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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Inspector Flytrap
Angleberger, Tom
Paper Book
From husband-and-wife team Tom Angleberger, creator of the New York Times bestselling Origami Yoda series, and Cece Bell, author/illustrator of the Newbery Honor graphic novel El Deafo, comes the start to a funny and clever illustrated chapter-book series about a mystery-solving Venus flytrap....

A very weird, very silly story about a carnivorous plant detective. The wacky humor and illustrations make this a great choice for fans of Dog Man who are building their stamina for reading narrative fiction. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Everyone here is lying
Lapena, Shari
Paper Book
AN INSTANT 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." -...

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)

King & Kayla and the case of the missing dog treats
Butler, Dori Hillestad
Paper Book
King & Kayla are back on the case in this laugh-out-loud mystery from the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award-winning series. Kayla made peanut butter treats for Thor, Jillian's new puppy. But now the treats are missing, and King is under suspicion. Analytical Kayla...

An elementary school student solves mysteries with the help of her canine sidekick in this advanced beginning reader. (Easy Reader Level 4)

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)

InvestiGATORS
Green, John
Paper Book
With more than three million copies in print, John Patrick Green's goofy graphic novel series is a colossal comics hit! Join super spy alligator duo MANGO and BRASH as they surf the sewers and fight the forces of evil. With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried...
Goofy alligator spies solve crimes! The toilet travel system ensures Dav Pilkey fans will love this one. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library
Grabenstein, Chris
Paper Book
Can you find your way out of what James Patterson calls the "coolest library in the world"? Join gamer-fan Kyle Keeley as he competes in the escape game of a lifetime!   From the coauthor of I Funny and Max Einstein--and with 100+ weeks on the the New...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Westing Game in this chapter book about a group of kids whose favorite game-maker builds a new library that also happens to be an escape room. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

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)

Secrets of Camp Whatever. 1
Grine, Chris
Paper Book
Eleven year-old Willow doesn't want to go to her dad's weird old summer camp any more than she wants her family to move to the weird old town where that camp is located. But her family--and fate itself--seem to have plans of their own. Soon Willow finds herself neck-deep in a confounding mystery...
Willow isn't thrilled about going to camp, especially since it seems there's something strange going on. A great choice for readers looking for books with D/deaf characters! (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)
City spies
Ponti, James
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A GMA3 Summer Reading Squad Selection! "Ingeniously plotted, and a grin-inducing delight." --People "Will keep young readers glued to the page...So when do I get the sequel?" --Beth McMullen, author of Mrs. Smith's Spy School...

A perfect way to introduce middle school readers to suspenseful, action-packed spy thrillers. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

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 tower treasure
Dixon, Franklin W.
Paper Book
A dying criminal confesses that his loot has been stored "in the tower." Both towers of the looted mansion are searched in vain. It remains for the Hardy boys to make an astonishing discovery that clears up the mystery and clears the name of a friend's father.

The original Hardy Boys mystery series opener! Perfect for fans of classic mysteries and historical fiction. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The secret of the old clock
Keene, Carolyn.
Paper Book
Read the original Nancy Drew mystery, the first book in the iconic mystery series that introduced readers to America'sfavorite teenaged sleuth! The accidental rescue of a little girl who lives with her two great-aunts leads to an adventurous search for a missing will. Longtime...

Join the most famous sleuth in children's literature on her first mystery! (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The mysterious moonstone
Luper, Eric
Paper Book
Getting lost in a good book has never been this dangerous!Cleo and Evan have a secret. A collection of books so dangerous they are locked up tight. A friend has vanished inside the pages of one of them. It's up to them to find the key that will set her free. A PRICELESS DIAMOND...STOLEN!When Cleo...
After discovering a magic library beneath their school, two friends are sucked into books and must solve crimes in order to rescue their favorite librarian. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)
Greenglass House
Milford, Kate
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller * National Book Award Nominee * Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery It's wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler's inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his...
Winter break has arrived. Instead of a quiet week at his family's inn with just his parents, a group of mysterious guests descends just as a snowstorm breaks out--leaving them snowed in with someone sinister. (Children's Fiction 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 bad beginning
Snicket, Lemony.
Paper Book
Imagine tales so terrible that as many as 50 million innocents have been ruined by them - tales so indelibly horrid that thehas been unable to rid itself of it for seven years. Now imagine this scourge suddenly became available in a shameful new edition so sensational, 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 story collector
Tubb, Kristin O'Donnell
Paper Book
"For every book lover who fantasized about getting locked in the library overnight, The Story Collector is a dream come true!" --New York Times-bestselling author Alan Gratz In the tradition of E. L. Konisburg, this middle-grade...

A historical mystery featuring siblings who investigate a haunting at the New York Public Library in the 1920s, great for fans of classic mysteries looking for a new take on a familiar setting. (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)

The secret letters
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Paper Book
In this page-turning middle grade series by New York Times bestseller Margaret Peterson Haddix, Colin and Nevaeh, whose parents own rival junk-removal businesses, uncover mysteries hidden in attics and basements and discover how trash can become treasure. In The Secret Letters, Colin and Nevaeh...
Two kids from rival junk removal family businesses team up to solve a mystery found in a box of letters from the 1970s. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)
Restart
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
The amazing New York Times bestseller about what you can do when life gives you a second chance. Chase's memory just went out the window. Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything....

A tween with amnesia tries to solve the mystery of who he was before the accident and learns he might not like the answer. (Young Teen Grades 5-7)

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)

Escape at 10,000 feet : D.B. Cooper and the missing money
Sullivan, Tom (Writer of children's books)
Paper Book
An ALA Top Ten Best Graphic Novel for Children A thrilling new graphic nonfiction series about real FBI cases, launching with a gripping, minute-by-minute account of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in the U.S. CASE NO. 001: NORJAK NOVEMBER 24, 1971 ...

An illustrated guide to an unsolved mystery from right here in the Pacific Northwest involving a stolen fortune, an airplane hijacking, and still-unidentified criminal. (Children's Nonfiction Age 8-12)


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