The Best Mystery Books for Tweens

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

Author: Chris Grabenstein

Year: 2015

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Age: 9 – 11

More info: Mr. Lemoncello’s Library #1,

Plot

Mr. Lemoncello’s library is one of a kind. It’s full of holograms, logic puzzles, and hidden games. To officially open the new library, a few lucky kids get to spend the night inside as they try to win Mr. Lemoncello’s game and be the first team to escape.

Why Kirsten loves it

If you are looking for great bedtime stories for kids, this series will hit the mark. It will get your kids engaged with one-of-a-kid puzzles and delightful twists and turns.

Find this book in: Audiobooks for Kids / Netflix Book Adaptations / Middle Grade Mysteries / Books for 10-year-olds / Read Aloud Books / Best Puzzle Books

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor

Author: Ally Carter

Year: 2020

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 8 – 12

More info: Winterborne Home #1

Plot

April is the newest arrival at the orphanage, but she’s convinced she isn’t going to be there for long. As she starts to meet her foster family and get familiar with the mansion, she uncovers a secret. As she makes friends, she digs deeper into the mystery behind the Winterborne family.

Why Kirsten loves it

The first book in the mystery series about a group of orphans living in the Winterborne mansion is spellbinding. It ends on a cliffhanger and my kids were desperate to start the next book right after finishing!

Find this book in: Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Books for 12-year-olds

The Candymakers

Author: Wendy Maas

Year: 2010

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 8 – 12

More info: The Candymakers #1

Plot

I decided to read this book with my boys prior to our visit to Candytopia. It was a lovely take on life at a candy factory and felt almost like an updated version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 4 kids are competing to win a candy-making contest to have their creation mass-produced.

Why Kirsten loves it

The candy reminded me of Wonka’s Factory, but the whimsy and fun of the book reminded me a bit of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. There are puzzles and secrets to unfold and descriptions of delectable delights. In short, it’s a fun read-aloud story that will leave you craving the next book in the series and a closet full of chocolate.

Find this book in: Books for Tweens / Best Books for 10-year-olds / Mystery Books for Tweens / Family Audiobooks / Best Middle Grade Fiction

Book Scavenger

Author: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Year: 2016

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 9 – 11

More info: Book Scavenger #1

Plot

The first of three books in the Book Scavengers series, this story is all about Emily and James. They are on the hunt to uncover the latest game by Garrison Griswold. Griswold has recently entered a coma and it’s up to Emily and James to uncover who attacked him before they get attacked next.

Why Jackie loves it

This pick is filled with fun and adventure. What reader wouldn’t love a mystery series about books?

Find this book in: Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Books for 9-year-olds

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Author: John Grisham

Year: 2011

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 10-13

More info: Book 1 of 7

Plot

This is the first book in a series and introduces us to Theodore Boone. Even though he is only 13, he wants to be a lawyer. Both his parents are lawyers (a tax lawyer and a divorce attorney), and he knows that he will be a great trial lawyer.

When Jack Duffy goes on trial for killing his wife, Theo has vital information. There was a witness to the crime, but he is too scared to testify. Theo, the 13-year-old, sets a plan into motion far beyond his years.

Why Jackie loves it

I love Grisham’s adult novels and was curious to see what his middle grade novels would be like. I was not disappointed at all. This first book in the series is thrilling and has a plot that is intriguing and fun while still being perfectly appropriate for a child in middle school. It is also a fun read for adults as well!

Find this book in: Middle Grade Mysteries

Middle Grade Mysteries: Spy Books

Spy School

Author: Stuart Gibbs

Year: 2013

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 9 – 12

More info: Spy School #1

Plot

The first book in Gibbs’s series is about Ben Ripley, a child CIA agent trying to defeat the evil organization Spyder. As he attends the secret junior CIA boarding school, he gets into loads of situations that put his espionage skills to good use.

Why Jackie loves it

In each book of the series, Ben and his fellow agents tackle a new problem. They take place at various new locations as the series progresses. It’s already 13 books deep and every pick from the series is a fun choice for a mystery-loving tween.

