Best Mysteries & Detectives Books for 9 Year Olds

Here are the top 30 mysteries & detectives books for 9 year olds. Please click Read Review to read book reviews on Amazon. You can also click Find in Library to check book availability at your local library. If the default library is not correct, please follow Change Library to reset it.

1. Bunnicula in a Box: Bunnicula; Howliday Inn; The Celery Stalks at Midnight; Nighty-Nightmare; Return to Howliday Inn; Bunnicula Strikes Again; Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (Bunnicula and Friends)

by: James HoweC. F. Payne
Release date: Aug 27, 2013
Number of Pages: 1136
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Lock up your veggies and get out your garlic—the complete Bunnicula collection is now available as a boxed set!

Something wicked this way hops… Join Harold, Howie, Chester, and of course, Bunnicula for seven thrilling adventures—all together for the first time in one fur-raising boxed set!

This complete collection includes paperback editions of Bunnicula, Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nighty-Nightmare, Return to Howliday Inn, Bunnicula Strikes Again, and Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow.

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Rabbits

2. Chase For Home: Chase Manning Mystery #2 (Chase Manning Mystery Series)

by: Steve Reifman
Release date: Nov 21, 2014
Number of Pages: 149
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Book Synopsis

Riding high in fifth grade, Chase Manning joins the Apple Valley baseball team, and his clutch hitting leads the squad to within two victories of the school’s first league championship. Confidence is high—until Chase’s lucky batting glove turns up missing the day of the semifinal game. Unsure whether the theft represents a personal attack or an attempt to derail the entire baseball team, Chase must track down the culprit and find the glove before the team boards the bus at 3 o’clock. Surprising and suspense-filled plot twists fill the pages of this single-day, real-time mystery thriller.

About the Chase Manning Mystery Series

The Chase Manning Mystery Series features single-day, real-time thrillers that occur on an elementary school campus. Written for readers 8-12 years of age by National Board Certified Teacher Steve Reifman, the series launched with the award-winning Chase Against Time, in which fifth grader Chase Manning must investigate the mysterious disappearance of the cello that the school plans to auction off to save its prestigious music program. Chase Against Time has enjoyed rave reviews from children, parents, and teachers. Young readers love the book’s fast-paced, action-packed format while parents and teachers appreciate the book’s kid-friendly tone and content. Chase is now back in the eagerly anticipated sequel, Chase for Home.

Note for Elementary School Teachers and Parents

Chase Against Time and Chase for Home are Level Q on the Fountas & Pinnell scale. Both books are ideally suited to be used as read alouds and mentor texts during Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop units on mystery and “edge-of-seat” fiction because they include numerous examples of end-of-chapter cliffhangers, red herrings, suspects, motives, and other important mystery elements. If you are interested in teaching children how to craft their own mysteries, check out Steve’s e-book, The Ultimate Mystery Writing Guide for Kids.

tags:

Children’s Books > Mysteries & Detectives

3. The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow

by: Jessica HaightStephanie RobinsonRoman Muradov
Release date: Dec 01, 2015
Number of Pages: 272
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Fans of the classic detective/spy story as well as the popular THE SECRET SERIES will adore this highly illustrated debut middle-grade adventure featuring three young sleuths!

Fear Not the Unexpected.  

Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom.
As if leaving New York City and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad (DMS), weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past. 
         Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a strange picture of a red-haired lady are the first in a series of clues that takes the members of the Detective Mystery Squad on an amazing adventure.

“The novel builds to an exciting climax that takes magic in stride and suggests that further mysteries await the DMS trio.”–Publisher’s Weekly 

“This paranormal mystery will be of interest to young readers looking for something spooky but not violent or scary.”–Booklist 

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Moving

4. Howard Wallace, P.I.

by: Casey Lyall
Release date: Sep 06, 2016
Number of Pages: 272
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“…Lyall’s debut is a winner.”Publishers Weekly

“What’s with the get-up? Is that the company uniform or something?”
“This? All P.I.s wear a trench coat.”
“Dude, that’s a brown bathrobe.”
I shrugged and straightened out my sleeves. “First rule of private investigation, Ivy: work with what you’ve got.”

Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace lives by his list of rules of private investigation. He knows more than anyone how to work with what he’s got: a bathrobe for a trench coat, a makeshift office behind the school equipment shed, and not much else—least of all, friends. So when a hot case of blackmail lands on his desk, he’s ready to take it on himself . . . until the new kid, Ivy Mason, convinces him to take her on as a junior partner. As they banter through stakeouts and narrow down their list of suspects, Howard starts to wonder if having Ivy as a sidekick—and a friend—is such a bad thing after all.

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Friendship

5. The Lost Celt

by: A. E. Conran
Release date: Mar 15, 2016
Number of Pages: 264
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Written in the voice of Mikey, a fourth-grader who believes that eating crunchy things will get your neurons to fire, The Lost Celt follows Mikey’s adventures after a chance encounter with what he thinks is a time-traveling Celtic warrior.

With the help of his best friend Kyler, and clues from his military history book, Mikey tracks down the stranger, and in the process learns about the power and obligations of friendship.

Full of heart, The Lost Celt throws a gentle light on some of the issues facing our veterans and their families, but it’s the humor and infectious camaraderie throughout this book that makes it so memorable.

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Fiction

6. Escape Velocity (H.I.V.E. Book 3)

by: Mark Walden
Release date: Apr 19, 2011
Number of Pages: 357
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Now in paperback, a riveting installment in an action-packed series.

Students and staff at H.I.V.E.—the Higher Institute of Villainous Education—are horrified to discover that Dr. Nero has been captured by the forces of H.O.P.E.—the Hostile Operative Prosecution Executive—the world’s newest and most ruthlessly efficient security force. Otto decides that the only way to find Nero and the truth behind the lies is to escape H.I.V.E. But he’s also struggling with some newfound abilities: Can he really unconsciously interface with computers without physical contact? And if he can, what exactly do his new powers mean? In his search for answers, Otto must flee H.I.V.E., and take the risks that come with being a rogue agent. Then he just has to break into MI6…..

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life

7. The Fairy Swarm (The Imaginary Veterinary)

by: Suzanne SelforsDan Santat
Release date: May 03, 2016
Number of Pages: 240
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“Ten-year-olds Ben Silverstein and Pearl Petal have had quite a busy summer as apprentices of Dr. Woo, veterinarian for imaginary creatures. When a swarm of sugar fairies escapes into Buttonville, Ben and Pearl must protect the townspeople, keep the fairies safe, and outsmart the dangerous poacher, Maximus Steele”–
tags:

Children’s Books > Animals

8. Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: Book 5: The Secret of the Sacred Temple: Cambodia

by: Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Release date: Apr 01, 2008
Number of Pages: 128
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When an archaeologist who guards the priceless 1,000-year-old treasures of the temple of Angor Wat goes missing, her daughter Kate calls on Jack to help bring her home. No sweat for a top secret agent. Except this time it’s personal. The archaeologist also has information leading to the whereabouts of Jack’s missing brother. Now Jack must stop a power-hungry madman before the treasure, and the archaeologist, disappear forever.   
tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Chapter Books & Readers > Chapter Books

9. Ballpark Mysteries #7: The San Francisco Splash

by: David A. KellyMark Meyers
Release date: May 28, 2013
Number of Pages: 114
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Time for a seventh-inning stretch! The San Francisco Splash is book #7 in our early chapter book mystery series, where each book is set in a different American ballpark!

   Splash! A hit soars over the walls of the San Francisco ballpark on the bay and drops into the water. But then Mike and Kate hear another, much larger splash nearby . . . and this time it’s not a baseball. It’s a man overboard! And when he’s pulled from the water, the old-time ballplayer discovers his World Series ring is gone! Is it at the bottom of the bay? Or was it somehow stolen by a long-ago rival?

   The San Francisco Splash includes several pages of “Dugout Notes,” fun facts about San Francisco’s recently built ballpark.

