AnytimeQuests

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Prime Video

A crew of unusual kids passes a strange test and lands a secret mission. Puzzles, gadgets, and cleverness save the day.

For older questers

Victorian Farm

Prime Video

The one that started it all: historians spend a whole year living like it’s the 1880s — lamplight, livestock, and lots of mud.

Edwardian Farm

Prime Video

A year on the farm, twenty years on — steam engines, piglets, and remarkable old-fashioned know-how.

Tudor Monastery Farm

Prime Video

Farming like it’s 1500, with monks’ methods, market-day tricks, and very muddy boots.

Secrets of the Castle

Prime Video

How do you build a medieval castle? With real tools, real stone, and zero machines. Deeply satisfying.

Gravity Falls

Disney+

Twins spend the summer at their great-uncle’s tourist trap and uncover a town full of mysteries, cryptids, and secret codes.

For older questers

Craig of the Creek

Disney+

A kid and his friends turn the creek behind their houses into a whole wilderness of quests, maps, and makeshift forts.

Phineas & Ferb

Disney+

Two brothers build impossible things every day of summer vacation — rollercoasters, treehouses, time machines.

Carmen Sandiego

Netflix

Where in the world is she now? A globe-trotting thief steals back treasures and drops real geography along the way.

Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs

Netflix

A former NASA engineer turns everyday physics into playful build-it-yourself contraptions — engineering made irresistible.

LEGO Masters

Prime Video

Teams of grown-up builders turn bricks into castles, creatures, and wild inventions — a spark for any kid's next big build.

MythBusters

Prime Video

Can you really dodge a laser beam or survive a falling elevator? Wacky experiments test whether movie myths hold up.

Hidden Lives of Pets

Netflix

The secret science of the animals curled up beside you — how dogs, cats, and other pets see, think, and communicate.

Carl the Collector

PBS KIDS

A raccoon with a talent for collecting and a big heart builds a world of careful, wonderful order — and learns to share it with friends.

For younger questers

Wild Kratts

PBS KIDS

Brothers Chris and Martin activate creature powers to explore how real animals do what they do — part adventure, part creature biology, all enthusiasm.

Mystery League

PBS KIDS

A sharp-dressing detective and her friends crack the mysteries of a small Arkansas town — puzzles, riddles, and clues hiding in plain sight.

Odd Squad

PBS KIDS

Young agents solve seriously strange mysteries with math — because when the world goes sideways, there's a squad for that.

The InBESTigators

Netflix

Four kids run a detective agency out of a backyard shed — sharp eyes, sticky notes, and cases cracked one clue at a time.

Molly of Denali

PBS KIDS

An Alaska Native girl and her vlog take on the wilds of the last frontier — maps, mysteries, and big-sky adventures.

For younger questers

Inside the Mind of a Dog

Netflix

Scientists and trainers unpack what’s really going on behind those big eyes — how dogs think, learn, and love their humans.

Square One TV

YouTube (free)

The vintage PBS math show from the late ’80s — sketches, songs, game-show spoofs, and Mathnet detectives solving crimes with numbers. Full episodes live free on YouTube.

Wartime Farm

YouTube (free)

Life on the UK home front — ration-book cooking, make-do-and-mend, and wartime ingenuity.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Netflix

A family road trip collides with a robot uprising. Loud, funny, and weirdly sweet.

The Wild Robot

Prime Video

A shipwrecked robot learns to speak animal — and becomes a family. Watch the film, then read the books below.

Backyard Wilderness

Netflix

A girl trades screens for the woods behind her house — and discovers the secret lives of the animals living there. Follows a full year of surprises, seasons, and backyard wildlife.

My Side of the Mountain

Prime Video

A kid runs away to the Catskills, hollows out a tree, trains a falcon, and proves he can live off the land alone — the original solo-wilderness adventure.

Dog Man

Movie (DreamWorks)

Part dog, part man, all cop — the beloved comic leaps to the screen with laughs, heart, and a very good crime-fighting hound.

Swiss Family Robinson

Prime Video

A shipwrecked family builds a treehouse kingdom on a tropical island — the granddaddy of all the do-it-yourself adventure movies.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Disney+

Jedi, droids, and a clone army — Episode II sends Obi-Wan and young Anakin into the mystery that starts the whole saga downhill.

My Octopus Teacher

Netflix

A burned-out filmmaker frees his mind by free-diving in a cold kelp forest — and slowly earns the trust of a curious octopus. Quiet, gorgeous, and unforgettable.

For older questers

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story

Disney+

A fisherman on a remote Scottish island befriends an otter — and the little friendship slowly mends them both. Gentle, wild, and full of heart.

