Children's Mystery Books | Merrimack Valley Library Consortium

Ada Lace, on the case : an Ada Lace adventure

Calandrelli, Emily

Paper Book

From Emily Calandrelli--host of Xploration Outer Space, correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World, and graduate of MIT--comes the first novel in a brand-new chapter book series about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and solving mysteries with technology.

AR: 4.0
Lexile: 590

Agent Moose

O'Hara, Mo

Paper Book

Agent Moose, the best (worst) secret agent in the Big Forest, and his slightly-more-intelligent sidekick Owlfred are on the case in this new full color graphic novel chapter book series from Mo O'Hara, author of My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, illustrated by Jess Bradley!...

AR: 3.0
Lexile: 400

Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society

Kochalka, James

Paper Book

Eisner Award-winning cartoonist James Kochalka makes his Graphix Chapters debut with this laugh-out-loud mystery series! Get drawn into reading with Graphix Chapters! Graphix Chapters are ideal books for beginning and newly independent readers aged 6-8. With approachable page...

AR: 2.5

Lexile: 520

Bat and Sloth solve a mystery

Kimmelman, Leslie

Paper Book

Bath and Sloth are trying to sleep when they hear a noise. A LOUD noise. Can Bat and Sloth figure out where it's coming from and how to make it stop?

AR: N/A

Lexile: 510

The Batman & Scooby-Doo mysteries. Vol. 1

Cohen, Ivan

Paper Book

The Dark Knight teams up with Scooby-Doo and the sleuths of Mystery Inc. in a series of adventures and mysteries! It all starts when Batman discovers his original purple gloves are missing-Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo will have to go back in time to solve the case! ...

AR: N/A
Lexile: 650

The body under the piano

Jocelyn, Marthe

Paper Book

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn't got much to do since the death of her beloved father... until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead...

AR: 5.4
Lexile: 750

Bog gone!

Jones, P. Knuckle

Paper Book

Meet detective-in-training Finder and her friends as they try to figure out why everyone in Belly Acre Bog has disappeared in this hilarious graphic novel mystery! Perfect for fans of The InvestiGators! Finder the tree frog absolutely loves solving mysteries. So when all...

AR: N/A

Lexile: 550

The case of the poached egg

Newman, Robin

Paper Book

When Penny goes missing from the nest, Wilcox and Griswold are called in to track her down. Was the egg stolen by a rival for The Most Round in the Spring Egg-stravaganza? Was she used in a carrot cake or scrambled by a hungry porker? Or was she held for a hefty corn ransom? Who took Penny...

AR: N/A

Lexile:500

The case of the poached painting

Curran-Bauer, Christee

Paper Book

The Museum of Food Art is in a state of panic! A priceless painting was pilfered in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the Pigeon Private Detectives--PPD for short--are on the scene. These three detectives crave cracking a good case almost as much as they like snacks. But can they...

AR: 3.9

Lexile: 540

The case of the strange splash

Winkler, Henry

Paper Book

From New York Times bestselling creators--Emmy Award-winning actor Henry Winkler, children's book author Lin Oliver, and Caldecott Medal-winning author-illustrator Dan Santat--comes Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash, a hilarious, full-color...

AR: 3.9
Lexile: 680

Cosmos Camp

Giles, Lamar

Paper Book

An Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee! From Edgar Award nominee and WNDB cofounder Lamar Giles, this middle grade adventure stars the Epic Ellison twins as they race to solve the mystery of Cosmos Camp for young geniuses in a stand-alone companion to the Legendary Alston Boys series. ...

AR: N/A

Lexile: 830

Cosplay crime

Chan, Marty

Paper Book

Shy thirteen-year-old Bree must channel her inner anime heroine to solve a crime at the Anime Expo. Bree Wong and her best friend, Alix, are so excited to be at the anime fan convention. They're dressed as the lead characters from their favorite anime series. Bree cosplays as Red Squirrel,...

AR: 4.2

Lexile: 610

Denis ever after

Abbott, Tony

Paper Book

Written by award-winning author Tony Abbott and perfect for fans of The Ethan I Was Before and The Thing About Jellyfish, this bittersweet middle grade novel follows the ghost of Denis Egan as he teams up with his living twin brother to solve the mystery of his death. Denis Egan is dead....

