Spies and Detectives

A list of suggested titles for this summer's Reading is an Adventure Challenge: Mystery. Features picture books and chapter books about spies and/or detectives.

Updated June 24, 2024
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Agent Q, or the smell of danger! /
Anderson, M. T.
Paper Book
In the zany and humorous fourth book of National Book Award winner M.T. Anderson's Pals in Peril series, Jasper Dash and his friends must escape the clutches of The Awful Autarch! Having mopped up their last crime-fighting caper, our three heroes--Lily Gefelty, Katie Mulligan,...
Mac undercover /
Barnett, Mac.
Paper Book
A thrilling, hilarious fully-illustrated spy adventure series, from the esteemed New York Times bestselling and multi-award-winning author Mac Barnett!A New York Times bestsellerAn Amazon Best Book of 2018Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid.And while he...
Detective pony
Betancourt, Jeanne.
Paper Book
During a fire at the Crandal Animal Clinic, the Pony Pals help remove all the animals unharmed--but Anna's kitten is missing. A pony named Acorn comes to the rescue in a thrilling search.
The spy catchers of Maple Hill /
Blakemore, Megan Frazer.
Paper Book
Hazel Kaplansky is a firm believer in the pursuit of knowledge and truth-and she also happens to love a good mystery. When suspicions swirl that a Russian spy has infiltrated her small town of Maple Hill, Vermont, amidst the fervor of Cold War era McCarthyism, Hazel knows it's up to her to find a...
NERDS : National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society
Buckley, Michael.
Paper Book
The excitement of international espionage combined with the awkwardness of the tween years makes for nonstop laughs in National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society--NERDS--the first book in the hilarious series from New York Times bestselling author Michael...
Greetings from witness protection! /
Burt, Jake,
Paper Book
Nicki Demere is an orphan and a pickpocket. She also happens to be the U.S. Marshals' best bet to keep a family alive. . . . "Jake Burt is a storytelling magician. Partcoming of age tale and part spy thriller, Greetings from Witness Protection could be a...
King & Kayla and the case of the unhappy neighbor /
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. Thor is in big trouble. Mr. Gary says he knocked over his trash cans, dug up his garden, and ate some of his vegetables. King and Kayla have to clear Thor's...
King & Kayla and the case of the secret code
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. King and Kayla receive a mysterious letter written in code. Mason received an almost identical letter. How can they crack the code? Kayla...
Winterborne Home for vengeance and valour
Carter, Ally
Paper Book
When 11-year-old April joins a group of kids living at Winterborne Home she doesn't expect to be there for very long. But she soon learns that this home isn't like any of the others - especially when she unearths the secret of the missing-and-presumed-dead billionaire, Gabriel Winterborne, who is...
The League of Unexceptional Children
Daneshvari, Gitty
Paper Book
Hilarious action adventure for readers aged 8 and up, featuring the world's most unexceptional spies. You think spies are clever and cool and mysterious? Think again . . . When Jonathan and Shelley are summoned to work for The League of Unexceptional Children they're...
The detective dog
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
There once was a dog with a keen sense of smell. She was known far and wide as Detective Dog Nell.Peter's dog Nell has an amazing sense of smell. Whether it's finding a lost shoe or discovering who did a poo on the new gravel path, her ever-sniffing nose is always hard at work. But Nell has other...
Spy School
Gibbs, Stuart
Paper Book
"Combines Alex Rider's espionage skills with a huge dose of the sarcasm of Artemis Fowl." --School Library Journal Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? In the first book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley sure hopes so-...
Concealed
Gonzalez, Christina Diaz
Paper Book
The 2022 Edgar Award Winner for Best Juvenile Mystery! What if you had no name, no past, and no home? Ivette. Joanna. And now: Katrina Whatever her name is, it won't last long. Katrina doesn't know any of the details about her past, but she does know that she...
Mission unstoppable
Gutman, Dan
Paper Book
Coke and Pepsi McDonald didn't want to jump off a cliff. They didn't want to get hit by poisoned darts from blowguns either. And they certainly don't want to get locked in their burning school, thrown into a pit at the top of a sand dune, or drowned in a vat of liquified SPAM...
The spy who loved ice cream
Hay, Sam
Paper Book
In this hilarious second novel in Sam Hay's action packed illustrated chapter book series, Spy Penguins, two young adventure-loving and gadget-obsessed penguins must prove their favorite uncle is innocent before the Frosty Bureau of Investigation locks him away forever! ...
Spy penguins /
Hay, Sam.
Paper Book
Two young adventure-loving and gadget-obsessed penguins dream of joining the FBI (Frosty Bureau of Investigation) in Sam Hay's hilarious new illustrated chapter book series, Spy Penguins. Adventure-loving penguin Jackson dreams of being a secret agent like his Uncle...
Hide and GEEK
Jagger, T. P.
Paper Book
A puzzlemaker's last clue. A friendship's last chance. The GEEKs- Gina, Edgar, Elena, and Kevin have been best friends for as long as they can remember. So when their arch-nemesis points out that their initials make them literally GEEKs, they...
Mystery on Magnolia Circle
Klise, Kate
