Children's Book Suggestions | Mystery

Great reads for mystery-loving kids, from picture books for preschoolers to spy thrillers for middle school sleuths.

Updated December 15, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
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)

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)

The haunted library
Butler, Dori Hillestad
Paper Book
A brand-new young chapter book series from Edgar Award winner Dori Hillestad Butler! When ghost boy Kaz's haunt is torn down and he is separated from his ghost family, he meets a real girl named Claire, who lives above the town library with her parents and her grandmother. Claire...

A not-too-scary ghost story from an author who's mastered the art of writing mysteries for young readers. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

The Chicken Squad
Cronin, Doreen.
Paper Book
Now an animated series on Disney Junior! They're darling. They're daring. They know their shapes! They're chicks on a mission--and on this, their first (mis)adventure, the Chicken Squad launches a galactic backyard expedition. Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt,...

Another great chapter book option for Dog Man fans featuring a group of young chickens who may or may not be a step behind the reader in solving the crime. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

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)

Sleepover sleuths
Keene, Carolyn.
Paper Book
Eight-year-old Nancy Drew has her first case to crack! Can you help? Nancy and her two best friends, George and Bess, are so excited! They have been invited to Deirdre's sleepover party! There will be pizza, cake, and even a pajama fashion show. But the most exciting thing is...

Newly independent readers can meet Nancy, Bess, and George in this beginning chapter books series inspired by the classic 1950s novels. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

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)
The absent author
Roy, Ron
Paper Book
Help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve mysteries from A to Z!   Kids love collecting the entire alphabet and super editions! With over 8 million copies in print, the A to Z Mysteries® have been hooking chapter book readers on mysteries and reading for years. Now this...

This classic 90s series is a perfect introduction to mystery novels for young readers. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

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)
Greenglass House
Milford, Kate
CD
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 holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again....
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 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 enchanting, or...

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)

Shirley & Jamila save their summer
Goerz, Gillian
Paper Book
This middle-grade graphic novel for fans of Roller Girl and Smileintroduces Jamila and Shirley, two unlikely friends who save each other's summers while solving their neighborhood's biggest mysteries. Jamila Waheed is staring down a lonely summer in a new...

Two unlikely friends team up to solve mysteries in their Canadian neighborhood during an otherwise boring summer. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)

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. He wakes...

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 PORTLAND,...

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)


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.