Children's Mystery Books

Mystery Books for Grades 1 - 6

Updated June 18, 2026
C
City of Mission Viejo Library
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Ada Lace, on the case
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. [Book 1], 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...

AR: 2.5

Lexile: 520

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
A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Lemony Snicket and Enola Holmes. Aggie...

AR: 5.4

Lexile: 750

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

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 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
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...

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
Ebook

AR: 4.6

Lexile: 660

Murder is bad manners
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

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
Art, mystery, fun and friendship, combine in this illustrated middle grade series debut. Sixth grader Edmund Xavier Lonnrot, codename "Eddie Red," has a photographic memory and talent for drawing anything he sees. When the NYPD is stumped by a mastermind art thief, Eddie...

AR: 4.9

Lexile: 690

The Sherlock society
Ponti, James
Ebook

AR: 4.9

Lexile: 770

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

Sisterhood of sleuths
Bertman, Jennifer Chambliss
Paper Book
A clever and thought-provoking mystery that pays homage to classic Nancy Drew stories, perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Trenton Lee Stewart. Maizy always assumed she knew everything about her grandmother, Jacuzzi.?So?when a box full of vintage Nancy Drew books gets left at...

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
The Read & Bloom line offers high interest, character driven stories for newly independent readers that feature full-color illustrations throughout and will transition kids from leveled readers to a lifetime of reading. In this charming series, perfect for newly independent readers, kids will be...

AR: 2.7

Lexile: 490


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