Usborne Puzzle Adventure series
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The Puzzle Adventure book series from Usborne Publishing Ltd was first created in 1984 with the release of Escape from Blood Castle. The first three volumes of the series were originally released as "Usborne Solve It Yourself". Each book contains a vividly illustrated story, with a plot-related puzzle to solve on each double page.
The series's success inspired the creation of three related series: Advanced Puzzle Adventures, Young Puzzle Adventures and Science Puzzle Adventures.
Many of the Puzzle Adventures and Young Puzzle Adventures series have been re-released over the past few years.
Series[edit]
Puzzle Adventures[edit]
This is the original series of books, aimed at 8 to 13 year-olds.
| No. | Title | Author | Illustrator | Published | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Escape from Blood Castle | Jenny Tyler | Graham Round | 1984 | 9780746080603 |
| 2 | The Curse of the Lost Idol | Gaby Waters | Graham Round | 1986 | 9780746085851 |
| 3 | Murder on the Midnight Plane | Gaby Waters | Graham Round | 1986 | 9780860209522 |
| 4 | The Incredible Dinosaur Expedition | Karen Dolby | Brenda Haw | 1987 | 9780746080627 |
| 5 | The Intergalactic Bus Trip | Martin Oliver |
|
1987 | 9780746084366 |
| 6 | Time Train to Ancient Rome | Gaby Waters | Brenda Haw | 1988 | 9780746080610 |
| 7 | Danger at Demon's Cove | Karen Dolby | Graham Round | 1988 | 9780746088678 |
| 8 | Agent Arthur's Jungle Journey | Martin Oliver | Paddy Mounter | 1989 | 9780746084342 |
| 9 | Agent Arthur on the Stormy Seas | Martin Oliver | Paddy Mounter | 1990 | 9780746084335 |
| 10 | The Ghost in the Mirror | Karen Dolby | Brenda Haw | 1989 | 9780746088661 |
| 11 | The Haunted Tower | Susannah Leigh | Brenda Haw | 1989 | 9780746088685 |
| 12 | Agent Arthur's Arctic Adventure | Martin Oliver | Paddy Mounter | 1990 | 9780746084359 |
| 13 | The Vanishing Village | Sarah Dixon | Brenda Haw | 1990 | 9780746088319 |
| 14 | Search for the Sunken City | Martin Oliver | Brenda Haw | 1989 | 9780746088692 |
| 15 | Journey to the Lost Temple | Susannah Leigh | John Blackman | 1989 | 9780746088265 |
| 16 | The Pyramid Plot | Justin Somper | Peter Wingham | 1991 | 9780746080597 |
| 17 | The Invisible Spy | Mark Fowler | Peter Wingham | 1993 | 9780746005101 |
| 18 | The Emerald Conspiracy | Mark Fowler | Mark Burgess | 1993 | 9780746088302 |
| 19 | Agent Arthur's Desert Challenge | Martin Oliver | Paddy Mounter | 1994 | 9780746088241 |
| 20 | Voyage to the Edge of the World | Lesley Sims | Peter Wingham | 1994 | 0746016905 |
| 21 | Mutiny at Crossbones Bay | Mark Burgess | Mark Burgess | 1994 | 9780746074985 |
| 22 | Castle of Intrigue | Paul Stewart | Jane Gedye | 1994 | 9780746068922 |
| 23 | The Dark Dark Knight | Lesley Sims | Peter Wingham | 1996 | 9780746069110 |
| 24 | Agent Arthur's Island Adventure | Lesley Sims | Paddy Mounter | 1998 | 9780746088258 |
| 25 | The Crimebusters Investigate | Mark Fowler | Ann Johns | 1997 | 9780746020968 |
| Agent Arthur's Mountain Mission (announced but never published) |
Some of these books were re-printed in the following omnibuses:
- The Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746001554)
Collecting: The Incredible Dinosaur Expedition, The Intergalactic Bus Trip, Time Train to Ancient Rome. - The Second Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746003107)
Collecting: Danger at Demon’s Cove, Search for the Sunken City, Journey to the Lost Temple. - The Third Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746005125)
Collecting: The Pyramid Plot, The Emerald Conspiracy, The Invisible Spy. - The Fourth Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746020715)
Collecting: Voyage to the Edge of the World, Mutiny at Crossbones Bay, Castle of Intrigue. - The Fifth Usborne Book of Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746021484)