Paper Book
Rear Window meets Nancy Drew in this middle-grade novel by Kate Klise about a girl who believes she has witnessed a crime What happens when two best friends take on the world's worst summer? On the first day of vacation, ten-year-old...
Notorious /
Korman, Gordon.
Paper Book
A funny, suspenseful mystery and unlikely friendship story from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman--perfect for fans of Swindle and Ungifted. Keenan has lived all over the world but nowhere quite as strange as Centerlight Island, which is split between the...
The case of the disappearing pets
Lake, Angie
Paper Book
Undercover Latina /
De LeOon, Aya.
Paper Book
A Latina teen spy goes undercover as a white girl to stop a white supremacist terrorist plot in a fast-paced young adult debut from a seasoned author of contemporary crime fiction. In her debut for younger readers, Aya de León pits a teen spy against the ominous workings of a...
The spy's secret
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 SPY MUST BE READY FOR ANYTHING!Agents...
Cyberspies
Macx, Logan
Paper Book
"An addictive new spy series for Alex Rider fans who love breathless plot, cutting-edge tech and action-packed adventure. When their families mysteriously disappear, Swift and Hawk, teen experts in AI and robotics, are recruited by the secretive M©bius Programme to crack an unbreakable code. They...
The case of the missing cheetah
Mang, Veronica
Paper Book
"This book is a delight. Fun. Funny. And full of adventure." --AndreaBeaty, #1New York Timesbestselling author ofRosie Revere, Engineer The first book in a highly illustrated new chapter book series about three delightfully mischievous young girls and some of the most...
Mrs. Smith's spy school for girls
McMullen, Beth
Paper Book
A girl discovers her boarding school is actually an elite spy-training program, and she must learn the skills of the trade in order to find her mother in this action-packed middle grade debut that's perfect for fans of Stu Gibbs. After a botched escape plan from her boarding...
Detective little boy Blue /
Metzger, Steve.
Paper Book
Miss Muffett is missing... and Detective Blue is on the case! "Today was like any other day. The dish ran away with the spoon. Little Boy Blue is all grown up, and he's a detective working to find Miss Muffet. Join in the fun as Detective Blue tries to solve the mystery...
A case for Buffy
Nilsson, Ulf
Paper Book
The final story in this big-hearted series takes on the most important case everinvestigated in Detective Gordon's forest--where is Buffy's mother? Gordon faces his old nemesis, the fox, in an investigation that leads to the edges of the forest.
The doublecross : and other skills I learned as a superspy
Pearce, Jackson
Paper Book
With a hilarious and charismatic cast of characters, this start to a fresh middle grade action-adventure series is part Spy Kids and all fun! Everyone in twelve-year-old Hale's family is a spy, going way back. They've all worked for the Sub Rosa Society, an elite...
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...
Framed! /
Ponti, James.
Paper Book
A budding genius gets recruited by the FBI to find stolen art in this first book in the hilarious middle grade mystery series that has "elements of Alex Rider, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes" (School Library Journal) from New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award­-winning James Ponti...
Spy toys
Powers, Mark (Children's story writer)
Paper Book
Toy Story meets James Bond in this incredibly action-packed new series. Spy Toys are going to take the world by storm! The world's leading toy manufacturer makes playthings for the rich and famous, and every toy they create contains a tiny computerised...
A whole nother story
Soup, Cuthbert.
Paper Book
The three Cheeseman children, their father, and their psychic dog are all on the run. From whom? Well the CIA, naturally. But also corporate agents #5, #29, and # 207, plus two international superspies -- one of whom happens to be a chimpanzee. They all want Dr. Cheeseman and his late wife's...
Liar & spy /
Stead, Rebecca.
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of the Newbery Medal winner When You Reach Me: a story about spies, games, and friendship.   The first day Georges (the S is silent) moves into a new Brooklyn apartment, he sees a sign taped to a door in...
Geronimo Stilton, secret agent
Stilton, Geronimo.
Paper Book
Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.My sister, Thea, is the mystery-loving rodent, not me! But somehow I found myself going undercover to get...
Detective LaRue :
Teague, Mark.
Paper Book
Ike LaRue--the devilish dog hero of Mark Teague's Book Sense Book of the Year, Dear Mrs. LaRue--goes from obedience school dropout to shrewd sleuth in this exceedingly funny sequel.As if obedience school wasn't bad enough, Ike now finds himself in jail--wrongly accused (of course!) of...
Long lost
West, Jacqueline
Paper Book
Winner of the Minnesota Book Award * A Texas Bluebonnet Book "Perfect to be read late into the night."--Stefan Bachmann, internationally bestselling author of The Peculiar "A spooky sisterhood mystery that is sure to be a hit with readers."--School Library Journal (starred...
Spy Guy : the not-so-secret agent
Young, Jessica
Paper Book
Spy Guy is a spy--but not a very good one. He's too loud, too squeaky, and in need of a good disguise. All Spy Guy wants is to figure out the secret to spying. But as the Chief says, that he must discover for himself. With a lot of trial and even more error, can Spy Guy figure out the secret to...

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