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These gripping stories are filled with awful crimes, from stolen sculptures to stunning murder mysteries. Fortunately, there is always a courageous detective who arrives on the scene first to try and save the day. Children are required to challenge themselves when they read mysteries.
Children strive to discover the conclusion of the story before the main characters themselves. They do this through deductive thinking, observation, and logic. You’ll find a lot of excellent mystery books for kids to read in this list, whether your kid is in primary school, middle school, or secondary school.
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What are mystery books?
In a mystery genre, the nature of an incident, typically a murder or other crime remains a mystery until the conclusion. Each suspect is given a legitimate excuse and chance to carry out the crime within a small group of other suspects.
Mystery books for kids keep children on the edge of their sits from start to end. They make the reader want to discover the solution before finishing the book, which encourages them to keep on reading till the very end.
These are the type of mystery or crime books that you cannot wait to finish. When you read a mystery book you turn into a detective and try to find answers on your own and hope it matches the plot of the book.
Top 20 Mystery Books for Kids of 2023
These are the best children’s mystery books of 2023 that will target your kid’s critical and logical thinking.
1. The great adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Few fictional detectives have caught readers’ attention as much as Sherlock Holmes and his dependable companion Doctor Watson. This collection includes eight well-known Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mystery novels, including The Red-Headed League and The Beryl Coronet. This is a magnificent collection of the most popular tales of midnight suspense and intrigue, not to mention Mr. Holmes’ most exceptional deductive abilities.
2. The Good Turn
Sharna Jackson, the author of the highly acclaimed High-Rise Mystery, is back with yet another interesting mystery story. The Good Turn centers on 11-year-old Josephine Williams, an adventurous and tech-savvy Girl Scout who aspires to form her own troop like Josephine Holloway. She recruits her closest friends Margot and Wesley, and the group discovers an abandoned factory while out camping to achieve their Camping Badge. How could they resist entering? They discover a worn-out television, two worn-out armchairs, and a dusty image of a young couple inside. They, who? How did it get here? Where are they right now?
3. Lizzie and Lucky: The mystery of the missing puppies
For young readers who have never read a mystery book before, Megan Rix’s debut book in a new series is ideal. Lizzie desperately wants a dog, but she has to persuade her parents first. As a result, she has begun to compile a list of 101 reasons why getting one is essential, one of which being that since Lizzie and her parents are deaf, she could train one to be a hearing dog. Then, one day, while out on a stroll, Lizzie notices a suspicious-looking man emerging from an alleyway carrying a small puppy. Lizzie becomes terribly concerned for the safety of the unfortunate dog after he puts it into his van and departs. Can she find this thief?
4. Murder Most Unladylike
Until Hazel finds the science mistress dead in the bathroom, Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong’s detective organization at Deepdean School for Girls doesn’t have much to do. Daisy is startled to learn that the body has been taken when Hazel calls her to the scene alarmed. Think Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie meeting in this suspenseful debut book in Robin Stevens’ series, which is set in a 1930s English boarding school.
5. The Young Magicians and the 24-Hour Telepathy Plot
For their second journey in The Young Magicians and the 24-Hour Telepathy Plot, misdirection masters Alex, Zane, Jonny, and Sophie are back. The quartet is its route to the Magic Circle’s Annual Convention in Blackpool after demonstrating their value to the organization, which is to magicians what NASA is to astronauts. Up until they uncover a conspiracy to assassinate President Pickle of the Magic Circle, everything appears to be going according to plan. Will the four buddies discover the truth behind this evil plan?
6. Rockstar Detectives
On their European tour, 12-year-old Charley and her closest buddy George, a comedian, and cameraman, are enthralling the world with their viral singing. However, the characters find themselves at the center of the inquiry when some priceless artifacts start to disappear everywhere they go. Charley and George’s supporters eventually begin to question their innocence as a result of the police’s conviction that they are responsible for the robberies. The pair must now track down the true art thief in order to clear their names.
