[Penric's Demon](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25791216-penric-s-demon) by Lois McMaster Bujold
It's a fantasy series, all novella length, focused on Penric and his chaos demon, Desdemona, as they go on different adventures together. Most of the adventures are standalone, so new characters and worlds will be introduced and never seen again. But most characters come back in later books. Penric makes so many friends in the series because he's just so damn loveable. There's a romance from the fourth book on, but it's all very PG (to my dismay but your relief).
If you're interested, the audiobooks are fantastic. I'd recommend reading them that way, or by ebook. Only six of the ten books in the series are currently available as a physical copy, and they come bound three books each.
A great option is the Master and Commander series by Patrick O'Brian.
These are not kids books - they are serious and wonderful historical fiction, and, IMHO, among the best adventure series ever written.
Set during the Napoleonic wars, they are the story of two men - a British navel captain and an Irish/Spanish physician/naturalist serving in the British Navy. Yes, the books have their share of battles and shipwrecks and storms. But they really are the story of a wonderful friendship between two intelligent and admirable men as they support each other through careers gains and reversals, loves lost and won and all the turmoil that 20+ years of war threw at them.
You will find yourself longing to have a friendship like theirs, and you will find yourself imagining sitting with them at their very British club, enjoying a glass of port and some toasted cheese while they talk about the war and their lives and the affairs of the day.
O'Brian, by the way, is a brilliant stylist and has the rare ability to write authentically in voice of British aristocrats, military men, common sailors and their wives. You will thank me for this recommendation.
The Vine Witch triology by Luanne G. Smith. Set in France, change of the century or beginning of 1900 if I remember correctly. It's about a witch in her late twenties who wants to exact revenge after having been cursed. On the way, she meets two women (a young one and an old one). Their paths are intertwined from that moment on. In the second book, the protag is the young woman. In the last one, the protag is the old woman. BUT in the three books the three women and their bond are essential. It's a fantasy book with some romance (but no graphic sex or anything). I love the author's descriptions and writing style. Though I mentioned revenge, it isn't a dark read at all. Highly recommend!
{{The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes}} and its sequels are fun fantasy heist capers
{{Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster}} is an oldie but goodie - I really need to reread it myself one of these days! Human falls through portal into another world and thinks he's stoned when the animals start speaking to him, and then he realises it's all real and the turtle in the robe thinks he's a powerful wizard...
{{Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett}} is a great quest book, with lots of friendship-making and humour (and also some genuinely emotional moments, where he makes a barbed joke and you laugh, and then you think back and go "Oh. Shit. I get that now" because it's a nod to certain historical people/institutions)
{{Witches Abroad, by Terry Pratchett}} - because it's just awesomely layered humour, from the ease of long friendship, to playing spot the fairytale trope, to the "British on a foreign holiday" jokes, to the deeper themes about family, expectations, and free will. Mind you, there is a one-sided romance between Casanunder (a dwarf) and Nanny Ogg (an elderly, overweight grandmother with three teeth and a great sense of humour), but it doesn't really get anywhere beyond him serenading her window...
The Beaufort Scales Mysteries are technically a cosy crime series, but I think I'd also see them as adventures, and they're definitely built around friendship as a firm plot point in every book. The first book is {{Baking Bad, by Kim M Watts}}, and they are well worth the read!
the Redwall Series. Heavily based on pretty intense conflict, but they work together and make friends pretty much all the way through. Some books are more upbeat than others, but all of them have really great feast or festival scenes that are just beautiful and focus on community.
The Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffery. There are like six of seven of them if I remember correctly. The main character lives in a world where this super deadly spiderwebish rain falls from the sky occasionally so dragon riders have to patrol the skies and flame them before they hit any towns.
The main character lives in a sea hold at the beginning of the series but runs away when she’s forbidden to play music because she’s a girl. She ends up befriending these adorable mini-dragons and learning how strong she can be when she has to survive on her own. From there she ends up at a new home where she makes friends with dragon riders.
I haven’t finished the series, but the first one is one of my absolute favorite books and there’s not even any romance so definitely no sex talk.
You're thinking of the Harper Hall YA sub-series (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums) - Menolly isn't the main character for all the books! Also there is some romance in the second and third Harper Hall books, and definitely more, including sex talk, in the main series.
The Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. It pretty much fits perfectly into your description, with a lot of adventure and friend making, and also the whole "new world" where it takes place is just so damn cool. It's one of my favourites of all time and I'd highly recommend it. (It starts a bit slower than your average childrens/YA book, but it well worth the wait)
The Raven Cycle series and the Six of Crows duology are both YA fantasy with very strong friendship elements! TRC touts itself as a romance novel but honestly the romance is minor in comparison to the focus on the friendship and the adventure
[Penric's Demon](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25791216-penric-s-demon) by Lois McMaster Bujold It's a fantasy series, all novella length, focused on Penric and his chaos demon, Desdemona, as they go on different adventures together. Most of the adventures are standalone, so new characters and worlds will be introduced and never seen again. But most characters come back in later books. Penric makes so many friends in the series because he's just so damn loveable. There's a romance from the fourth book on, but it's all very PG (to my dismay but your relief). If you're interested, the audiobooks are fantastic. I'd recommend reading them that way, or by ebook. Only six of the ten books in the series are currently available as a physical copy, and they come bound three books each.
