Ghosts, goblins, and ghastly deeds can be an entertaining hook for finicky readers. This is especially true as campfires and Halloween décor start putting kids in the mood for scary stories. These mystery books for kids are a wonderful addition to your classroom library.
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Great Chapter Book Mysteries
Scaredy Bat and the Missing Jellyfish: An Illustrated Mystery Chapter Book by Marina J. Bowman
This detective series is filled with colorful graphics to help younger readers follow along as a child vampire attempts to solve mysteries with her pals.
Case Closed #3: Haunting at the Hotel by Lauren Magaziner
The third installment of this middle grade series is an interactive adventure as readers get to “choose” the next plot elements that happen en route to solving the case.
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Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady
An unknown villain imprisons Jessie in his least favorite activity—a video game. And if he can’t figure out how to beat this mysterious culprit, he’ll be stuck in the virtual world.
A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young
Award-winning author Karen Romano Young spins a clever caper around a group of tweens trying to crack a case that may help them prevent their beloved local library from closing.
Favorite Middle Grade Mystery Books
Aline and the Blue Bottle by Carolina Ugaz-Morán
A Halloween birthday party turns into the beginning of a quest for a young girl who finds out she has magical powers and has to locate a hidden artifact.
Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon
A group of tweens is drawn into waking versions of their own nightmares in a spooky game of hide-n-seek.
Just South of Home by Karen Strong
A town legend might be the lost key to reuniting a family of this juvenile ghost story set in a fictitious Southern town.
Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega
Two best friends accidentally cast a spell they must figure out how to reverse before their hometown is doomed.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
A girl of Lipan Apache descent has inherited the ability to see the spirits of dead animals—a gift that may help her uncover the truth about her cousin’s death.
Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The first book of the new Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries is a clever caper about a budding tween criminologist attempting to solve a local murder.
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Written by We Need Diverse Books co-founder Ellen Oh, this ghost-filled adventure is well-suited for middle-schoolers.
Awesome Young Adult Mystery Books
The Silence of Bones by June Hur
A teenage girl must crack a “whodunit case” in Korea at the beginning of the 19th century.
Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters
A teen fiddler uses her secret ability to summon ghosts from their graves in order to help her brother in this new YA read that also includes LGBTQ+ romance as a subplot.
All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor
This contemporary YA mystery is also available in Spanish—ideal for bilingual teens looking for a suspense-filled narrative in their native language.
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
A teen searches for her missing best friend in this gritty urban thriller.
The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu
Obsession is the driving force behind this fast-paced plot surrounding two besties’ warped connection.
If You’re Out There by Katy Loutzenhiser
Social media is the only lead two high schoolers have when they begin to investigate the disappearance of a friend who seems to have vanished.
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
A historical setting with a horror twist sets the tone for an eerie story about a teen gravedigger assisting a mapmaker to end an ancient curse.
Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp
Bestselling own voices author Marieke Nijkamp’s latest dark tale involves five teenagers who begin a murder mystery game that goes horribly awry.
White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig
Ex-boyfriend drama ends up being the least Rufus’s worries after he finds his sister at a crime scene—and has only one night to prove her innocence.
What are your favorite mystery books for kids? Share in the comments below.
Plus, our favorite Halloween books !