Cross Ron Roy’s A to Z Mystery series with Matt Christopher’s sports books and you get the Ballpark Mysteries: fun, puzzling whodunits aimed at the younger brothers and sisters of John Feinstein’s fans.

tags:

Children’s Books > Mysteries & Detectives

10. The Lost Cipher

by: Michael Oechsle
Release date: May 15, 2016
Number of Pages: 272
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Lucas’s father has recently died in Afghanistan, and to help him cope, his grandmother sends him to Camp Kawani, a camp for kids who have lost a parent. While there, he hears about the local legend of Thomas Jefferson Beale. Beale supposedly hid a hoard of gold in the mountains 200 years before. The location is encrypted in a set of codes no one has ever been able to decipher. When Lucas and his newfound friends decide to track down the treasure, they embark on a mission that could be too dangerous to survive.
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Difficult Discussions > Death & Dying

11. Anna & Elsa #6: The Arendelle Cup (Disney Frozen) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

by: Erica DavidFrancesco LegramandiGabriella MattaManuela RazziWilliam Robinson
Release date: Sep 08, 2015
Number of Pages: 128
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Princess Anna, Queen Elsa, Olaf the snowman, and all the stars from Disney Frozen are back in an all-new magical chapter book series perfect for girls and boys ages 6 to 9. It’s time for the Arendelle Cup–an annual 150-mile sleigh race. People come from far and wide to compete, and this year, to celebrate the castle gates finally being open, Anna and Elsa are going to represent Arendelle themselves!

From the Hardcover edition.

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Friendship

12. The Mysterious Visitor (Trixie Belden)

by: Julie Campbell
Release date: Aug 26, 2003
Number of Pages: 272
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Trixie and Diana Lynch were friends for years before Di’s family became fabulously rich. So when Di’s long-lost uncle starts ruining her social life, Di turns to her old friend for help. But Trixie thinks Uncle Monty isn’t just an annoying relative–she thinks he’s an impostor!

From the Hardcover edition.

tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction

13. Marcia’s Madness (The Sisters Eight Book 5)

by: Lauren Baratz-LogstedGreg LogstedJackie LogstedLisa K. Weber
Release date: May 03, 2010
Number of Pages: 129
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Questions! Questions! Questions! The Sisters Eight have so many questions and so few answers! Luckily, one more month means they’ll get a few answers.

 
Marcia’s month is about to begin. You remember Marcia, right? The sensible one? The one who would never do anything . . . crazy?
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Siblings

14. The Grand Adventures Of Inspector Toadius McGee: Book One: January’s Jewel (Volume 1)

by: Mr. Tommy Phillips
Release date: Jan 01, 2014
Number of Pages: 154
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Most detective stories start with a phrase such as: It was a dark and stormy night, or The second she walked into the door I knew she was trouble. But this story, I dare say, is not most detective stories, for this story begins with the phrase: I exited out of the cab and promptly stepped into a pile of dog poop. This is the story of the greatest detective to ever live. His name is Toadius McGee.
My name is Dr. John R. Boarhog, Professional Linguistics Professor, and Amateur Writer. I have been tasked to collect, organize, and ultimately recall The Grand Adventures of Inspector Toadius McGee.
There’s been a break in at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Natural History. The Egypt’s Fire, the world’s largest ruby, has gone missing. Can Toadius and I solve the clues and find the missing ruby, or will we be out-witted by the infamous criminal mastermind, THE MAUVE MOTH?
Warning: this book contains Adventure, Romance, Master Criminals, Monkeys, Dancing Mummies, Blueberry Pancakes, Riddles, Large Moths, Jazz Music, and a very, very bad Stage Magician. Do not read if you have a hatred for fun, creativity, or the written word. Please be careful when reading on ski lifts, escalators, or while walking on tight ropes, for laugher has the tendency of making people lose their balance. Studies have shown reading this book may cause your head to swell with knowledge, and may cause your family to grow closer together though the power of storytelling. In some cases children have been known to come down with a disease called “Avid-reader-itis.” Side effects include: video game aversion, a decrease in ruckus making, abnormal displays of intelligence, and less time listing to that “NOISE.”
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Children’s Books > Mysteries & Detectives

15. Alvin’s Secret Code

by: Clifford B. HicksBill Sokol
Release date: May 04, 2015
Number of Pages: 159
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The warm, tingly feeling that had been smack in the middle of Alvin Fernald’s stomach ever since Miss Peppersmith had closed and neatly lined up her books that Friday afternoon, had grown bigger as he and Shoie walked home from school. Now, here, in his hand, was the reason why! Alvin’s sixth sense tells him that the crumpled note holds a secret message in spy code, which is about to catapult the two seventh grade secret agents plus Alvin’s younger sister Daphne, the Pest, into the intricacies of authentic code detection and the dangers of a newly stirred-up 100-year-old mystery.
Even Alvin’s Magnificent Brain is nearly put on overload before the bang-up solution to the code and the mystery carry the three agents to an ending that is satisfying to all…well, to almost all. This classic tale from 1963 includes Alvin’s own notes on cryptography in an appendix at the back.
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Children’s Books

