didn’t really think a list of great adventure books would leave this one out, did you?
What are your favorite adventuresome tales? Tell us about them in the comments section below!