Find this book in: Best Books for 9-year-olds / Mystery Books for Tweens / School Books

City Spies

Author: James Ponti

Year: 2020

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Age: 10 – 12

More info: City Spies #1

Plot

MI6 has recruited a bunch of kids to be their newest spy group – the City Spies. They attend boarding school while learning various spy tactics. Soon they get to go on a mission to Paris to put what they learned into action. Subsequent books take place in San Francisco and Beijing.

Why Kirsten loves it

At this point, this series is on our pre-order series list. It’s action-packed and filled with the kind of adventure my boys crave in their books.

Find this book in: Best Books for 11-year-olds / Middle Grade Books for Tweens / Mystery Books for Tweens

Harriet The Spy

Author: Louise Fitzhugh

Year: 1964

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 8 – 11

More info: Harriet the Spy #1

Plot

Harriet the Spy has been a classic children’s book for over 50 years. The 11-year-old is never without a notebook in which to write her observations. When the notebook falls into the hands of her friends, they all get very angry with Harriet. Will she be able to right her wrongs?

Why Jackie loves it

There is a reason this realistic fiction book for a 10-year-old has been adapted repeatedly for the screen. It’s got life lessons for every child.

Find this book in: Best Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Books for 9-year-olds / Realistic Fiction / Classic Books for Kids

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation

Author: Stuart Gibbs

Year: 2021

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 10 – 12

More info: Charlie Thorne #1

Plot

Charlie Thorne is a child genius and the world’s best code breaker. So the CIA has dragged her into the hunt for Albert Einstein’s hidden code. She’s trying to get it before the Furies use it to destroy the world.

Why Jackie loves it

Charlie is hunting for something from Charles Darwin and Cleopatra in the subsequent sequels. Each story has her using her wits to outsmart everyone around her. I love that this genius is a female too!

Find this book in: Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Books for 10-year-olds

Award-Winning Middle Grade Mystery Books

Holes

Author: Louis Sachar

Year: 1998

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Age: 9 – 12

More info: National Book Award Winner, Newbery Medal Winner, Holes #1

Plot

When a boy under a curse is sent to a detention camp he’s taught to behave by digging holes all day, every day. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he’s digging for a reason – but what are the camp wardens looking to find?

Why Jackie loves it

Holes should be on every child’s list. It’s clever and will captivate the attention of any child. Read it and then watch the movie starring Shia LeBeouf.

Find this book in: Books About Camp / Best Books for 11-year-olds / Mystery Books for Tweens / Bedtime Stories for Kids / Ultimate List of Middle Grade Books / Newbery Award Winners

The Egypt Game

Author: Zilpha Neatly Snyder

Year: 1967

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 8 – 12

More info: Newbery Honor Winner

Plot

The 6 “Egyptians” play in the back lot of an antique store, dressing up, performing rituals, and speaking with Oracles. Then, a murder happens in the area and trouble comes to the lot.

Why Kirsten loves it

This middle grade fiction enchanted me as a young girl. Don’t worry, there is a happy ending to this tween mystery book and also a sequel about gypsies!

Find this book in: Middle Grade Fiction / Best Books for 10-year-olds / Mystery Books for Tweens / Newbery Award Winners / Family Audiobooks

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author: Brian Selznick

Illustrator: Brian Selznick

Year: 2007

Genre: Graphic Novel

Age: 8 – 11

More info: Caldecott Medal Winner

Plot

This middle grade mystery is an amazing story of Hugo Cabret, an orphan in the Paris train station where he winds the clocks so that nobody will discover his secrets. Soon he discovers a drawing and a notebook that will lead him to the biggest adventure of his life.

Trigger Warnings

Grief, Death of parent

Why Jackie loves it

Don’t let the length of this mystery book for kids deter you. Even though it’s long, there are gorgeous illustrations on every other page and the writing is only a paragraph at a time.

Find this book in: Best Books for 10-year-olds / Middle Grade Books for Tweens / Mystery Books for Tweens / Long Books

The Westing Game

Author: Ellen Raskin

Year: 1979

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 9 – 11

More info: Newbery Medal Winner

Plot

When Mr. Westing dies, he leaves the residents of Sunset Towers named in his will. But they need to solve the mystery of his death in order to win control of his company and gain his vast fortune. Your family will love trying to work out what happened along with the characters!

