Motive, Alibi, and Suspect: 15+ Mystery Titles for Ages 8-12

Summer is here! And that means loads of time for kids to experience books in all their glory. This is also a great time to encourage kids to read the books they choose (without having to worry about school assignments) and to try out new genres that they might be interested in learning more about. This series will offer titles for toddlers to teens and include a variety of formats. Each week will focus on a different genre and will follow the same format:

• Mondays – Titles for Ages 3-7
• Tuesdays – Middle Grade Titles for Ages 8-12
• Wednesdays – Young Adult Titles for Ages 13+
• Thursdays – Nonfiction pairings
• Friday – Recap of the Week

Middle Grade
The 39 Clues: A Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
Amy and Dan’s grandmother left the family clues to the family’s greatest secret. Now, Amy and Dan are racing against the rest of the family to follow the clues and solve the puzzle in this quick-read, ten book series.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Emily participates in an online scavenger hunt searching for books all over the country and now with a move to San Francisco, Emily must search for clues as the creator of the game has just been attacked and left in a coma. Can she solve the puzzle before becoming the next target?

Click Here to Start by Denis Markell
When Ted’s great-uncle passes away, he leaves Ted with his cluttered, junky apartment, until Ted realizes that he’s made a real-life escape-the-room game in his apartment. With the help of his friends, Ted begins solving the puzzles, hoping to find the treasure before someone else gets to it first, or hurts them in the process.

The Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan
A historical fiction mystery based on the life of Kate Warne, America’s first female detective, this story is about Kate and her niece Nell as they work for the Pinkerton Detective Agency during the 1860s. Nell makes herself invaluable to Kate as she learns how to search for clues and solve mysteries.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford
Milo’s ready for a quiet winter break at his family’s inn, known as being a smuggler’s inn, but more and more unexpected guests begin showing up. With their own secrets about how they are connected to this old house, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must untangle the clues and find the real reason everyone has come.

The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley
Jin, Alex, and Elvin’s paths cross as they search for Elvin’s grandfather’s attackers, find a missing masterpiece and save their small neighborhood in Harlem.

Loot by Jude Watson
March’s father is a well-known jewel thief, but when he dies, March is left with finding his way in the world with just one clue left by his father, “Find jewels.” And so begin’s March’s adventure to find jewels and stay out of the orphanage.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath
A fun mystery that is both laugh-out-loud and just plain weird – in a good way. When human, Madeline’s parents go missing, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny take the case as newly minted detectives, but will they be able to find Madeline’s parents?

Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
Deepdean School for Girls, 1934. Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have their very own detective agency, but cases are hard to come by, until the science teacher turns up dead. Daisy and Hazel take the case not only to prove it was murder, but to find the murderer.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Four children are chosen for a secret mission to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where hidden underground tunnels provides more than they were expecting.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Candice is spending the summer in her grandmother’s old home and finds a letter addressed to her in the attic and so begins a summer of finding clues to solve the puzzle that her grandmother was working on before she was run out of town. Will Candice be able to clear her grandmother’s name and find the treasure?

The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby
The Old York Cipher has never been solved, so when Tess, Theo and their neighbor Jaime’s homes are threatened they work together to solve the cipher and save their homes.

Three Times Lucky by Shelia Turnage
Moses LoBeau washed up in Tupelo Landing, NC during a hurricane eleven years ago. When her guardian is accused of a crime, Mo and her best friend, Dale take the case to protect the ones she loves with everything she’s got.