For older questers

Tim’s Vermeer

Prime Video

An inventor spends years building a full replica of a Vermeer’s studio — mixing paints, grinding lenses, chasing light — to paint the masterpiece himself. Obsession, in the best way.

For older questers

The Swallows & Amazons series

Arthur Ransome

Twelve books of sailboats, islands, and summers of real independence — the original kids-on-their-own-adventure books.

The Wild Robot series

Peter Brown

Three books, one unforgettable robot: a shipwrecked Roz learns from the animals, escapes to the wide world, and journeys under the sea.

The James Herriot series

James Herriot

A country vet’s warm, funny stories of creatures great and small — perfect read-alouds.

Gone-Away Lake

Elizabeth Enright

Cousins discover a forgotten lakeside village of crumbling old houses — and the summer belongs entirely to them.

City Spies series

James Ponti

Five kids from around the world become a secret team of spies for MI6 — codes, capers, and clever escapes in cities everywhere.

Kid Spy series

Mac Barnett

A boy spy (partly true, mostly hilarious) is sent on top-secret missions by the Queen of England herself. Very funny read-aloud.

Dog Man series

Dav Pilkey

Half dog, half cop, all hero — comic panels, flip-o-ramas, and laughs that keep even reluctant readers turning pages.

Dragon Masters series

Tracey West

Young trainers bond with dragons of every kind — perfect for new readers who want an adventure to call their own.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E. L. Konigsburg

A sister and brother run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art — solving an art-world mystery by day, sleeping in an antique bed by night.

Outschool

outschool.com

Live online classes on everything from Pokémon math to wizardry — pick a topic, meet kids who love the same stuff.

Duolingo

duolingo.com

Five minutes a day, one very persistent green owl — and suddenly the whole house has a Spanish streak going.

Epic

getepic.com

A giant digital library of kids' books, comics, and audiobooks — with a read-to-me option for tired evenings.

Sora

soraapp.com

Borrow ebooks and audiobooks free with a school or library card — the whole library, in your pocket.

Freckle

freckle.com

Math and reading practice that adjusts to your kid — short rounds, quick wins, and less of the one-size-fits-all feeling.

Brain Quest workbooks

Workman Publishing

Fat, colorful workbooks that feel more like trivia night than homework — a road trip and summer staple.

Prodigy

prodigygame.com

A math adventure game where answering questions powers up spells and battles — practice disguised as a quest.

Nat Geo Kids magazine

kids.nationalgeographic.com

Amazing animals, weird-but-true facts, and far-off places — page after page of things to know and tell someone about.

Worlds of Wonder: A Coloring Book for the Curious

Coloring book

Johanna Basford's whimsical, intricately detailed worlds — hidden objects to spot, mazes to wander, and page after page of discoveries to bring to life with color.

Mandala Coloring Book

Paperback

Intricate mandalas with no rules and no wrong answers — one calm line at a time. A quiet-hands favorite.

Create Your Own Comic Book

Paperback

Panel-by-panel pages waiting for your story — heroes, villains, and plots entirely your own. No drawing rules, just make the panels yours.

Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals

Drawing book

Step-by-step animal drawings built from simple shapes — a thumbprint becomes an owl, a scribble becomes a lion. Clear instructions with plenty of room for your own twist.

CrunchLabs STEM Kits

Subscription

A build-it-yourself engineering kit in the mail every month from Mark Rober — one box, one clever machine, hours of tinkering.

Dutch Blitz

Card game

A fast, loud, play-your-own-pile card game — everyone plays at once, so there's no waiting for your turn and no pressure to plan ahead.

UNO

Card game

The classic shout-when-you're-down-to-one card game — quick rounds, simple rules, and matches that end before anyone loses steam.

Risk

Board game

World conquest on a map — dice, armies, and long campaigns across continents. A big-evening game for strategists who like to dig in.

For the older questers — extended play

Carcassonne

Board game

Lay tiles to grow a medieval countryside — roads, cities, and fields take shape as you play. Easy to learn, different every time.

Catan

Board game

Trade wood and sheep, build roads and towns, and race to settle the island — the modern classic of friendly negotiating.

Scrabble

Word game

Words across a board, big points for the tricky letters — great for spelling fans, and even better played in teams.

Clue

Detective game

Who did it, where, and with what? Narrow the suspects down card by card until the mystery cracks.

Battleship

Board game

Call your shots and hunt the hidden fleet — grids, guesses, and dramatic direct hits.

Axis & Allies

Board game

A sweeping World War II strategy epic — armies, factories, and whole campaigns on one giant map. A commitment, and a favorite.

For the older questers — extended play

Mexican Train Dominoes

Tile game

Build a growing 'train' of dominoes around the table — chatty, social, and satisfying with a big group.

