Do you have what it takes to be a detective? Dive into these books filled with mystery, villains, crime, clues, and the kids who crack the cases! Curated by Tabor Millien.
King & Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse by Dori Hillestad Butler
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King and Kayla are playing fetch with their friends, Jillian and Thor. Jillian throws King’s favorite ball too hard, and now it’s gone missing. King and Kayla must put together clues to figure out where it went―and who has it. With simple, straightforward language and great verbal and visual humor, the King & Kayla series from Geisel Honor Award-winning team Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers is perfect for newly independent readers. Great for introducing mysteries, analytical thinking, and the important tools of detective work.
Mystery in the Mansion by Lauren Magaziner
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In this wildly entertaining and interactive adventure, YOU pick which suspects to interview, which questions to ask, and which clues to follow. You pick the path. You crack the case!
Carlos Serrano has never solved a mystery in his life. But when Carlos’s mom gets sick with a nasty flu on the morning of an investigation that could save her failing detective agency, Carlos takes on the case.
With the help of his best friend, Eliza, and her wild little brother, Frank, Carlos must uncover a mystery involving an eccentric local millionaire, anonymous death threats, and a buried treasure. But with tricky riddles, cagey suspects, hidden secrets, and dozens of impossible choices, they need your help! Can you help Carlos and his friends find the culprit and save Las Pistas Detective Agency? Or will it be case closed?
Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce
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Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England.
When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes he –not even her father, the town prosecutor.
Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond by Sam Hearn
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John Watson has barely settled into his new school, Baker Street Academy, when his teacher announces a trip to one of London’s top museums, home to the Alpine Star, the world’s most famous jewel. But the gem has been stolen! The police are soon on the trail and the whole of the country is talking about the crime. When police catch the thief along with the stolen gem, it seems the case is closed. But Sherlock Holmes has other ideas. With John and Martha at his side, can he uncover the mystery behind this extraordinary gem? Told through Watson’s blog, detective notes, school assignments, media reports, and energetic comic-strip illustrations, this introduction to Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic characters will have every young super-sleuth hooked!
Breaking News by Jacqueline Harvey
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What would you do if you woke up in a strange place? If your whole life changed in an instant, and you had no idea what was going on? Twins Kensy and Max Grey’s lives are turned upside down when they are whisked off to London, and discover their parents are missing. As the situation unfolds, so many things don’t add up: their strange new school, the bizarre grannies on their street, the coded messages they keep finding and the feeling that, all around them, adults are keeping secrets. Things can never go back to the way they were, but the twins are determined to uncover the truth.
Framed! by James Ponti
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So you’re only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help…What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country?
If you’re Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both.
Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He’s learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It’s a technique he invented to solve life’s little mysteries such as: where to sit on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls.
But when he teaches it to his new friend Margaret, they uncover a mystery that isn’t little. In fact, it’s HUGE, and it involves the National Gallery, the FBI, and a notorious crime syndicate known as EEL.
Can Florian decipher the clues and finish his homework in time to help the FBI solve the case?
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
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Like his fellow lunarnauts–otherwise known as Moonies–living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon.
And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time–and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games.
Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies–a secret someone just might kill to keep…
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
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Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone’s business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she’s been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her upstream mother, she’s found a home with the Colonel–a cafe owner with a forgotten past of his own–and Miss Lana, the fabulous cafe hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So, when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.
The In-Between by Rebecca K.S. Ansari
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Cooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door and won’t stop staring at him. So, when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction.
It’s the tale of a deadly train crash that occurred a hundred years ago, in which one young boy among the dead was never identified. The only distinguishing mark on him was a strange insignia on his suit coat, a symbol no one had seen before or since. Jess is fascinated by the mystery of the unknown child– because she’s seen the insignia. It’s the symbol of the jacket of the girl next door. As they uncover more information– and mounting evidence of the girl’s seemingly impossible connection to the tragedy–Cooper and Jess begin to wonder if a similar disaster could be heading to their hometown.
The Monster Hypothesis by Romily Bernard
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When Kick moves to the small town of Bohring (population 454), she discovers the town’s 100-year curse – all the kids are about to become monsters, or so the legend goes. Everyone’s worried, except for Kick. She knows that even the most supernatural mystery has a rational, scientific explanation, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of this. Can Kick use her science smarts to prove the curse is a hoax? Or is it just-maybe sort-of-somehow real?
*All summaries courtesy of the publisher unless otherwise noted.
Shelf Analysis 