Barrington Area Library

Kids' Catalog | Mysteries

A mystery is a "puzzle story" in which one or more characters try to solve a crime or find the solution to a difficult question. Real-life mysteries include the Loch Ness Monster and the Bermuda Triangle.

Going into grade 3 | Going into grades 4–5 | Going into grades 6–8

Going into grade 3

Beginning Readers | Fiction

Beginning Readers

Adler, David A.  Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery.
Adler, David A.  Young Cam Jansen series.
Bains, Rae.  Case of the Great Train Robbery.
Berenstain, Stan.  The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Watermelon Money.
Bonsall, Crosby Newell.  The Case of the Hungry Stranger.
Cushman, Doug.  Aunt Eater Mystery series.
Cushman, Doug.  Inspector Hopper.
Frost, Erica.  Case of the Missing Chick.
Frost, Erica.  Harold and the Dinosaur Mystery.
Grambling, Lois G.  Miss Hildy's Missing Cape Caper.
Hayes, Geoffrey.  The Curse of the Cobweb Queen.
Hayes, Geoffrey.  The Secret of Foghorn Island.
Hood, Susan.  Pup and Hound Catch a Thief.
Hooks, William H.  The Mystery of the Missing Tooth.
Palazzo-Craig, Janet.  Case of the Missing Cat.
Platt, Kin.  Big Max and the Mystery of the Missing Giraffe.
Quackenbush, Robert M.  Detective Mole and the Tip-Top Mystery.
Robert, Adrian.  The "Awful Mess" Mystery.
Rylant, Cynthia.  The High-Rise Private Eyes series.
Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman.  Nate the Great series.
Skofield, James.  Detective Dinosaur series.
Supraner, Robyn.  Mystery at the Zoo.
Wandelmaier, Roy.  The Great Rock 'n' Roll Mystery.

Fiction

Adler, David A.  Cam Jansen Adventure series.
Banks, Kate.  Howie Bowles, Secret Agent.
Clifford, Eth.  Flatfoot Fox series.
Conford, Ellen.  A Case for Jenny Archer.
Erickson, John R.  Hank the Cowdog series.
French, Jackie.  My Uncle, the Werewolf.
Funke, Cornelia.  Ghosthunters series.
Gelsey, James.  Scooby-Doo! Mysteries series.
Hays, Anna Jane.  The Secret of the Circle-K Cave.
Jane, Pamela.  The Big Monkey Mix-Up.
Jones, Marcia.  Snow Monster Mystery.
Joosse, Barbara M.  A Wild Willie Mystery series.
Keane, Dave.  Joe Sherlock, Kid Detective series.
Keene, Carolyn.  The Nancy Drew Notebooks series.
Leroe, Ellen.  Racetrack Robbery.
Levy, Elizabeth.  Invisible Inc. series.
Levy, Elizabeth.  The Mixed-up Mask Mystery.
Markham, Marion M.  The St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Mystery.
Napoli, Donna Jo.  Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds.  Carlotta's Kittens and the Club of Mysteries.
Nixon, Joan Lowery.  Gus and Gertie series.
Osborne, Mary Pope.  Spider Kane series.
Paulsen, Gary.  The Case of the Dirty Bird.
Preller, James.  Jigsaw Jones Mystery series.
Rowland, Della.  Clue, Jr. series.
Roy, Ron.  A to Z Mysteries series.
Roy, Ron.  Capital Mysteries series.
Scheffler, Ursel.  The Spy in the Attic.
Simner, Janni Lee.  Secret of the Three Treasures.
Sobol, Donald.  Encyclopedia Brown series.
Stanley, George E.  Third-Grade Detectives series.
Warner, Gertrude Chandler.  Boxcar Children Mysteries series.
West, Tracey.  Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost.
Wright, Betty Ren.  Princess for a Week.

