Enter a thrilling world of suspense with some of our favorite mystery stories for school-age children.
It's a Mystery
Compiled by:
Children's Services Staff
Picturebooks and Younger Elementary
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Roy)
Series: A to Z Mysteries; 1
Dink Duncan and his two friends investigate the apparent kidnapping of famous mystery author Wallis Wallace. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Hale)
The houses of all Three (not-so-) Little Pigs were broken into and ransacked, and the Pigs are squealing for justice. So Prince Tyrone, ruler of Fairylandia, drags in the obvious suspect: Wolfgang. The lone wolf has big teeth, sharp claws, no alibi -- and a single day to find the real culprit and clear his big bad name. When Wolf (reluctantly) teams up with the fourth Little Pig to crack the case, the Big Bad Detective Agency is born. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Early Readers - J-ER But)
Series: King & Kayla; 1
King's human, Kayla, has baked some treats for a friend's new puppy, Thor, but some go missing and it is up to King to find the culprit. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Alexand)
Series: Wallace and Grace Mysteries; 3
When Wallace and Grace are on a scavenger hunt, they stumble upon a puppy named Jasper who can't find his way home. Will the owl detectives be able to follow clues to get the lost puppy home? Recommended for ages 6-9.
Older Elementary
(Juvenile Fiction - J Howe)
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. Recommended for ages 9–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Springe)
Series: An Enola Holmes Mystery; 1
Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother. Recommended for ages 9-12+.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Balliet)
Series: Chasing Vermeer; 1
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Grabens)
Series: Mr. Lemoncello's Library; 1
Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Konigsb)
A young girl runs away with her brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The two unravel a mystery behind a famous sculpture. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Turnage)
Series: Tupelo Landing; 2
When Miss Lana accidentally buys a haunted inn at the Tupelo Landing town auction, Desperado Detectives--aka Mo LoBeau and her best friend Dale--opens up a paranormal division to solve the ghost's identity before the town's big 250th anniversary bash. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Balliett)
On a cold winter day in Chicago, Early's father disappeared, and now she, her mother, and her brother have been forced to flee their apartment and join the ranks of the homeless––and it is up to Early to hold her family together and solve the mystery surrounding her father. Recommended for ages 9–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Korman)
Series: Masterminds; 1
Eli Frieden convinces his friends to help him investigate strange occurrences in their idyllic town, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity, New Mexico. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Thirty Rio)
Series: 39 Clues; 1
Dan and Amy Cahill are given the choice of receiving a million dollars or uncovering the 39 clues hidden around the world that will lead to the source of the family's power, but by taking on the clues, they end up in a dangerous race against their own family. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Johnson)
Spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, Candice discovers the letter that sent her grandmother on a treasure hunt, and with her new friend Brandon, sets off to expose the injustice once committed against a local African American family. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Oliver)
Series: Curiosity House; 1
Orphans Philippa, Sam, Thomas, and Max must find out who stole a valuable artifact in order to save to save their home, Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Gibbs)
Series: Spy school; 1
Twelve-year-old Ben Ripley leaves his public middle school to attend the CIA's highly secretive Espionage Academy, which everyone is told is an elite science school. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Hiaasen)
Discovering the address of the father who left when he was only four, Billy is forced to move repeatedly with his activist mother before embarking on a summer of unconventional travel and animal rescue. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Haddix)
Series: Greystone Secrets; 1
Receiving reports that three children with their names and birth dates have been kidnapped, three siblings investigate complex codes, hidden rooms, and a dangerous secret that turns their lives upside down. Recommended for ages 9–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Connor)
Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground club space for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He’s desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin, and eventually, Benny. But will anyone believe him? Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Raskin)
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance. Recommended for ages 9-12.