If you're on the hunt for more mystery books, here's a clue: Investigate these websites.
First Clues lists recommendations by age group, from 4 to 13 and older.
Search for "Best Juvenile" in TheEdgars.com database for award-winning mysteries.
Agatha Award winners and Honorable Mentions are listed at Cozy-Mystery.com.
Happy sleuthing!
Grisham, J. (2010). Theodore Boone: Kid lawyer. New York: Dutton Children’s Books.
Genres: Mystery, Murder, Legal Drama
Summary: Theodore Boone, Theo to his friends, is the son of two attorneys and considers the courthouse his second home. A murder trial has begun; it’s the biggest case to hit Strattenburg in sixty years. Theo resents having to miss it because he’s just a kid and goes to middle school. The defense is strong; prosecution has no evidence to convict. But then, Theo’s friend Julio confides in him: his cousin is a witness to the murder, and his testimony could have a huge impact on the outcome of the trial, but is afraid to come forward because he’s in the country illegally. Can Theo help solve the murder and keep his friend’s cousin safe too?
Review: While the story is interesting, the characters aren’t relatable, and the ending falls flat. John Grisham may be a best-selling author, but he should either do more research on youth and writing for a juvenile audience, or stick to writing novels for adults.
Notes:
From the Bestselling author John Grisham, known for his legal thrillers.
This is the first of the Theodore Boone Series. The second, Theodore Boone: The Abduction, was released June 2011, and a third is suspected to arrive on the scene summer 2012.
The Rag and Bone Shop
By Robert Cormier
c2001, 194 p.
RL: 5+
IL: 12 and up
Reviews: Booklist Starred, Publisher's Weekly Starred, School Library Journal, Wilson’s
It’s the start of summer and 7 year old Alicia Bartlett’s body has been found in the woods behind her neighborhood. Twelve year old Jason Dorrant is the last one besides her killer to have seen Alicia alive. Due to Alicia’s age and the fact that the Senator’s granddaughter was one of her classmates the case is a high profile one. Pressure is on the police to solve this murder and solve it fast.
Jason is questioned by the police and becomes the prime suspect for the murder. The police need evidence, but with the mounting pressure, time is of the essence. What they really need is a confession. Enter Trent. Trent is a small town detective, but more than that, he’s an Interrogator. He’s the best at what he does and if there is a confession to be had, Trent will get it. As Trent interrogates Jason the reader begins to realize that Trent is not entirely convinced of Jason's guilt. Is he after the truth or is he after a confession?
The stunning conclusion to this book will leave readers thinking about it for a long time to come.
By Wendelin Van Draanen, 1998
163 p.
Reading Level: 4+
Interest Level: 10-13 years old
Reviews: School Library Journal, Kirkus Review, Publisher's Weekly, Horn Book, Wilson’s
Sammy Keyes is a feisty 13-year old girl whose mom (“Lady Lana”) left her with her Gram who lives in a seniors-only apartment complex while Lady Lana pursues a career in Hollywood. Because she isn’t supposed to live there, Sammy spends a decent amount of time sneaking in and out or just plain hiding out. Curiosity and boredom lead her to peering at her neighborhood through binoculars from her grandmother’s bedroom window and while doing this she spots what appears to be a robber in the seedy hotel across the way. She later finds that money has been stolen from that very room.
From here on out we are led on an adventure involving psychics, pork bellies, and lots of twists and turns while Sammy tries to solve the mystery of the hotel thief. Sammy has a lot of spunk and a knack for finding mischief. She’s a believable and likable character and her ability to solve the crime when the police and other adults are not make her a great heroine. Readers will be clamoring for the next installment in this mystery series.
Chasing Vermeer
By Blue Balliett, 2004
Illustrated by Brett Helquist
254 p.