16. Scarlet’s Escape: Book 2 (The Sanctum Series)

by: Katrina Cope
Release date: Jun 23, 2014
Number of Pages: 339
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Scarlet’s Escape (The Sanctum Series) Book 2
Praise for Scarlet’s Escape, Book 2 of the Sanctum Series:
“There are plenty of red herrings and false trails to keep the reader guessing about who – or what – is responsible. Very much a recommended book for those still a little too young for ‘young adult’ fiction but who have grown out of books such as the Famous Five but still have a taste for adventure with a technological twist and a strong moral center.” ~ Phil Leader, Book Reviewer
Blurb:
Over a year has passed since Avando rescued Jayden from homelessness. Strange things are happening within The Sanctum, and their movements to fight terrorism are continually being jeopardised.

Secrets are discovered at Ernest State College. On the surface, they appear to be working for the good side, but what are they hiding?

What’s up with Scarlet? Has she blown her mainframe?

Reviewer Praise:
“The characters continue to evolve and develop with laughter, tears and challenges to be found at every step. The intrigue builds beautifully with secrets of Ernest State School being revealed and lots of surprises are to be had along the way.” ~ L
“Scarlet’s Escape was much more suspenseful. Two things caused this. I felt myself really trying to turn the pages during the action scenes. And The Sanctum isn’t nearly as safe of a place as it was in the first book.” ~ Jane. H
“Great story. Surprisingly full of insightful metaphors and life lessons.” ~ Amazon Customer

If you like a book that suits
* Late Middle Grade/Early Young adult
* Action packed
* Spy Thriller/Sci-Fi with heart
* Humorous in parts
* Positive messages
* No Magic, Vampires, Zombies etc.

The Sanctum Series: A modern late Middle-Grade fictional series for preteens & the young at heart:

Jayden & the Mysterious Mountain, Book One – Released

Scarlet’s Escape, Book Two – Released

Taylor’s Plight, Book Three – Released

Eric & the Black Axes, Book Four – Released
Book Five – Expected Release 2015

Scroll up and grab a copy today.

tags:

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure

17. The Traitor King

by: Todd Mitchell
Release date: Jan 20, 2012
Number of Pages: 272
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A fast-paced fantasy/mystery involving Celtic mythology for ages 9 & up (Colorado Book Award Finalist). Darren and Jackie Mananann have always known there was something a little strange about their family . . . but it isn’t until an unexpected presence propels them into a fantastical mystery that they discover how truly unusual and eerily powerful the Mananann family is. Things that once seemed ordinary -flowerpots, librarians, plates of cookies- suddenly have extraordinary meanings. And places that once seemed safe -trees in the forest, a fireplace in the den, a secret passage- are suddenly no longer safe. One of Darren and Jackie’s uncles has disappeared, and in order to save him they must unravel all the clues and signs that surround the Manananns’s deepest, darkest secret -a secret that spans two very different worlds. For the Manananns, mystery runs in the family. But where will this mystery lead?
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life

18. Clayton Stone, At Your Service

by: Ena Jones
Release date: Jul 17, 2015
Number of Pages: 192
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Twelve-year-old Clayton Stone is shocked when a top-secret government organization recruits him as a decoy in a kidnapping sting. Instantly, he gets drawn into the dangerous world of covert operations. Clayton’s new life is full of excitement, with elaborate disguises and classified debriefings, but soon enough there’s a gun against his neck. Clayton’s transformation from middle-school lacrosse star to Special Service agent is full of suspense, humor and heart — a thrilling undercover debut!
tags:

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure

19. Diamonds Are For Never: Crime Travelers Spy School Mystery Series Book 2

by: Paul AertkerBrian Luster
Release date: Apr 06, 2015
Number of Pages: 256
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“This middle grade series reads like the Bourne Identity – but for kids.”