Why Kirsten loves it

The tween book that got me into mysteries as a child is also great as an audiobook. This classic 70s book is still a must-read today! It has withstood the test of time.

Find this book in: Best Middle Grade Mystery Books / Books for 11-year-olds / Books About Puzzles / Newbery Award Winners / Family Audiobooks

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Mystery Books for Tweens

Winterhouse

Author: Ben Guterson

Year: 2018

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery / Fantasy

Age: 9 – 13

More info: Edgar Award Finalist, Agatha Award Finalist

Plot

Elizabeth is an orphan whose aunt and uncle have shipped her to Winterhouse for the Christmas holiday. There, she meets the owner, Norbridge Falls, and learns secrets about his slightly evil family. Along the way, she meets another child guest – Freddy – and becomes fast friends with him. Together, they unlock codes and solve puzzles. The best part is that the first page of each chapter has a mini puzzle for readers to complete.

Why Kirsten loves it

My boys and I like to listen to books together in the car or when doing a puzzle. The standout book for me this month was Winterhouse. This middle grade mystery was as enthralling to me as it was to my children. I loved the slight bits of magic in the story and the captivating setting of an expansive ski hotel on a snowy mountain at Christmas time.

Find this book in: Paranormal Books / Books for a 10-Year-Old / Books About Puzzles / Fantasy Books for Tweens / Hotel Novels / Christmas Chapter Books / Family Audiobooks

Greenglass House

Author: Kate Milford

Year: 2016

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 9 – 12

More info: Greenglass House #1

Plot

The Greenglass House is an inn for smugglers and the winter season means it’s supposed to be quiet for Milo, the owner’s child. But instead, guest after guest checks in for the holidays, and items go missing around the inn. Soon, Milo and the chef’s daughter, Meddy, are off searching for the guests’ connection to the inn, uncovering secret after secret along the way.

Why Kirsten loves it

This mystery reminded me of Harry Potter in some ways. A child is trying to uncover the secrets of Greenglass House, a hotel for smugglers and spies before the adults do. I chose this as a family read-aloud and it was wonderful.

Find this book in: Best Ghost Books / Best Winter Books / Terrific Hotel Novels / Best Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Family Audiobooks / Books With Colors in the Title / Christmas Chapter Books / Best Books for 11-year-olds

The Strangers

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Year: 2020

Genre: Middle Grade Sci-Fi Mystery

Age: 8 – 12

More info: Greystone Secrets #1

Plot

The three Greystone kids have to go into hiding after their mother disappears and news reports suggest that 3 OTHER greystone kids that look just like them were kidnapped.

As they try to uncover the mystery, they get a little help from Natalie, the daughter of the woman who is helping them hide. Soon they find a secret passage to another dimension. Can they find their mother and figure out what is going on?

Why Kirsten loves it

I listened to this sci-fi mystery with my kids on a road trip and was thoroughly entertained myself. When the book concluded, my son eagerly checked the rest of the series out at the library and finished it all in a week!

Find this book in: Mystery Books for Tweens / Books for 12-year-olds

Art Heist Mystery Books for Tweens

Chasing Vermeer

Author: Blue Balliett

Illustrator: Brett Helquist

Year: 2004

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 8 – 11

More info: Chasing Vermeer #1

Plot

When a famed Vermeer painting goes missing, Petra and Calder are thrust into the middle of a scandal! Can they solve an art mystery that’s stumped the F.B.I.?

Why Kirsten loves it

The first in a 4 book series, this is a great book that is interactive too. There are hidden puzzles in pictures and a code for readers to break in this tween mystery book.

Find this book in: Books About Puzzles / Best Books for 8-year-olds / Mystery Books for Tweens

The Van Gogh Deception

Author: Deron R. Hicks

Year: 2017

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 9 – 13

More info: Lost Mysteries #1

Plot

Described as Dan Brown meets Jason Bourne, this story lives up to those clever titles. After all, it opens in the National Gallery when a boy wakes up with amnesia.