7. The London Eye Mystery
Salim, a cousin of Ted and Kat’s, is in town with his mother. The group plans to spend the day in London and visit the London Eye, but they are disappointed to find a very long line. When he can no longer force himself to ride the Eye due to his claustrophobia, a stranger approaches the cousins and offers his ticket. Kat and Ted urge Salim to take the Eye because they have never done so. When one of the pods returns 30 minutes later, they wave their relative out onto it, but Salim is not there. Has he been taken away? Has he ever descended from the London Eye? Ted and Kat must conduct the investigation.
8. The Mona Lisa Mystery
Traveling on a class trip is always thrilling, and Class 3 at Hampstead Primary School is heading to Paris! But when Morgan notices a shady bearded man following their bus and another stranger on the boat, things take an unexpected turn. When the class becomes involved in a criminal scheme to steal the Mona Lisa, they end up getting much more than they planned for! A Mona Lisa Mystery is a fun and entertaining adventure from beginning to end.
9. The Racehorse Who Disappeared
Charlie and her steed Noble Warrior are readjusting to life on Folly Farm after the events of The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop, now that the family is no longer in danger of going bankrupt. Then, however, a gang of robbers burst into the farmyard in the dead of night and take Noble Warrior! Both Charlie and the police are in shock. The prize-winning thoroughbred that went AWOL seems to have vanished without a trace. But Charlie isn’t going to give up, so she starts her own inquiry.
10. The case of the Missing Moonstone
This amusing detective narrative imagines Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, and Ava Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, as companions in 19th-century London. They founded The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency to assist combat the rise in street crime since they had brilliant minds and an equal desire for adventure. The two teenage sleuths must work together to solve their first case, which features a stolen heirloom and a fake confession. For young historians and crime enthusiasts, this is a brilliant, exciting mystery.
11. The Big Six
This classic story of a misdemeanor from the best-known author of Swallows and Amazons will take readers to a bygone England. Bill, Peter, and Tim, the sons of the boat maker, are falsely charged with abandoning ships. Because Dick, Dorothea, and Tom Dudgeon, three of their close friends, think the lads are innocent, the gang of six sets out to clear their identities and identify the true bad guys.
12. Julian, Secret Agent
Julian, his younger brother Huey, and their friend Gloria take on the role of neighborhood crime fighters after discovering the “most wanted” notices in the post office. They save captive dogs and kidnapped children, but soon their curiosity gets them into more trouble than they bargained for. Beginner investigators won’t be able to put Julian, Secret Agent down since it is a fun and simple crime adventure to read.
13. Invisible
The new girl in school, Rosie, has a remarkable talent: she can vanish. Soon after, she reveals her talent to her new friends, twins Carrie and Conrad, as well as their friends Peter and Charlotte, and teaches them how to use it. Rosie’s father is charged with the robbery of several works of art in the neighborhood. The gang goes to extraordinary lengths to make sure that the true criminals are apprehended in order to save the day. The Carnegie Medal-winning novelist presents a gripping story of friendship and deceit with a dash of magic.
14. Serafina and the Twisted Staff (Serafina Book 2)
In the luxury of the Gilded Age and the untamed beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the brave and extraordinary Serafina resides in the beautiful Biltmore Estate. She is however too wild for the elegantly attired ladies and formal rituals of Biltmore and too human to fully integrate with her forest tribe. Serafina comes upon a strange and terrible creature one late night while strolling through the forest, and he then orders his vicious wolfhounds to attack her. And to make matters worse, she is certain that the visitor was not alone and has hiddenly sent his partner into Biltmore. Braeden Vanderbilt, who was Serafina’s best friend, gets separated through a tragic event after a mysterious string of attacks puts her in danger in her capacity as Biltmore’s protector. She runs away in despair.
She encounters the evil afflicting Biltmore face to face deep in the woods and learns that its scope is much wider than she could have ever imagined. The Blue Ridge Mountains’ inhabitants, including people and animals, are in grave peril. Serafina must look deep inside herself and accept her fate if she is to combat this new evil before it consumes her beloved land.
15. The Secret Keepers
Reuben finds a remarkable old watch and soon finds that it has a secret power, which causes his life to take an interesting turn. Reuben is first overjoyed with his new discoveries, but as secrets start to emerge, he finds himself split between his basic desire to be an honest person and the allure of becoming a hero.
