Mystery and Detective Stories

Titles in this list are found in the following sections of the children’s collection: Mystery Fiction (XMF); Paperbacks (XPBF); Easy Readers (XXE); Picture Books (XXF); Non-Fiction.

Picture Books / Easy Readers

Christelow, Eileen. WHERE’S THE BIG BAD WOLF? (XXF)

Detective Doggedy sniffs out the clues when the three little pigs’ house is huffed and puffed down.

Cushman, Doug. DIRK BONES AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED HOUSE. (XXE)

Reporter Dirk Bones, who also happens to be a skeleton, investigates when a family of ghosts fears that they are being haunted.

Cushman, Doug. INSPECTOR HOPPER. (XXE)

Grasshopper detective Hopper and his assistant McBugg solve three mysteries. One of a series. Also, Aunt Eater series.

Lass, Bonnie. WHO TOOK THE COOKIES FROM THE COOKIE JAR? (XXF)

A skunk tries to find out which of his animal friends stole the cookies.

Levy, Elizabeth. SOMETHING QUEER IS GOING ON. (XXF)

A mysterious kidnapping leads Jill and Gwen on a search for a missing dog. One of a series.

Rylant, Cynthia. THE CASE OF THE MISSING MONKEY. (XXE)

Detectives Bunny and Jack solve a mystery that is not what it seems. One of the High Rise Private Eye series.

Sharmot, Marjorie Weinman. NATE THE GREAT. (XXE)

Junior detective Nate the Great solves the mystery of a missing picture. One of a series.

Walsh, Ellen Stoll. DOT AND JABBER AND THE BIG BUG MYSTERY. (XXF)

Mouse detectives solve the mystery of the disappearing insects. 

Yolen, Jane. PIGGINS. (XXF)

Piggins the Butler discovers who stole a diamond necklace. One of a series.

Grades 2-4

Adler, David. CAM JANSEN AND THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN DIAMONDS. (XMF)

Cam uses her photographic memory to  solve a mystery. One of a series. Also Young Cam Jansen series (XXE).

Clifford, Eth. FLATFOOT FOX AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING EYE. (XMF)

Detective fox uncovers the thief who stole a glass eye. One of a series.

Joose, Barbara M. WILD WILLIE AND KING KYLE DETECTIVES. (XMF)

Willie and Kyle start a detective agency and their first case is to spy on the girl who has moved into Kyle’s old house. One of a series.

Landon, Lucinda. MEG MACKINTOSH AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING BABE RUTH BASEBALL. (XMF)

Use the clues in the story and the pictures to solve the mysteries. One of a series.

McCall Smith, Alexander. THE FIVE LOST AUNTS OF HARRIET BEAN. (XMF)

Harriet Bean determines to find the five unusual aunts she never knew existed. One of a series.

Napoli, Donna Jo and Robert Furrow. SLY THE SLEUTH AND THE PET MYSTERIES. (XMF)

Sly solves three mysteries, all involving pets belonging to friends and neighbors.

Preller, James. THE CASE OF THE MUMMY MYSTERY. (XPBF)

Detective Jigsaw Jones and his friend Mila discover a genuine mummy at the class Halloween party. One of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries series.

Roy, Ron. THE ABSENT AUTHOR. (XPBF)

Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose investigate the kidnapping of a mystery author. One of the A – Z Mysteries series.

Grades 4-6

Byars, Betsy. THE DARK STAIRS. (XMF)  

Courageous Herculeah Jones helps her mother solve a puzzling case. One of a series.

Colfer, Eoin. HALF MOON INVESTIGATIONS. (XMF)

Twelve-year-old private eye Fletcher Moon must uncover a conspiracy when he is framed for a crime.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. MR. CHICKEE’S FUNNY MONEY. (XMF)

Steven, his friend Russell, and Russell’s huge dog Zoopy solve the mystery of a quadrillion-dollar bill. One of a series.

Hale, Bruce. THE CHAMELEON WORE CHARTREUSE. (XMF)

4th grade detective Chet Gecko uncovers a plot against the school football team. One of a series.

Hoeye, Michael. TIME STOPS FOR NO MOUSE. (XMF)

Watchmaker Hermux Tantamoq is caught up in a search for eternal youth. One of a series.

Lawrence, Caroline. THE THIEVES OF OSTIA: A ROMAN MYSTERY. (XMF)

Set in Rome in 79 A.D., four children from very different backgrounds work together to discover who killed a pet dog—and why. One of a series.

Mack, Tracy and Michael Citrin. THE FALL OF THE AMAZING ZALINDAS. (XMF)

A gang of homeless boys help Sherlock Holmes solve a puzzling case involving circus tightrope walkers. One of the Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars series.

Raskin, Ellen. THE WESTING GAME. (XMF)

A millionaire’s heirs must play a strange “game” with clues to claim the fortune.

Sobol, Donald. ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN, BOY DETECTIVE. (XMF, XPBF)

Readers try to solve the cases along with the twelve-year-old detective. Solutions are in the back of the book. One of a series.

Springer, Nancy. THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS. (XMF)

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, sets out to unravel the mystery of her missing mother. One of a series.

Stanley, Diane. THE MYSTERIOUS MATTER OF I.M. FINE. (XMF)

Franny and Beamer set out to find the mysterious author of horror novels that have bizarre effects on readers.

Torrey, Michele. THE CASE OF THE GASPING GARBAGE. (XMF)

Science detectives Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey solve 3 puzzling mysteries. A special section in the back includes science experiments and activities. One of a series.

Warner, Gertrude Chandler. THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY. (XMF, XPBF)

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny find puzzling notes while spending the summer in a lighthouse on the New England coast. One of the Boxcar Children Mysteries series.

Nonfiction

Base, Graham. THE ELEVENTH HOUR. (X652.8 Base)

Hidden clues, codes, and puzzles reveal who stole the elephant’s birthday feast!

April 2007 (sa/aw)