AR: 4.1

Lexile: 620

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library

Grabenstein, Chris.

Paper Book

THE START OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES WITH MORE THAN TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD! Can you escape from what James Patterson calls "the coolest library in the world"? Follow along and solve the clues in this interactive adventure! From the co-author of Murdle...

AR: 4.5
Lexile: 720

The ghost tree

Deen, Natasha

Paper Book

Is it science...or strange and ghostly? Asim's new town is freaking him out! There are weird noises at night, eerie lights, and now an evil tree that is growing way faster than it should. he's sure there's something supernatural going on. His friend Rokshar...

AR: N/A

Lexile: 440

The golden necklace : a Darjeeling tea mystery

Perkins, Mitali

Paper Book

National Book Award nominee Mitali Perkins crafts a contemporary chapter-book mystery about a 12-year-old Nepali girl who sets out to solve the disappearance of her Bengali friend's missing jewelry. Set within a tea plantation in Darjeeling, 7-10-year-old readers are transported...

AR: N/A
Lexile: 790

The great Caper caper

Funk, Josh

Paper Book

In the fifth adventure of the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series, our delectable rhyming friends find their home covered in darkness and embark on a Las Veggies heist--perfect for fans of The Food Group series. When Lady Pancake and Sir...

AR: N/A

Lexile: 640

King and Kayla and the case of the missing dog treats

Butler, Dori Hillestad

Other

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...

AR: 2.2
Lexile: 440

Little Penguin and the mysterious object

Driscoll, Laura

Paper Book

Little Penguin solves his first mystery in this hilarious new I Can Read! adventure by Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups author Tadgh Bentley. For new readers who are fans of Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie series and Adam Rubin's Dragons Love Tacos. Little Penguin has...

AR: N/A
Lexile: N/A

Montgomery and the case of the golden key

Crowder, Tracy Occomy

Paper Book

It's 2008, and ten-year-old Montgomery "Monty" Carver is out to find the origin of a golden key found in his Southside Chicago community--which may or may not host the next Olympic games, or supply the next President of the United States, or... have a potential ghost hanging around. ...

AR: 4.6

Lexile: 660

Murder is bad manners : a Wells & Wong mystery

Stevens, Robin

Paper Book

Two friends form a detective agency--and must solve their first murder case--in this "sharp-witted debut" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) that is the first adventure in a brand-new middle grade mystery series set at a 1930s boarding school. Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong...

AR: 5.9
Lexile: 910

Murray the ferret

Florence, Debbi Michiko

Paper Book

Since the Takano family's new foster pet, Murray the ferret, arrived at their house, all sorts of things have gone missing: shoes, jewelry, keys, coins . . . Although eight-year-old Kaita enjoys solving the mysteries, she worries that finding a forever home for the lovable furry bandit will be near...

AR: 2.9

Lexile: 550

Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park

Johnson, Aaron

Paper Book

Before Jake's grandfather died, he was on the trail of a centuries-old mystery. And he has entrusted that mystery to Jake, leaving behind a set of hidden codes, riddles, maps, and other clues that lead Jake and his friends on a scavenger hunt into the heart of Colorado's wild and rugged Rocky...

AR: 4.8
Lexile: N/A

Mystery James digs her own grave

Russell, Ally

Paper Book

Abandoned in a cemetery and raised in a funeral home, a girl who can see and smell the supernatural must solve the mystery of a priceless heirloom stolen from her family's business. Perfect for fans of Netflix's Wednesday and Beetlejuice! "A new middle grade heroine you...

AR: N/A

Lexile: 860

The mystery of locked rooms

Currie, Lindsay

Paper Book

*Instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!* Crack the codes. Find the treasure. Escape the house. From the acclaimed author of Scritch Scratch and What Lives in the Woods comes a action-packed adventure novel about three friends who team up to find a hidden treasure in an...

AR: 4.4
Lexile: 620

The mystery of the stinky spooky night

Manushkin, Fran

Paper Book

When Pedro and his dad walk Katie home on a foggy night, something smelly fills the air! With their noses working extra hard, the two friends have a mystery to solve: What is that making that stink, and why is it following them?

AR: 2.0
Lexile: 440

Mystery on Museum Mile

Wells, Marcia.