Collecting: Agent Arthur’s Desert Challenge, The Dark, Dark Knight, The Crimebusters Investigate. - The Usborne Book of Solve Your Own Mystery Stories (ISBN 9780746000151)
Collecting: Escape from Blood Castle, The Curse of the Lost Idol, Murder on the Midnight Plane. - The Usborne Big Book of Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746054246)
Collecting: Danger at Demon’s Cove, Incredible Dinosaur Expedition, Ghost in the Mirror, Escape from Blood Castle. - Puzzle Adventure Omnibus Vol.1 (ISBN 9780746087336)
Collecting: Escape from Blood Castle, The Curse of the Lost Idol, Murder on the Midnight Plane, The Incredible Dinosaur Expedition, The Intergalactic Bus Trip, Time Train to Ancient Rome, Danger at Demon’s Cove. - Puzzle Adventure Omnibus Vol.2 (ISBN 9780746087343)
Collecting: Agent Arthur’s Jungle Journey, Agent Arthur on the Stormy Seas, Agent Arthur’s Arctic Adventure, The Haunted Tower, The Vanishing Village, The Ghost in the Mirror, Search for the Sunken City. - Puzzle Adventure Omnibus Vol.3 (ISBN 9780746095799)
Collecting: Mutiny at Crossbones Bay, Agent Arthur’s Island Adventure, The Pyramid Plot, Castle of Intrigue, The Emerald Conspiracy, Journey to the Lost Temple, The Dark, Dark Knight. - Agent Arthur's Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746001479)
Collecting: Agent Arthur’s Jungle Journey, Agent Arthur on the Stormy Seas, Agent Arthur’s Arctic Adventure. - Ghost Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746003367)
Collecting: The Vanishing Village, The Haunted Tower, The Ghost in the Mirror.
Advanced Puzzle Adventures[edit]
This is a more difficult series aimed at older children, currently out of print.
- Codename Quicksilver
- Cobra Consignment
- Mystery on Main Street
The series was reprinted in an omnibus edition.
- The Usborne Book of Advanced Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746007532)
Science Puzzle Adventures[edit]
The Science Puzzle Adventures series written by Clive Gifford contains science-related puzzles. Each tale pits the wits of Dr. Genius and his resourceful team against the world's most evil criminal superbrains. This series is also currently out of print.
- The Flask of Doom
- The Time Warp Virus
Young Puzzle Adventures[edit]
This series uses softer illustrations and is aimed at younger children.
| No. | Title | Author | Illustrator | Published | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucy and the Sea Monster | Karen Dolby | Caroline Jayne Church | 1993 | 9780746088180 | |
| Chocolate Island | Karen Dolby | Caroline Jayne Church | 1994 | 9780746088197 | |
| Uncle Pete the Pirate | Susannah Leigh | Brenda Haw | 1994 | 9780746087442 | |
| Dragon in the Cupboard | Karen Dolby | Caroline Jayne Church | 1995 | 9780746087435 | |
| Molly's Magic Carpet | Emma Fischel | Teri Gower | 1995 | 9780746049211 | |
| Halloween Surprise (previously Spooks' Surprise) | Karen Dolby | 1995 | 9780746087725 | ||
| Lucy and the Sea Monster to the Rescue | Karen Dolby | Caroline Jayne Church | 1997 | 9780746088715 | |
| Uncle Pete's Pirate Adventure | Susannah Leigh | Brenda Haw | 1997 | 9780746087459 | |
| Wendy the Witch | Karen Dolby | Brenda Haw | 1998 | 9780746087466 | |
| Land of the Lost Teddies | Emma Fischel | Daniel Howarth | 1998 | 9780746088722 |
Some of these books were re-printed in the following omnibuses:
- Young Puzzle Adventures (ISBN 9780746060056)
Collecting: Molly's Magic Carpet, Wendy the Witch, Uncle Pete the Pirate, Lucy and the Sea Monster.
Superpuzzles[edit]
In 1995 Usborne released a 3-in-1 collection of even more advanced puzzles, The Usborne Book of Superpuzzles by Sarah Dixon, Mark Fowler, Radhi Parekh (illustrator) (ISBN 9780746007358, 0746007353). This includes the books Maps and Maze Puzzles, Codes and Ciphers and Logic Puzzles.
External links[edit]
- Usborne.co.uk, the official site of Usborne Publishing