– Mark Robichaux, Editor, New York

#1 Best seller | THE EXCITING SEQUEL TO THE CRIME TRAVELERS SPY MYSTERY SERIES | ALSO AVAILABLE: BOOK 1 – BRAINWASHED | Age Level: 8 – 14 | US Grade Level: 3rd – 8th  | NOW WITH ILLUSTRATIVE MAPS 

If your children love excitement, don’t miss this action-packed read!

Lucas Benes is yet again a boy on a mission. After sabotaging a mass kidnapping in Paris, Lucas Benes faces a new and perilous threat from Siba Günerro and her anything-but-good Good Company. When a briefcase-toting kid from the Falkland Islands joins the New Resistance Spy School, 14-year-old Lucas learns the truth about his mother and becomes a boy on a mission. Lucas and friends speed in and around Rome–from the Colosseum to the Vatican–until they stowaway on a cargo ship carrying diamonds that could unlock the secret to Lucas’s past and destroy the Good Company’s future.

In this action-packed second installment of the Crime Travelers mystery series, author Paul Aertker takes readers on a gripping world tour filled with adrenaline, humor, and pure excitement.

Diamonds Are For Never is the second book in the bestselling Crime Travelers collection. The first book in the series, Brainwashed (#1 Amazon Best Selling Children’s Travel Books), tracks the secret urban adventures of the New Resistance, a network of international teenage spies. This humorous and exciting middle school series with short chapters is perfect for school reading lists. “This mystery book is like a secret diary of lost kids in adverse international settings.” A secret spy rider uses Kano, Minecraft, and Psion to help the kids travel the planet. Parents, teachers, and librarians will appreciate the worldwide geography and appropriate language for ages 9 – 14.

“I am a 5th grade teacher, and this “spy school” series has exciting international plots, interesting characters, great hidden geography lessons, and short chapters that keep the pages turning for middle grade readers. Perfect for summer reading lists.” 

“If you liked Alex Rider, you’ll love Crime Travelers.”– Larry Yoder, Spy | Mystery | Travel Bookseller

tags:

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure

20. Secrets of a Ghost’s Diary

by: Dawn Clifton
Release date: Apr 28, 2014
Number of Pages: 128
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Keeping a secret is like having an active volcano inside. It’s only a matter of time.
Every summer Carson settles into the island routine at his grandparents’ lighthouse, but this summer is different. Lured by a rumor that the lighthouse is haunted, Carson begins an investigation with his friend Levi and cousin Emma. Soon, they encounter the ghost. Hand-picked by the ghost to guard a diary from the 1800s, the trio begins investigating the old entries. Along the way, every uncovered secret produces more questions. But they aren’t the only ones on a quest for answers. After the final diary entry is stolen, they learn it contains the answer to why the ghost has been haunting them. What if it’s too late? What will the trio risk to reclaim the secret to their destiny?
Author and Novelist Dawn Marie Clifton, has created a fresh style in the mystery genre for kids and tweens. Readers who enjoy a range from laughing to thrilling suspense, are in for a treat!
tags:

Children’s Books > Mysteries & Detectives

21. Chase Under Pressure: (Chase Manning Mystery #3) (Chase Manning Mystery Series)

by: Steve Reifman
Release date: May 08, 2015
Number of Pages: 99
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Book Synopsis
With huge prizes on the line at the state hamster race, the Apple Valley Elementary science team has been working overtime to prepare. Dash, the school’s little speedster, is in the best shape of her life, and confidence is high—until the hamster turns up missing the morning of the event. Fifth-grader Chase Manning must overcome an unsupportive principal, the visiting members of a rival school, and even his own teammates to identify the thief and find Dash before the competition begins. Expect the unexpected on the pages of this single-day, real-time mystery thriller.

About the Chase Manning Mystery Series
The Chase Manning Mystery Series features single-day, real-time thrillers that occur on an elementary school campus. Written for readers 8-12 years of age by National Board Certified Teacher Steve Reifman, the series launched with the award-winning Chase Against Time, in which fifth grader Chase Manning must investigate the mysterious disappearance of the cello that the school plans to auction off to save its prestigious music program. Its sequel, Chase for Home, was released in 2014. Both Chase Against Time and Chase for Home have enjoyed rave reviews from children, parents, and teachers. Young readers love the books’ fast-paced, action-packed format while parents and teachers appreciate the kid-friendly tone and content. Chase is now back in the eagerly anticipated third installment, Chase Under Pressure.

