Add a few of these middle grade mystery books to your child’s reading list or read together for a fun family whodunit!
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There’s something about a middle grade mystery book that just clicks with the 8-12 age range. It encourages kids to look for clues, predict outcomes, and keep reading to find out if those guesses are correct!
I was probably around 8 years old when I started reading the queen of all kids mystery books: Nancy Drew. I could zip through one in a day. Fortunately, that’s a series with over 100 titles. I also adored Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries and Encyclopedia Brown.
Like many genres, mysteries let kids test ideas and explore in a safe environment. Whether readers guess the right answer or not, by the end of the story the hero has solved it and saved the day.
Below I rounded up over a dozen titles, including iconic titles I read 20+ years ago and newer ones you probably haven’t discovered yet. Head to the middle grade section of your local library or shop online below to add some of these fun mystery books to your collection.
Mystery books for middle schoolers
These books are listed in no particular order.
The Westing Game
The Westing Game is by Ellen Raskin.
Sam Westing loved games, so when 16 strangers are gathered for the reading of his will, they’re in for a surprise. He’s left one last game for them to play and only one of them will win his millionaire fortune. Each person has their own challenges to overcome in the process, and one might even be a murderer.
This book has won numerous awards since it was originally published in the 70s, including the Newberry Medal.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
Holes
Holes is by Louis Sachar.
When Stanley Yelnats is sent to a youth detention camp, he knows it’s because of a family curse. At Camp Green Lake, he and the other kids are sent out into the desert to dig holes exactly 5 by 5. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more going on and team up with his new friends to figure it out.
Holes won the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Mystery of the Masked Medalist
The Mystery of the Masked Medalist is by Maia and Alex Shibutani. This book has a sequel.
Andy and Miko are visiting Japan for the first time during the Tokyo Olympics. They’re ready for food, events, and a fun new game called OlympiFan. While they’re searching for clues to play the game, someone sabotages it and they have to solve that mystery too before they can win the prize.
You may recognize the authors as Olympic medalists known as the ShibSibs.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The Mysterious Benedict Society is by Trenton Lee. There are 4 more titles in this series and it has been made into a tv series on Disney+.
Dozens of children respond to a newspaper ad looking for gifted children, but only 4 are selected. Reynie, Kate, Constance, and Sticky meet Mr. Benedict, who sends them on a secret mission to spy at a boarding school. There they must blend in with the other gifted students, work together to solve a mystery, and defeat the villain mastermind.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Candymakers
The Candymakers is by Wendy Mass and has a sequel.
4 children enter a contest to invent the best candy: Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip. Each one has special skills – and secrets they’re hiding from each other. Over a few days they make a lot of candy, become friends, and uncover surprises that change everything.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Strangers
The Strangers is book one in the Greystone Secrets series by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
The Greystone siblings Chess, Emma, and Finn live happily with their mom until one day they see a report of 3 missing children. These strange kids have the same names and birthdays that they do. When their mom disappears on a sudden work trip, they’re left with a babysitter. As they hunt for clues and try to find out where their mom went, the siblings must uncover family secrets and work together.
Note: This book ends on a cliffhanger, so you may want to have the second book ready to read next!
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane is by Julia Nobel. There is currently one sequel in this series.
Just as 12-year-old Emmy is about to be sent to boarding school, she discovers a mysterious medallion in the attic that belonged to her father. She soon discovers the medallion has a connection to the school and a secret society. Emmy and her new friends must uncover dark secrets to solve the mystery of how her father disappeared years ago.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
A Soft Place to Land
A Soft Place to Land is by Janae Marks. She is also the author of the Zoe Washington series.
Joy’s dad loses his job, moving her family into a tiny apartment and putting her musical dreams on hold. In her new home, a neighbor shows her a secret kids’ hideout and she starts exchanging messages with another struggling kid. When the mysterious pen pal suddenly goes silent, Joy must find out what happened while navigating challenges at home.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Clockwork Sparrow
The Clockwork Sparrow is by Katherine Woodfine. It is the first of 4 books in the Sinclair’s Mysteries series.
Sophie is a 14-year-old orphan in Edwardian London. When she takes a job at a new department store, she’s accused of stealing the priceless clockwork sparrow. She quickly teams up with new friends to clear her name and solve the mystery.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles is the first in a series of 3.
Otto and Sheed are cousins who spend their summers solving mysteries. As summer comes to an end, they wish it could last forever. When they run into a man with a camera that freezes time, they discover secrets hidden between the minutes and hours. They’ll have to navigate strange characters and save the town before time stops forever.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
Finally, Something Mysterious
Finally, Something Mysterious is by Doug Cornett. There is a second book in this series.
Even with a detective club, 11-year-old Paul and his friends are having a boring summer. Suddenly, hundreds of rubber ducks appear on a neighbor’s lawn, giving them something to investigate. As things in their town keep getting stranger and their list of suspects grows, they’ll discover that not every mystery has a nice, tidy answer.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Case of the Missing Moonstone
The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford is the first book in the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series.
It’s 1826 and 11-year-old Ada Lovelace (Byron) and 14-year-old Mary Shelly (Godwin) meet and become best friends. They decide to start a detective agency and their first case is a stolen heirloom called the Moonstone. Together the girls use cleverness and deduction to find the truth.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
Agatha Oddly: The Secret Key
The Secret Key is the first book in the Agatha Oddly series by Lena Jones. There are 3 books in this series.
Agatha, named for the famous mystery writer, is a 13-year-old detective looking for her first big case. When London’s water supply is contaminated, she and her best friend Liam use a secret key to London’s other side to solve the mystery. Agatha is a clever adventurer, a brilliant sleuth, and a great friend.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The House in Poplar Wood
The House in Poplar Wood is by KE Ormsbee.
The Vickery twins Lee and Felix have an Agreement: each helps a parent assist Memory and Death. It’s always been this way, until one Halloween when they meet a summoner named Gretchen. She wants the twins to help her solve a murder and in exchange, she’ll help them break the Agreement. As they investigate, they’ll need friends, family, and their own unique abilities.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring
Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring is by Angela Cervantes.
Paloma is visiting Mexico City for the first time while her mother studies art. There she hopes to unlock memories of her late father. When she meets new friends, they invite her to join their quest to find Frida Kahlo’s long-lost ring. As the adventure speeds up, Paloma wants to solve the mystery to honor her father’s memory.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Parker Inheritance
The Parker Inheritance is by Varian Johnson.
When Candice finds an old letter in the attic addressed to her grandmother, she discovers an injustice, a mystery, and a prize for whoever solves the puzzle. Along with her friend Brandon, Candice digs into the town’s history – both ugly and heroic – and her own family’s secrets. Candice’s grandmother left the town in shame after a failed treasure hunt, but if Candice can find it, she can change her family’s story.
This book is a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor winner and Coretta Scott King Honor winner.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
The Case of the Missing Marquess
The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer is the first of 6 in the Enola Holmes series.
Sherlock Holmes’s younger sister Enola is a brilliant detective in her own right. When her mother disappears, she travels to London to find her, only to be caught up in a second mystery. While Enola gets involved in the kidnapping of a marquess, she must avoid her brothers and search for clues about her mother.
This book was turned into a film on Netflix.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
Have you read any of these middle grade mystery books? Which are your favorites? Be sure to bookmark this post so you can come back for more reading inspiration.
Check out some other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
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