Mancala

Board game

One of the oldest games in the world — scoop and sow stones around the board in a satisfying race of counting and planning.

Winslow Memorial Park

Freeport

A waterfront town park with a sandy beach, a playground, and fields to run in — pack a picnic and let the day stretch out.

The Desert of Maine

Freeport

A real desert, ten minutes from the library — glacial sand swallowed an old farm, and now you can tour it, meet the camels, walk the trail, play mini golf, grab a bite at the cafe, or camp right there.

Bradbury Mountain State Park

Pownal

Climb the granite summit for a view of the whole coast — short trail, big payoff. A perfect first mountain.

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park

Freeport

Spruce-shaded trails along Casco Bay — ospreys nesting overhead, tide pools below, and boardwalks all the way.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Boothbay

Gardens, a fairy-house trail, and a giant stone whale to climb — one of those places that feels invented.

Boothbay Railway Village Museum

Boothbay

Ride a narrow-gauge steam train past a whole village of antique buildings — all aboard, again and again.

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad

Portland

Vintage train cars roll right along the waterfront — a short, scenic ride with a museum of tiny trains at the station.

Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum

Alna

A living piece of Maine's two-foot railroad past — ride the train and watch the crew keep a century-old line running.

Minecraft

PC, consoles & mobile

Blocks in, adventure out — build whatever you can imagine, explore endless worlds, and play at your own pace. Creative mode means no losing, ever.

Stardew Valley

PC, consoles & mobile

Inherit a run-down farm and slowly make it yours — crops, fishing, festivals, and friendly townsfolk. Gentle, cozy, and no timers.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

PC & consoles

All nine films retold in bricks — co-op play, slapstick humor, and nothing to stress over when a build falls apart.

LEGO City Undercover

PC, Switch & consoles

An open-world LEGO cop story full of jokes, disguises, and a whole city of things to smash and rebuild.

Star Wars: Battlefront

PC & consoles

Blaster battles across iconic Star Wars planets — pick a hero, jump in, and the matches are short enough to stop when it's time.

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World

By Scott McCormick

History's greatest feuds told like a playground showdown — fast, funny, and full of facts kids can't wait to repeat.

Rivals 2! More Frenemies Who Changed the World

By Scott McCormick

Even more famous feuds — rival chefs, inventors, and explorers — with the same goofy energy and cast of a full production.

Rivals! 3: Even More Frenemies Who Changed the World

By Scott McCormick

The third round of history's best spats, told with sound effects and jokes that keep the whole car listening.

Spies! Sneaks, Snoops, and Saboteurs Who Shaped the World

By Scott McCormick

Real spy stories from history — codes, disguises, and secret missions — told for young ears without the scary parts.

Pirates! Scoundrels Who Shook the World

By Scott McCormick

The real lives of famous pirates, separate from the movie myths — adventure with a history lesson smuggled inside.

Vikings! Scandinavians Who Shaped the World

By Scott McCormick

Beyond the horned helmets — explorers, traders, and storytellers of the North, in the same lively listen-aloud style.

The Tiger Rising

By Kate DiCamillo

A quiet boy, a caged tiger, and a friendship that changes both — a short, tender listen for kids who feel a lot.

Because of Winn-Dixie

By Kate DiCamillo

A lonely girl, a scrappy stray dog, and the unlikely friends they gather — a warm story about how community gets built, one oddball at a time.

Winnie-the-Pooh (Dramatised)

By A. A. Milne

A full-cast telling of the Hundred Acre Wood — gentle, funny, and easy to love.

For older questers

The Frog & Toad Collection

By Arnold Lobel

Two patient friends pottering through small adventures together — kind and quiet.

For older questers

City Spies series

By James Ponti

Five kids from around the world become a secret team of spies for MI6 — codes, capers, and clever escapes, city after city.

Swallows & Amazons series

By Arthur Ransome

Sailing adventures on the lakes of England — two families of kids exploring islands, camping wild, and running their own expeditions, one book after another.

The Hardy Boys series

By Franklin W. Dixon

Brother detectives Frank and Joe crack mysteries around their hometown — a long-running series of clue-chasing, kid-led investigations.

Mac B., Kid Spy series

By Mac Barnett

A regular kid gets recruited by the Queen of England as her top-secret spy — short, funny missions of stolen jewels and globe-trotting goofiness.

Gone-Away Lake series

By Elizabeth Enright

Cousins discover a forgotten summer colony by an old swamp — exploring crumbling mansions and quiet woods with a pair of delightfully odd old friends.

Wow in the World

Tinkercast

Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz take the wildest questions in science and turn them into a goofy, glorious adventure — for the whole car ride.

Circle Round

WBUR

Folktales from around the world, told with big-voice actors and original music — each one gently circles around a theme like kindness or persistence.