Reading Level: 5+
Interest Level: 10-13 years old
Awards:
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children’s Mystery, Agatha Award for
Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel, Chicago Tribune Prize for Young Adult
Fiction, Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children’s Literature
Reviews: Booklist Starrred, Publisher's Weekly Starred, School Library Journal, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Starred, Kirkus Review Starred, Wilson’s
Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay are sixth graders attending U. School on the campus of The University of Chicago. Although they both have Ms. Hussey as a teacher and they only live 3 doors from each others they were not friends- each thinking the other odd- until a series of coincidences brought them together. They find that they have much more in common than they thought, with a strong love of books, art, making sense of seemingly unrelated things, and blue M&Ms.
When a Vermeer painting that was en route to Chicago from Washington is stolen, Petra and Calder realize that a strange phenomena is at hand and that they are somehow privy to clues which could help them recover the missing painting before it’s destroyed by the art thief as has been threatened.
This is a book of puzzles. Petra uses pentominoes not only to create designs, but as letters which provide clues to the things happening around him. Dreams, reproductions of paintings, an old book of curious events, and more are all interconnected like puzzle pieces which all lead Petra and Calder to the conclusion that they know where the painting is hidden But will they get to it in time?
Illustrations by Brett Helquist are found throughout the book and are a nice visual addition.
The House with a Clock in its Walls
By John Bellair
Illustrated by Edward Gorey
179 p.
Reading Level: 5+
Interest Level: 9-12 years old
Awards: ALA Children’s Books of International Interest Award, NY Times Outstanding Books of 1973 Award
Reviews: School Library Journal Starred, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly
Reviews: School Library Journal Starred, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly
Ten year old Lewis Barnavelt is in for some changes in life. His parents were recently killed in a car accident and he’s being sent to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his Uncle Jonathan, a relative he’s never met. Uncle Jonathan lives in a mansion filled with old and amazing things. On his first night in New Zebedee Lewis notes Uncle Jonathan’s strange reaction to clocks along with the fact that he seems to have an awful lot of them in the house. Lewis soon hears the ticking of a clock in the walls.
Strange things happen in the house, with windows that change and coat rack mirrors that display life-like images. We find out that Uncle Jonathon and Mrs. Zimmerman, the next door neighbor, are both wizards albeit the rather harmless kind. We also find out that before Uncle Johnathon, the house had been lived in by a pair of evil wizards determined to destroy the world. The hidden clock has something to do with bringing the world to an end. Lewis accidentally speeds up the process when he attempts to impress his neighbor Tarby by reading a spell from his Uncle's magic book while in a cemetery on Halloween so that he can raise the dead. He soon finds out the the person he brought back to life is one of the evil wizards and now it's up to Lewis and to prevent the end of the world.
The original editions of the books in this series were illustrated by Edward Gorey and really add to the spooky, Gothic vibe.
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The Westing Game
By Ellen Raskin, 1978
182 p.
RL: 5+
IL: 10-13 years old
Awards: Newbery Award, ALA Notable Children’s Book, Banta Literary Award, Horn Book Award, Library of Congress Children’s Book.
Reviews: Booklist Starred, School Library Journal, Wilson’s. On California’s Recommended Reading List grades 6-8
The Westing Game begins with 16 people from different walks of life who move into the new Sunset Towers high rise apartments. They don’t realize it, but they have all been hand selected to move in. Sunset Towers is next door to the Westing Mansion which is owned by Sam Westing, a rich industrialist. He is also the owner of the Sunset Towers.
On Halloween one tenant, Turtle, is dared to go into the Westing Mansion, where she sees a dead body. The next day she reads an obituary for Sam Westing and she- along with 15 other people, many who are residents of Sunset Towers- find out that they are heirs to the Westing Estate. At the reading of the Will they find out that Sam Westing believed he was murdered and that one of the heirs is the murderer. At the instructions of the will, the heirs are paired up, given $10,000 and 4 clues and asked to play a game to solve they mystery of Sam’s murder. Whichever figures out who the murderer is will inherit Sam’s estate of 200 million dollars.
From here the reader is taken on adventure where things are not always what they seem. Each team speeds along, interpreting their clues while trying to find out what clues the others have received. This is a great book for readers who like puzzles and well developed characters. It works particularly well in literature circles or as a classroom novel.
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