In an effort to uncover the riddle before it’s too late, he is now engaged in a perilous journey that is full of strange individuals, frightening traps, and narrow escapes. Can Reuben outsmart and outmaneuver the cunning monster known as The Smoke and his cunning defenders?
Trenton Lee Stewart, a renowned New York Times bestselling author, challenges readers to join the adventure, solve the puzzles, and consider the question: Is knowing a secret a blessing or a curse? in this brilliantly written book.
16. Holes
There is a curse on Stanley Yelnats. His no-good, filthy, rotten, pig-stealing great-great-grandfather started the curse that has since befallen Yelnatses throughout the years. Stanley has now been unjustly transferred to Camp Green Lake, a facility for boys where the inmates develop their character by working all day, every day, to dig holes that are precisely five feet wide and five feet deep. At Camp Green Lake, there is no lake. However, there are a tonne of gaps.
Stanley quickly comes to the conclusion that Camp Green Lake is about more than just character development. The warden is searching for something, so the boys begin digging holes. But what might lie beneath a dried-up lake? In this creative and darkly funny story of crime, punishment, and redemption, Stanley seeks to uncover the truth.
17. Nate The Great
These chapter novels expose young readers to the detective mystery genre. Kids may solve puzzles with Nate while applying logic to solve mysteries—perfect for the Common Core!
New case for Nate the Great! A photo of his pal Annie is missing. Nate is to assist her in locating it. To solve the case, Nate the Great needs to gather all the information, formulate the appropriate inquiries and reduce the pool of potential suspects.
18. Took: A Ghost Story
The witch who lives with her razorback hog is a legend that thirteen-year-old Daniel Anderson does not buy into. Brody Mason tells these tales to Brody. Being the new kid and a “stuck-up snot” from Connecticut, he assumes Brody is merely trying to terrify him. Erica, Daniel’s younger sister, has grown more reclusive and has started conversing with a doll that looks like her. He realizes something is seriously wrong when she one day vanishes into the woods. Did the witch make a hit? Erica, has she been “took”?
19. The Treasure of the Sea: A Geronimo Stilton Adventure
Aquamarine, the enchanted ocean kingdom, needs Thea Stilton and the Thea Sisters’ assistance! Nobody knows why the magical Music of the Sea has ceased playing. The realm will end if it doesn’t come back soon!
To locate the enchanting music, the mouselets set out with their pal Will Mystery. They encounter odd and magical creatures while on their expedition, swim across hazardous seas, and even unravel an old mystery. It’s an aquatic adventure with a mouse twist!
20. Meg Mackintosh Mystery series
A suspenseful, interactive series that you can solve on your own! Even hesitant readers are eager to join Meg in this 4-book mystery series because it requires observation, creative thinking, decoding clues, and sorting word puzzles. Children look for important hints in the photographs. Readers are pushed to solve the current clue BEFORE turning the page to see what Meg uncovered, teaching them to pay attention to details and rely on their own wit. The reader and Meg collaborate! All four of the books listed here are part of Series 1 of the Meg Mackintosh Mysteries.
Meg faces challenges while whale watching and looking for a lost treasure map. Searching, watching, and pondering you are in charge of cracking the case. This book has captured the attention of mystery fans of all ages.
Meg will never forget her field trip to an old castle with her class. Meg finds herself in the heart of a mystery as she searches for the thief of a priceless jeweled chalice. Through a series of intriguing hints, costumed castle personnel, and a quick-witted Meg Mackintosh, the reader is transported back in time.
Before the sun sets, shine the light and find the enigma. Meg ignores her growing unease as she and the other campers try to solve the mystery of the rumored ghost.
Meg can help you solve the puzzle! As Meg moves quickly through a mystery, the reader joins the search. The library is locked, but a priceless item has disappeared from inside. If the doors close before the mystery is solved, will you and Meg be able to find the necessary keys? Each more exciting than the previous, always depending on YOUR detective skills.
Conclusion
These stories are guaranteed to bring out the inner detective in kids by stimulating their thinking and analyzing abilities. If you have books of any genre reach out to our website for the best book marketing service.
Credits: All images are taken from Google and Amazon.
