The Adventure Series (Willard Price)

2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Children's Books

The "Adventure" series is a collection of children's adventure novels by Canadian-born American author Willard Price. The fourteen-book series chronicles the exploits of budding teenage zoologists Hal and Roger Hunt, as they travel around the world capturing exotic and dangerous animals for their father's wildlife collection.

Shortly before his death, in 1983, Price commented that:

My aim in writing the Adventure series for young people was to lead them to read by making reading exciting and full of adventure. At the same time I want to inspire an interest in wild animals and their behaviour. Judging from the letters I have received from boys and girls around the world, I believe I have helped open to them the worlds of books and natural history.

Willard Price's "Adventure" Series

Amazon Adventure (1949)

Hal and Roger Hunt crash-land into the middle of a pioneering expedition to the unmapped regions of the greatest jungle on earth: the Amazon. And when their mission to explore the uncharted territory of the Pastaza River goes off course... it's the survival of the fittest.

South Sea Adventure (1952)

Hal and Roger Hunt sink deep into danger when a specimen-collecting trip takes them into the lost world of the South Seas. But the deep-sea trawl has a hidden agenda- a top secret mission for Professor Stuyvesant, and his scientific experiments in Pearl Lagoon...

Underwater Adventure (1954)

Hal and Roger Hunt dive into danger when they join the Oceanographic Institute as part of an underwater operation in the South Seas. And it's sink or swim for the intrepid brothers when their aquatic adventures bring them face to face with a foe more deadly than the sea creatures of the deep...

Volcano Adventure (1956)

Hal and Roger Hunt embark on an earth-shattering expedition when they join forces with world-famous volcanologist, Dr. Dan Adams. And as their research of the volatile Pacific volcanoes hots up, the brothers' mission erupts into an awesome adventure...

Whale Adventure (1960)

Hal and Roger Hunt are hoping to have a whale of a time when they agree to join the crew of a whaling ship. But as they begin working for the evil Captain Grindle, face dangerous battles with sharks, and then find themselves shipwrecked, the boys realise they're about to have a much bigger adventure than they'd bargained for.

African Adventure (1963)

Hal and Roger Hunt are on the trail of a vicious man-eating leopard. Yet they are also being hunted themselves, by a merciless band of killers known as the Leopard Society. Can they trust their own tracker, Joro, despite knowing he has pledged to lead them to their deaths?

Elephant Adventure (1964)

Hal and Roger Hunt are on an awesome African adventure to track down the rare great white elephant. The brothers coolly tackle their task- despite doom-laden prophecies from Mumbo, a Watussi chieftain- and as the temperature rises... the danger level intensifies.

Safari Adventure (1966)

Hal and Roger Hunt fly straight into the jaws of death when they join warden Mark Crosby in Tsavo, an African park where poaching is big business. And with a gang leaving behind a blood-stained trail of terror and torture, the heat is on for the brothers to solve the string of mysterious murders- before they too become victims...

Lion Adventure (1967)

Hal and Roger Hunt have been sent on a terrifying mission- they must save the population of Mtito Andei from a man-eating lion. But the 'King of the Beasts' isn't the only thing trying to kill the boys... Have the brothers bitten off more than they can chew this time?

Gorilla Adventure (1969)

Hal and Roger Hunt head off for another challenging mission- this time to search for gorillas deep in the Congo jungle. But when the boys stumble across the evil trade in baby gorillas, someone seems determined to silence them once and for all.

Diving Adventure (1970)

Hal and Roger Hunt dive straight into danger on a specimen-collecting trip to Undersea City. But it's not just sharks and killer whales the brothers have to fear when they are plunged into the depths of another adventure.

Cannibal Adventure (1972)

Hal and Roger Hunt are in New Guinea, the most wild and savage island in the world. But their adventure becomes even more deadly when the brothers discover that man-eating crocodiles and deadly snakes aren't the only things after their blood...

Tiger Adventure (1979)

Hal and Roger Hunt are in India, investigating rare and dangerous animals for their father. But on the trail of the rare white tiger, high in the Himalayas, disaster strikes and the brothers realise they are walking into the jaws of death.

Arctic Adventure (1980)

Hal and Roger Hunt are colder than they've ever been in their lives, up among the ice floes of Greenland. This harsh land holds many dangers, from killer whales to grizzly bears, but an evil man may turn out to be the deadliest threat the boys have to face.

Hal and Roger Hunt

The sons of respected animal collector John Hunt, Hal and Roger have taken a year off school to help capture animals for their father's collection on Long Island, after which the captive specimens are sold to zoos, circuses and nature parks. In Amazon Adventure, the boys' literary debut, Hal is nineteen years old and Roger is thirteen years old.

Hal is the typical hero: tall, handsome, and muscular, possessing an almost limitless knowledge of natural history and a caring and trusting disposition. Roger, on the other hand, is an ardent practical-joker, often mischievous but just as resilient and resourceful as his older brother.

Villains

Each novel in the Adventure series is notable for its memorable selection of loathesome villains and enemies. Some of these, through their interactions with Hal and Roger, are led to redeem their past misdeeds, while others simply suffer the consequences of their actions. Throughout the series, only one enemy, the cunning "Reverend" Merlin Kaggs, appears as a villain in more than one Hunt adventure.

Rights sold

During October 2006, the Price family of Holden, Massachusetts entered into an agreement to sell the copyrights and related legal rights for the fourteen Adventure series titles, plus the right to use Price's name, to London-based literary brand owner and investor Fleming Literary Management LLP.