Children's Book Suggestions | Mystery

Great reads for mystery-loving kids, from picture books for preschoolers to spy thrillers for middle school sleuths. For more recommendations, check out our 2024 mysteries list or browse the online catalog.

Updated December 5, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
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Everyone here is lying
Lapena, Shari
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door "The most addictive book I've read in ages--so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant." --Lisa Jewell,...

Inspired by the classic series, a new group of friends solve animal-themed mysteries in this new series from disability advocate and author Kayla Whaley. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Konigsburg, E. L.
Paper Book
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with E. L. Konigsburg's beloved classic and Newbery Medal­-winning novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! When Claudia decided to run away, she...

While there's definitely a mystery in this classic novel, it takes a backseat to the detailed description of living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The pizza mystery
Warner, Gertrude Chandler
Paper Book
The Boxcar Children are helping at a pizzeria, but it seems that someone is trying to shut it down. Can they find out who is causing trouble? Adapted from Gertrude Chandler Warner's story of the same name, this early reader allows children to start reading by themselves with a Boxcar Children...

The beloved Boxcar Children series now has installments for beginning readers who aren't quite ready to read the full-length chapter books on their own. (Easy Reader Level 4)

The maze of bones
Riordan, Rick.
Paper Book
The first book in the #1 bestselling phenomenon sends readers around the world on the hunt for the 39 Clues!Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."Grace is the last matriarch of the...

An action-packed mystery series by some of the world's most popular children's authors! Each book is written by a different author, with online mysteries to solve in between each book. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The Westing game
Raskin, Ellen
Paper Book
A Newbery Medal Winner "A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." -Booklist, starred review A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric...
An eccentric millionaire dies and leaves his fortune to an unusual group of people, who must solve the mystery of his death before they can claim his inheritance. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)
The bad beginning
Snicket, Lemony
Paper Book
NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so...

A story in which everything that can go wrong, does. Orphaned siblings Violet, Klaus, and Sunny solve increasingly bizarre mysteries in this quirky, somewhat scary series. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The case of the missing marquess : an Enola Holmes mystery
Springer, Nancy.
Paper Book
Now a Netflix original movie starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter! Meet Enola Holmes, teenaged girl turned detective and the younger sister to Sherlock Holmes. When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her...

The Sherlock Holmes spinoff that inspired the series starring Millie Bobbie Brown, featuring the youngest Holmes sibling solving mysteries in 19th century London. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The Mona Lisa vanishes : a legendary painter, a shocking heist, and the birth of a global celebrity
Day, Nick
Paper Book
"The tale of a stunning art heist with a contagious love of stranger-than-fiction true stories!"--Steve Sheinkin, Newbery Honor-winning author of Bomb The true story of how Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece became the most famous painting in the world after being stolen from the...

A true crime story featuring one of history's most notorious art heists--the theft of the Mona Lisa--and how it turned an obscure painting into a global sensation. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)

InvestiGATORS
Green, John
Paper Book
"When I'm faced with a Pilkey fan looking to branch out, this graphic novel is the first book I reach for... If eight books aren't enough, the spinoff series, Agents of S.U.I.T., continues the fun." ―The New York Times With more than four million copies in...
Goofy alligator spies solve crimes! The toilet travel system ensures Dav Pilkey fans will love this one. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)
The boxcar children
Warner, Gertrude Chandler
Paper Book
Four brave siblings were searching for a home - and found a life of adventure! Join the Boxcar Children as they set out on their own in the first book in this illustrated chapter book series beloved by generations of readers. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are brothers and...

It blows my mind that the first book in this popular series was published 100 years ago in 1924! With over 150 books in the series to date, it's still going strong. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The maze of bones
Young, Ethan
Paper Book
The graphic novel adaptation of the mega-bestseller that launched a global phenomenon! Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue." Grace is the last matriarch of the...

A graphic novel adaptation of the popular mystery/adventure series. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)


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