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
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Everyone here is lying
Lapena, Shari
Paper Book
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, #1 New York Times bestselling author of...

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)

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)

Fizz and the police dog tryouts
Gibbes, Lesley
Paper Book
In Book One of this hilarious and action-packed series for newly confident readers, Fizz is determined to go to the Police Dog Tryouts and prove that he can do the job. But he is the smallest, whitest, fluffiest dog in the long queue.

Dog Man fans interested in real-life police dogs will enjoy this illustrated series about a police dog who solves mysteries while training for duty. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Nancy Clancy, super sleuth
O'Connor, Jane.
Paper Book
For young readers who grew up with the bestselling Fancy Nancy picture books, Nancy Clancy is now starring in her own chapter books! In this first in a series of delightful chapter books, Fancy Nancy takes on the role of detective. When one of Nancy's classmate's most treasured possessions...

Fancy Nancy fans who've aged out of Easy Readers can keep growing with Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth. All the glamour, now with a sprinkle of mystery! (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

The mystery of the gold coin
Paris, Harper
Paper Book
In the first book of this new chapter book series about mystery, travel, and adventure, twins Ethan and Ella must find a missing coin before they move away from their hometown! When Ethan and Ella learn that their mother has accepted the position of travel writer for The...

Travel the world and solve mysteries at the same time with Ethan and Ella in the Greetings from Somewhere series. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

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 classic kid...

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

Simon and Chester super detectives!
Atkinson, Cale
Paper Book
Welcome to the world of Simon and Chester, ghost and boy duo extraordinaire. They like to kick butt and take names. They don't like chores. They are best friends. And they are about to solve the MYSTERY OF A LIFETIME. (Oh, and eat some snacks probably.) Join Simon and Chester in their first...
A human boy and a ghost solve mysteries in this fun, goofy graphic novel. (Bridging Graphic Novels Grades 2-4)
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)

Molly and the machine
Slangerup, Erik Jon
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Stuart Gibbs and James Ponti, this "absolute blast" (Jarrett Lerner, author of the EngiNerds series) of a middle grade sci-fi adventure set in 1980s Ohio follows a young girl who makes incredible discoveries about family and belonging while chasing a kidnapping robot.

Stranger Things meets Transformers in this "kids on bikes" style story about a giant robot who invades a 1980s midwest town. (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)

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)

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 clockwork sparrow
Woodfine, Katherine
Paper Book
Katherine Woodfine's bestselling debut novel. A fast-paced historical mystery adventure for readers aged 9+, with gorgeous Edwardian period detail. Perfect for fans of Enid Blyton, Chris Riddell's Goth Girl and Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series. You are cordially...

A very British historical mystery set in a Victorian department store, great for fans of British mysteries and period dramas looking for an age-appropriate read. (Young Teen Fiction 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)

Murder most unladylike
Stevens, Robin
Paper Book
A super special 10th anniversary edition of the first gripping, award-winning mystery starring schoolgirl detectives, Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong. With a new introduction from the author and bonus short story! The first marvellous murder mystery in the bestselling Murder Most...

Friends and boarding school classmates Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong form a detective agency to solve the murder of a teacher. (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
A "witty thriller" (The New York Times) for middle-grade readers about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world--and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all. ...

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)


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