Note for Elementary School Teachers and Parents
Chase Against Time, Chase for Home, and Chase Under Pressure are Level Q on the Fountas & Pinnell scale. All three books are ideally suited to be used as read alouds and mentor texts during Reading Workshop units on mystery and “edge-of-seat” fiction because they include numerous examples of end-of-chapter cliffhangers, red herrings, suspects, motives, and other important mystery elements. If you are interested in teaching children how to craft their own mysteries, check out Steve’s e-book, The Ultimate Mystery Writing Guide for Kids.

tags:

Children’s Books > Mysteries & Detectives

22. Hide and Secret (The Mysteries of Middlefield Series)

by: Kathleen Fuller
Release date: Sep 19, 2011
Number of Pages: 239
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Anna Mae Shetler is a tomboy who loves nothing more than exploring the woods with her two best friends, Amos and Jeremiah. During a game of hide and seek they stumble upon a mystery that will threaten to tear apart their friendship, and—as they soon discover—it’s a mystery that caused a rift in their families decades earlier. 

Anna Mae and her friends are playing in the old tree house in the woods when a floor board suddenly breaks. No one is seriously hurt, but when they take a second look, they see that a metal box of money and a diary are hidden under the floor in the crook of the tree branches. Upon further inspection, they discover that it is a lot of money.

As the three set out to solve the mystery, they learn that Jeremiah and Anna Mae’s grandmothers were once great friends, something they would have never guessed since the two women have only been distantly civil to each other in their lifetimes. As they search further, Jeremiah and Anna Mae realize there is a missing third party who must certainly hold the answers to this puzzle. Before they can find out, the money disappears again and threatens the trust of the three friends.

Can Anna Mae solve this mystery before it tears apart more relationships? And can God heal decades-old pain and distrust?

tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction > Christian

23. Timmy Failure: The Book You’re Not Supposed to Have

by: Stephan PastisStephan Pastis
Release date: Sep 01, 2016
Number of Pages: 304
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Banishment from his life’s calling can’t keep a comically overconfident detective down in the latest episode by New York Times bestseller Stephan Pastis.

This book was never meant to exist. No one needs to know the details. Just know this: there’s a Merry, a Larry, a missing tooth, and a teachers’ strike that is crippling Timmy Failure’s academic future. Worst of all, Timmy is banned from detective work. It’s a conspiracy of buffoons. He recorded everything in his private notebook, but then the manuscript was stolen. If this book gets out, he will be grounded for life. Or maybe longer. And will Timmy’s mom really marry Doorman Dave?

tags:

Children’s Books > Humor

24. Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery

by: Jill DiamondLesley Vamos
Release date: Oct 18, 2016
Number of Pages: 272
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Perfect for readers outgrowing Ivy & Bean and the Nancy Clancy books!

BFFs Lou Lou Bombay and Peacock Pearl love their PSPP (Post-School Pre-Parents) tea parties on Friday afternoons, where they recap the school week, chat about Pea’s latest fashions, and tend to Lou Lou’s burgeoning backyard garden. But when a series of small crimes crop up around El Corazon, their quaint and quirky town, right before the Dia de Los Muertos Parade, the girls must join forces (horticultural know-how and artistic genius) to solve the mystery.

Debut author Jill Diamond weaves a delightful romp, full of colorful characters and gentle intrigue, while artist Lesley Vamos punctuates the story with black-and-white illustrations throughout. Backmatter includes crafting activities and a glossary of Spanish terms!

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Friendship

25. Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel

by: K. A. Holt
Release date: Jun 23, 2009
Number of Pages: 272
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Blast off to deep-space adventure and hijinks!

Things are not so stellar for Mike Stellar. He is stunned when his parents inform him that he has only eight hours to pack before they move to Mars. Despite the fact that he suspects his parents are involved in a major sabotage plot; that the only person who believes him is a girl who won’t shut up; and that his mother’s assistant seems to be spying on Mike’s every move, Mike is dealing with the same things that every eleven-year-old deals with: bad cafeteria food, a strict limitation on his electronic use, and a teacher who is so old-fashioned she must be from the year 2099.

