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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The absent alpacas
Whaley, Kayla
Paper Book
'The most addictive book I've read in ages- so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant.' LISA JEWELL 'I was obsessed with Everyone Here is Lying. . . Fast paced, tightly-plotted and with twists so well executed they floored me. Loved every word!'

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)

Fizz and the police dog tryouts
Gibbes, Lesley
Paper Book

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)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library
Grabenstein, Chris
Paper Book
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets A Night in the Museum in this the action-packed New York Times bestseller from Chris Grabenstein, coauthor of I Funny and other bestselling series with James Patterson! Kyle Keeley is a...

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)

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...

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 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...

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)

The tower treasure
Dixon, Franklin W.
Audiobook
Reader t.b.a. approx. 3 hours 2 cassettes Afer a dying criminal confesses that his loot has been stashed "in the tower" the Hardy Boys make an astonishing discover.

The original Hardy Boys mystery series opener! Perfect for fans of classic mysteries and historical fiction. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Konigsburg, E. L.
Paper Book
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with E. L. Konigsburg's beloved classic and Newbery Medal­-winning novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! When Claudia decided to run away, she...

While there's definitely a mystery in this classic novel, it takes a backseat to the detailed description of living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The bad beginning
Snicket, Lemony.
Paper Book
Dear reader, There is nothing to be found in Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' but misery and despair. You still have time to choose another international best-selling series to read. But if you insist on discovering the unpleasant adventures of the Baudelaire orphans, then...

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 mystery of 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

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 is bad manners
Stevens, Robin
Paper Book
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.) Then Hazel discovers the Science...

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)


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