Mystery Novels for Kids

Trap doors, hidden staircases, nefarious disguises, Colonel Mustard in the study with the candlestick—all the makings of a great mystery novel! In this case the who done its are some wonderful children's authors who have jumped head first into this genre—with great results!

Just think, mystery novels require kids to use their reasoning and deductive skills, pick up on clues and predict the story sequence. Really, if your kids start reading mystery novels, it will increase their overall academic success! Well, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but let's just say you're the smart one for getting a great mystery novel in their hands!

To see my full selection of mystery books for children, visit my website at www.onegreatbook.com

Title:          The Brixton Brothers

Author:       Mac Barnett

Target:        Grades 3-6

Series:         Yes

What this book is about:

Steve Brixton is an aspiring detective who must check out An Illustrated History of American Quilting for a school project. Turns out the book holds coded information for the librarians (who also happen to be highly trained intelligence agents) who think Steve is working for the nefarious Mr. E. Mr. E. is attempting to find a missing quilt embroidered with secret US information. Just who is this Mr. E., and how can Steve clear his own name?

Why I love this book:

This book is a modern-day homage to the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown.  Steve’s heroes are the Bailey Brothers, whose spy manual from a long-ago era, Steve consults on a regular basis. The tongue-in-cheek references to the old-time detectives are laugh-out-loud funny, as are the antics of the boys. These books are just fun and extremely well written.

Who this book is for:

Any kid who loves a good mystery and a good laugh.

Final thoughts:

I wouldn't give you a bum steer on these terrific books (a little old-fashioned sleuth lingo!)

To see my full selection of childen's mystery novels, visit my website at www.onegreatbook.com