With great humor and lots of action, K. A. Holt’s first novel is set to give summer reading an out-of-this-world blast of fun.

tags:

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure

26. Mystery on Mansion Hill (Katie Karr Mysteries Book 1)

by: Sandy Rosinbaum
Release date: Jan 28, 2014
Number of Pages: 79
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It’s midnight as Katie Karr and her new friend, Tyler, pedal their bikes through the dark streets of Golden Falls. They are on their way to explore Stockwell Mansion – an abandoned Victorian-era mansion set on a hilltop above the town.

Katie, new in town, is fascinated by the old mansion, and though she’s been told to stay away, she is determined to find the source of a mysterious light she’s seen shining from the heights of the “mansion on the hill.”

Sneaking into the mansion, Katie and Tyler explore each room, each dark corner, and discover more than they ever expected.

tags:

Children’s Books > Mysteries & Detectives

27. Secret of the Staircase (The Virginia Mysteries Book 4)

by: Steven K. Smith
Release date: Oct 16, 2015
Number of Pages: 166
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Magic Tree House meets Hardy Boys

Something’s lurking beneath the famous staircase at The Jefferson, Richmond’s historic downtown hotel. Back in 1895, when the hotel opened, real alligators roamed free in the courtyard fountains. That was ages ago … or was it? When young brothers Sam and Derek arrive at The Jefferson for an elegant wedding weekend with their parents, they love exploring the old hotel. But when the wedding rings go missing and Sam is blamed, the boys and their friends must hunt down the truth no matter where it leads. If they’re not careful, they might become dinner for the hotel’s most unusual guests. Recommended for ages 8-12.

The Virginia MysteriesAdventures with a twist of history
Book 1 – Summer of the Woods
Book 2 – Mystery on Church Hill
Book 3 – Ghosts of Belle Isle
Book 4 – Secret of the Staircase
Book 5 – Midnight at the Mansion

tags:

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure

28. Thea Stilton And The Tropical Treasure (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

by: Thea Stilton
Release date: Nov 24, 2015
Number of Pages: 176
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FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. While the Thea Sisters are on a tropical vacation in the Bahamas, they stumble upon an old pirate map! It’s related to a local legend. Could it lead to treasure?! The five mice venture onto the sparkling Caribbean Sea to follow the map… but someone else is trying to find the treasure first.
tags:

Children’s Books > Action & Adventure

29. The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado (Hank the Cowdog #25)

by: John R. EricksonGerald L. Holmes
Release date: Aug 01, 1998
Number of Pages: 128
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This just in from the Emergency Weather Service: A tornado is headed straight for the ranch! And Hank and Drover are in the worst possible place–trapped inside the house. Can they find a way out–before they get blown away?
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Children’s Books > Animals

30. The Ghosts of Graceland: A Mandi Mystery

by: Pam Harris
Release date: Mar 05, 2015
Number of Pages: 132
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Unexplained voices coming from nowhere in the middle of the night, a strange man lurking around them, a quirky great- aunt who has an obsession about a singer who has been dead for years, a homeless teen-age boy with a secret—all mysteries that twelve-year-old Mandi Ferguson must solve during her dreaded stay in Memphis, Tennessee. Much against their will, she and her twin sister have been sent from their home in California to stay with a great-aunt they barely know while their mother is on a two-week honeymoon in Europe.

There is nothing Mandi likes any better than solving mysteries and when she hears voices outside of her room during her first night in Memphis, she is convinced she is hearing ghosts, possibly Elvis Presley’s ghost since her great-aunt’s house is right behind the entertainer’s home, Graceland.

Is there a connection between the voices and the man who is spying on them? What about the homeless boy with a mysterious past who needs their help? What is Aunt Trina’s true connection to Elvis? And why doesn’t her mother call more often—is she so enamored with her new husband that she is unconcerned about her daughters?

Mysteries can be fun to solve, but as Mandi learns the answers to all of her questions, she discovers that the solutions were right in front of her all along. All she needed to do was ask.

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Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce

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Last updated: Monday, December 5, 2016 7:21 AM