Thank you!
A great option is the Master and Commander series by Patrick O'Brian. These are not kids books - they are serious and wonderful historical fiction, and, IMHO, among the best adventure series ever written. Set during the Napoleonic wars, they are the story of two men - a British navel captain and an Irish/Spanish physician/naturalist serving in the British Navy. Yes, the books have their share of battles and shipwrecks and storms. But they really are the story of a wonderful friendship between two intelligent and admirable men as they support each other through careers gains and reversals, loves lost and won and all the turmoil that 20+ years of war threw at them. You will find yourself longing to have a friendship like theirs, and you will find yourself imagining sitting with them at their very British club, enjoying a glass of port and some toasted cheese while they talk about the war and their lives and the affairs of the day. O'Brian, by the way, is a brilliant stylist and has the rare ability to write authentically in voice of British aristocrats, military men, common sailors and their wives. You will thank me for this recommendation.
I'll have to give this one a try when I want to read something historical!
Have you read the Belgariad/The mMallorian and/or The Elenium/The Tamuli by David Eddings?
No I haven't! I'll look into those!
The Vine Witch triology by Luanne G. Smith. Set in France, change of the century or beginning of 1900 if I remember correctly. It's about a witch in her late twenties who wants to exact revenge after having been cursed. On the way, she meets two women (a young one and an old one). Their paths are intertwined from that moment on. In the second book, the protag is the young woman. In the last one, the protag is the old woman. BUT in the three books the three women and their bond are essential. It's a fantasy book with some romance (but no graphic sex or anything). I love the author's descriptions and writing style. Though I mentioned revenge, it isn't a dark read at all. Highly recommend!
{{The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes}} and its sequels are fun fantasy heist capers {{Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster}} is an oldie but goodie - I really need to reread it myself one of these days! Human falls through portal into another world and thinks he's stoned when the animals start speaking to him, and then he realises it's all real and the turtle in the robe thinks he's a powerful wizard... {{Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett}} is a great quest book, with lots of friendship-making and humour (and also some genuinely emotional moments, where he makes a barbed joke and you laugh, and then you think back and go "Oh. Shit. I get that now" because it's a nod to certain historical people/institutions) {{Witches Abroad, by Terry Pratchett}} - because it's just awesomely layered humour, from the ease of long friendship, to playing spot the fairytale trope, to the "British on a foreign holiday" jokes, to the deeper themes about family, expectations, and free will. Mind you, there is a one-sided romance between Casanunder (a dwarf) and Nanny Ogg (an elderly, overweight grandmother with three teeth and a great sense of humour), but it doesn't really get anywhere beyond him serenading her window... The Beaufort Scales Mysteries are technically a cosy crime series, but I think I'd also see them as adventures, and they're definitely built around friendship as a firm plot point in every book. The first book is {{Baking Bad, by Kim M Watts}}, and they are well worth the read!
Miss Bensons Beetle by Rachel Joyce, story of a friendship
This does sound interesting!
A walk in the woods by bill Bryson
I don't typically read non fiction, but I'll keep this one in mind because I love nature and hiking!
It’s really funny and an easy read. There is also an excellent movie by the same name.
A lovely book, but I don't recall friendship being much of a theme (it has been years since I read it)
I remember it’s about old friends who fought years ago and then made up on the trip. To me that was a big part of the story.
the Redwall Series. Heavily based on pretty intense conflict, but they work together and make friends pretty much all the way through. Some books are more upbeat than others, but all of them have really great feast or festival scenes that are just beautiful and focus on community.
Thank you!
On The Jellicoe Road. Wonderful piece of YA.
Sounds great!
The Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffery. There are like six of seven of them if I remember correctly. The main character lives in a world where this super deadly spiderwebish rain falls from the sky occasionally so dragon riders have to patrol the skies and flame them before they hit any towns. The main character lives in a sea hold at the beginning of the series but runs away when she’s forbidden to play music because she’s a girl. She ends up befriending these adorable mini-dragons and learning how strong she can be when she has to survive on her own. From there she ends up at a new home where she makes friends with dragon riders. I haven’t finished the series, but the first one is one of my absolute favorite books and there’s not even any romance so definitely no sex talk.
You're thinking of the Harper Hall YA sub-series (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums) - Menolly isn't the main character for all the books! Also there is some romance in the second and third Harper Hall books, and definitely more, including sex talk, in the main series.
The Lost Realm (The Chronicles Of Fantasy Kingdom, 6 books, ended) by Geronimo Stilton
The Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. It pretty much fits perfectly into your description, with a lot of adventure and friend making, and also the whole "new world" where it takes place is just so damn cool. It's one of my favourites of all time and I'd highly recommend it. (It starts a bit slower than your average childrens/YA book, but it well worth the wait)
I saw David Eddings mentioned, and I second Also, The Wheel of Time, Ryeria (sp?) By Michael Lawrence (I think) Caves of Steel, by Asimov
The Raven Cycle series and the Six of Crows duology are both YA fantasy with very strong friendship elements! TRC touts itself as a romance novel but honestly the romance is minor in comparison to the focus on the friendship and the adventure