Paper Book

"Bound to be a series that will appeal to fans of fast-paced mysteries." --SLJ Not many sixth-graders work undercover for the NYPD, but Edmund Xavier Lonnrot, code name Eddie Red, is not just any sixth-grader. A "near-death ice cream experience" lands him as a material witness in the police...

AR: 4.9
Lexile: 690

Poison most vial : a mystery

Carey, Benedict.

Paper Book

Murder in the lab! The famous forensic scientist Dr. Ramachandran is stone-cold dead, and Ruby Rose's father is the prime suspect. It's one more reason for Ruby to hate the Gardens, the funky urban neighborhood to which she has been transplanted. Wise but shy, artistic but an outsider, Ruby must...

AR: 4.5

Lexile: 610

The rez detectives

Judd, Steven Paul

Paper Book

This summer, Tasembo just wants to chill. But that's not an option when it's a scorching day on the Reservation and the Ice Cream Man is a no-show. In an attempt to impress his crush by solving the mystery, Tasembo joins forces with his neighbor, Nuseka, and his dog, Billy Jack, to take on their...

AR: N/A

Lexile: N/A

Sherlock Chick's first case

Quackenbush, Robert

Paper Book

Look out Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Chick hatched from his egg with a detective's hat and magnifying glass, and he's on the case in this adorable, easy-to-follow mystery from Robert Quackenbush. Within moments of his birth, Sherlock Chick lived up to the name he'd just been given....

AR: 2.3
Lexile: 400

The Sherlock society

Ponti, James

Paper Book

A New York Times bestseller! In the tradition of Nancy Drew, four kids and one grandfather in Miami tackle a decades-old mystery in this first book full of "atmosphere, history, and lively humor" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) in the Sherlock Society middle...

AR: 4.9
Lexile: 770

The shiba inu detective tracks down the stolen jewels!

Tabe, Tomoko

Paper Book

CHRIS IS ON THE CASE!Hinata, a shy boy in the fifth grade, receives his first-ever pet when his grandfather brings him Chris, a retired police dog with excellent training and top-notch skills. There's only one problem: Whenever Chris sees a bug, they fly into a panic. Soon, however, their nose is...

AR: N/A
Lexile: N/A

Shirley & Jamila save their summer

Goerz, Gillian

Paper Book

This middle-grade graphic novel for fans of Roller Girl and Smile introduces 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...

AR: 2.8
Lexile: 490

A side of sabotage

Surrisi, C. M.

Paper Book

For decades, Gusty's Café has been a beloved staple in Maiden Rock, Maine. Quinnie Boyd's dad runs the café, just like Quinnie's granddad before him. But the family business has new competition when a bad-boy chef from Boston opens his own place in the small vacation town.

AR: 4.6
LEXILE: 730

Sisterhood of sleuths

Bertman, Jennifer Chambliss

Paper Book

An Indie Next Pick An Amazon Top 20 Children's Book of the Year An Amazon Best Book of the Month A Barnes and Noble Most Anticipated Book A Common Sense Selection for Families "An...

AR: 5.1

Lexile: N/A

Super Max and the mystery of Thornwood's revenge

Vaught, Susan

Paper Book

"An excellent addition to middle grade shelves, with a differently-abled main character that readers will root for." --School Library Journal "Vaught makes Max the brash, bold star of the book, exchanging stereotypes and sympathy cards for a well-drawn character whose...

AR: 5.5
Lexile: 820

Under locker and key

Hymas, Allison K.

Paper Book

Eleven-year-old Jeremy Wilderson teams up with his rival crime fighter to stop the stealing spree that's wreaking havoc on Scottsville Middle School in this action-packed MAX novel. Jeremy Wilderson is not a thief. In fact, he is his middle school's one and only retrieval...

AR: 4.6

Lexile: 630

Wallace and Grace take the case

Alexander, Heather

Paper Book

Two owl detectives solve the mysteries in this charming early reader series, perfect for fans of the Owl Diaries. These best friends are partners in the Night Owl Detective Agency and work together to solve mysteries! Wallace and Grace meet a rabbit who is sure he...

AR: 2.7
Lexile: 490

Children's Mystery BooksUnpublishedShare Print

Children's Mystery BooksUnpublished

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