🕵🏼♀️Mysterious👀
MBH no. 26
Hello!
I’m happy to be back in this space again. Taking a break, while completely necessary, wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do, but it allowed me to untangle some other parts of my life—and now here I am, ready to talk about mysteries!
I love mystery books for kids.
Mysteries, especially those with rich characters and compelling plots, get kids to ask themselves several questions, including: what do I think will happen next? Looking for clues in the text and adjusting their predictions based on those clues fosters critical thinking and deductive reasoning, which leads to deeper understanding.
I don’t know about you, but solving the mystery before the story’s detective always makes me feel pretty smart, and kids feel the same way! And if the story throws a twist and they can’t figure out “whodunit” before the end, mysteries encourage kids to look back on the clues they missed and reflect on their reading.
As kids develop these habits (making predictions, reflecting, etc.) they become more confident and engaged in their reading, and more likely to enjoy a good book.
I’m sure you’re not surprised, but the mystery genre for kids is vast and varied— making it hard to decide what to write about here. I settled on four very different chapter book and middle grade choices, hoping you’ll find a mystery perfect for your reader (or maybe, yourself).
Enjoy! And thanks for sticking around over the past month. ❤️
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (series), by Carolyn Keene (pseudonym), 2006-2015
The Scene: River Heights Wildlife Center
The Facts: Nancy’s class is visiting their local wildlife rescue center. They get to see all types of animals!
The Crime: Rainbow the tortoise is missing! The gate was locked, and she’s not in any of her favorite hiding places. Where did she go?
The Suspects: (1) Abby, a six-year-old found at the scene of the crime. (2) Twins Harry and Liam, new kids in town and big pranksters. (3) An unknown volunteer seen carrying a large, moving duffel bag.
This illustrated chapter book series follows 8-year-old Nancy and her friends Bess and George as they solve mysteries around their hometown, River Heights.
Clue Crew is a great introduction to the genre for younger kids, as each book sets up the mystery, introduces suspects, and provides clues that allow an observant reader to make predictions. None of the mysteries are scary—most are resolved as simple mistakes or misunderstandings. There are 40 books in the Clue Crew series, so your reader will have plenty of material!
Recommended for ages 5-8
Note: If your child is too mature for Clue Crew but not ready for (or interested in) the classic Nancy Drew books, check out the Nancy Drew Diaries, aimed at kids 9-12. These contemporary mysteries were a huge hit with several 5th-grade girls I tutored.
To Catch a Thief, by Martha Brockenbrough (2023)
11-year-old Amelia MacGuffin loves reading “cozy mysteries,” despite believing she’s too quiet and ordinary to solve her own. In fact, she has no remarkable talents, unlike her four dynamic younger siblings.
Amelia lives in Urchin Beach, a seaside town known for its Dragonfly Day Festival, a summer event that brings in tons of tourists (and their money), keeping the little town afloat.
But when things begin to go missing in Urchin Beach, including the town’s lucky dragonfly staff, Amelia knows her town is in trouble.
The staff is the most important part of the event, and Amelia knows that without it, Urchin Beach will be forced to cancel Dragonfly Days. Without the income from the festival, there’s no way her parents will agree to keep the adorable stray dog the MacGuffin siblings have fallen in love with.
Amelia wants to save the town. She wants to save the dog. She wants both, so much.
But first, she has to catch a thief.
This is a sweet, cozy mystery just like the ones Amelia likes to read, with lots of suspense and a surprise twist readers will love. A fantastic read aloud!
Recommended for ages 8-12
The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall (Book #1), by Ali Standish
Jimmie and Arthur’s eyes met across the table. There was something dark in Jimmie’s expression that Arthur could feel mirrored in his own. An understanding of sorts passed between them. Arthur might be avoiding the truth about his father, about how poor his family was. But there were things Jimmie didn’t want to speak of, either.
It’s 1868, and a young Arthur Conan Doyle lives in Edinburg with his five sisters, devoted mother, and depressed father who is “too fond of drink.” Arthur is brilliant and loves learning—but when the story begins he’s grappling with the decision to drop out of school and get a job to support his family.
However, after a mysterious stranger witnesses Arthur using deductive reasoning and quick action to prevent an accident, he receives an invitation to attend a secret boarding school for gifted children.
Arthur quickly makes friends, especially with Irene and Jimmie, but he’s reluctant to share much of his background with his new friends. However, he soon realizes they would rather keep some things in the past too.
Shortly after the beginning of term, the three friends are invited to join a secret society and are drawn into a sinister mystery. While the story doesn’t quite end in a cliffhanger—the first mystery is wrapped up— the door is left wide open for future books.
Connor (12 years old, 6th grade) was completely intrigued by this mystery—so much so that he abandoned his original school book talk topic to report on this one instead.
This is a creative reimagining of Sherlock Holmes’ world, but you don’t need to be familiar with Sherlock Holmes to enjoy the story. We’ll definitely pre-order Book 2.
Recommended for ages 9-12
Three Times Lucky(Mo & Dale Mysteries #1) by Sheila Turnage (2013)
Trouble cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday, the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color of dirt. Almost before the dust had settled, Mr. Jesse turned up dead and life in Tupelo Landing turned upside down.
As far as I know, nobody expected it.
With this masterful opening paragraph, readers are drawn into the world of Mo LoBeau, a rising 6th grader who firmly inserts herself into the murder mystery that’s shaken her small town.
While Mo longs to know her birth mother, she adores her guardians: the Colonel, who saved Mo from a hurricane as an infant, crashing his car and losing his memory in the process; and Miss Lana, the glamorous diner owner who took Mo and the Colonel in. Still, she’s desperate to understand more about her past.
Mo and her best friend Dale plan to enjoy a “normal” summer, but then Detective Starr arrives in Tupelo Landing, asking questions about stolen money. Shortly after, a local man is murdered—and Dale is one of the prime suspects.
When both Miss Lana and the Colonel disappear as another hurricane barrels toward the town, Mo knows she must do everything she can to solve the mystery and protect the people she loves.
Three Times Lucky is a book I often recommend to adults interested in children’s literature—specifically, adults who want to write children’s literature—because Turnage’s writing is genius. She deftly balances dark, mature themes with humor, quirky characters, and a fast-paced plot. Mo’s voice is completely original and laugh-out-loud funny. She somehow manages to be both believable and a little impossible at the same time.
We loved this 2013 Newbery Honor Book.
Recommended for ages 10-13
Other mystery books (or mystery-adjacent books!) I’ve recommended in past issues:
2022 Holiday Gift Guide:
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
Issue No. 13
Issue No. 19:
❣P.S.❣️
My 12-year-old and I are in the middle of two more mysteries right now. Both are new MG titles and so intriguing that I plan to do a second mystery post in a few weeks.
What do you think? More mysteries, or nah—move on? Shoot me an email or let me know in the comments below. I always love to hear from you.
❣️P.P.S.❣️ As you all know by now, I am a Bookshop.org affiliate. This impactful organization donates all profits to local bookstores (more on that here). If you purchase through one of my links or by visiting my storefront, I earn a teeny tiny commission, which one day might be able to buy me a latte;).