What unravels is a high-stakes mystery with a boy trying to figure out his identity while simultaneously trying to stop one of the biggest art heists to ever be attempted.

Why Kirsten loves it

The first in a series of middle grade novels, it captured the attention of my D.C.-obsessed son. It’s a fast-paced art caper that will keep your tween fully engrossed. It’s the first in a must-read series of books for 11-year-olds.

Find this book in: Best Books for 11-year-olds / Books for Tweens / Middle Grade Mystery Books

Animal Mystery Books for Tweens

Howliday Inn

Author: James Howe

Illustrator: Lynn Munsinger

Year: 2006

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 8 – 10

More info: Bunnicula #2

Plot

Technically the sequel to Bunnicula, this read-aloud book can be read as a stand-alone. Chester and Harold are being boarded while their family is on vacation, but they are convinced they are staying in a haunted hotel!

Why Kirsten loves it

I remember laughing out loud as I read this middle grade mystery book as a child. I recently read it aloud again with my children and they had the exact same reaction I did! You will be busting at the seams with laughter. I highly recommend this one as a bedtime read-aloud during Halloween.

Find this book in: Halloween Chapter Books / Best Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Books for 9-year-olds / Family Audiobooks

Belly Up

Author: Stuart Gibbs

Year: 2010

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 9 – 12

More info: Fun Jungle #1

Plot

After a hippo dies at FunJungle Zoo, it’s up to Teddy and his friend Summer to prove that the Hippo was murdered. But investigating Hippo’s homicide is a dangerous affair. This funny story kept this former zoo employee quite entertained.

Why Jackie loves it

A funny, clever story that’s the first in the FunJungle series by Stuart Gibbs.

Find this book in: Books for 10-year-olds / Zoo Books / Best Middle Grade Books / Best Mystery Books for Tweens

The Great Pet Heist

Author: Emily Ecton

Illustrator: David Mottram

Year: 2021

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Age: 7 – 10

More info: The Great Pet Heist #1

Plot

After Butterbean accidentally causes her own to take a spill, the pets enter crisis mode – HOW WILL THEY EAT? With her band of fellow animals, Butterbean decides to steal from a neighbor down the hall.

Why Kirsten loves it

Do you have a reluctant reader who wants a funny story that isn’t too difficult? Enter The Great Pet Heist! If your tweens love Ocean’s Eleven, they will love this one too!

Find this book in: Mystery Books for Tweens / Best Books for 8-year-olds

Stand-Alone Tween Mystery Books

Greetings from Witness Protection!

Author: Jake Burt

Year: 2018

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Age: 9 – 12

Plot

What a fun story about an orphan girl tasked by the U.S. Marshalls to keep a family alive. As she enters into witness protection with them, she puts her street smarts and pick-pocketing abilities to good use.

But can she keep her new family safe? Will she be able to hide from her own past? All while avoiding any C’s in school… You’ll just have to read this tween mystery book to find out.

Why Kirsten loves it

This is a fun and unique story that will entertain even the pickiest reader. It’s a great audiobook for family road trips too!

Find this book in: Realistic Fiction Books / Books for 12-year-olds / Mystery Books for Tweens

Goldfish Boy

Author: Lisa Thompson

Year: 2017

Genre: Middle-Grade Mystery

Age Range: 11+

Plot

This middle-grade story is about a boy named Matthew who has severe OCD and has trouble leaving his house due to his anxiety. He has not gone to school and his hands bleed from washing them repeatedly. He spends his time at the window observing the neighborhood.

Matthew is the last person to have seen the toddler next door before the four-year-old disappeared. Now Matthew is thrust into the middle of the investigation to find the little boy before its too late. Can he leave his comfort zone to help?

Trigger Warnings

Severe anxiety

Why Jackie loves it

I love the fact that this book looks at the world from Matthew’s point of view. It is a very readable, eye-opening middle-grade mystery book for 13-year-olds

Find this book in: Best Books for 11-Year-Olds / The Best Mystery Books for Tweens / Books With Neurodivergent Characters