Going into grades 4–5

Fiction | Nonfiction

Fiction

Adler, David A.  Andy Russell series.
Amato, Carol J.  Phantom Hunters series.
Avi.  Man from the Sky.
Avi.  Who Stole "The Wizard of Oz?"
Baccalario, Pierdomenico.  Ulysses Moore series.
Balaban, Bob.  McGrowl series.
Bellairs, John.  The Chessmen of Doom.
Berlin, Eric.  The Puzzling World of Winston Breen.
Bosch, Pseudonymous.  The Name of This Book Is Secret.
Brittain, Bill.  Who Knew There'd Be Ghosts?
Broach, Elise.  Shakespeare's Secret.
Buckley, Michael.  Sisters Grimm.
Bunting, Eve.  Is Anybody There? A Novel.
Burstein, Chaya M.  The Mystery of the Coins.
Byars, Betsy Cromer.  Herculeah Jones Mystery series.
Cavendish, Grace.  Lady Grace Mysteries series.
Clements, Andrew.  Room One: a Mystery or Two.
Clifford, Eth.  Harvey's Horrible Snake Disaster.
Curtis, Christopher Paul.  Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission.
deFelice, Cynthia C.  The Ghost of Fossil Glen.
deFelice, Cynthia C.  The Missing Manatee.
Delaney, M. C.  Deep Doo-Doo and the Mysterious Email.
Dixon, Franklin W.  Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series.
Friedrich, Joachim.  4½ Friends and the Secret Cave.
Giff, Patricia Reilly.  The Adventures of Minnie and Max series.
Hale, Bruce.  Chet Gecko Mystery series.
Holm & Hamel.  Stink Files series.
Howe, James.  Bunnicula series.
Hughes, Dean.  Nutty and the Case of the Ski-Slope Spy: Featuring William Bilks, Boy Genius.
Jarvis, Robin.  The Whitby Witches trilogy.
Jennings, Richard W.  Mystery in Mt. Mole.
Johns, Linda.  Hannah West Mystery series.
Keene, Carolyn.  Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series.
Kehret, Peg.  Nightmare Mountain.
Kehret, Peg.  Spy Cat.
Kimball, K. M.  The Star-Spangled Secret.
Kline, Suzy.  Orp and the FBI.
Labatt, Mary.  Sam, Dog Detective series.
Leavey, Peggy Dymond.  The Deep End Gang.
Lennon, Joan.  There's a Kangaroo in My Soup!
McMahon, P. J.  The Mystery of the Swimming Gorilla.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds.  Bessledorf Hotel Mystery series.
Obrist, Jürg.  Case Closed?! 40 Mini-Mysteries for You to Solve.
Otfinoski, Steven.  The Stolen Signs: A Southside Sluggers Baseball Mystery.
Penn, Audrey.  Blackbeard and the Sandstone Pillar: When Lightning Strikes.
Raskin, Ellen.  The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel).
Raskin, Ellen.  The Westing Game.
Richler, Mordecai.  Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case.
Roberts, Willo Davis.  Buddy Is a Stupid Name for a Girl.
Roberts, Willo Davis.  The Kidnappers: A Mystery.
Schultz, Irene.  Woodland Mystery series.
Schumacher, Julie.  The Chain Letter.
Sensel, Joni.  Reality Leak.
Shipton, Paul.  Bug Muldoon: The Garden of Fear.
Shura, Mary Francis.  Don't Call Me Toad!
Simmons, Alex.  The Raven League: Sherlock Holmes Is Missing!
Skurzynski, Gloria.  National Parks Mystery series.
Stanley, Diane.  The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy.
Stanley, Diane.  The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine.
Stevenson, Drew.  The Case of the Horrible Swamp Monster.
Strickland, Brad.  House Where Nobody Lived.
Torrey, Michele.  Doyle & Fossey, Science Detectives series.
Trembath, Don.  Emville Confidential.
Wallace, Karen.  Something Slimy on Primrose Drive.
Whybrow, Ian.  Little Wolf: Forest Detective.
Williams, Laura E.  Unexpected: 11 Mysterious Stories.
Winterfeld, Henry.  Detectives in Togas.
Winterfeld, Henry.  Mystery of the Roman Ransom.
Yolen, Jane.  The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History.

Nonfiction

Campbell, Peter A.  Alien Encounters.
Conrad, Hy.  Whodunit Crime Puzzles.
Donkin, Andrew.  Atlantis: The Lost City?
Farrell, Tish.  Write Your Own Mystery Story.
Gorman, Jacqueline Laks.  X Science series.
Lourie, Peter.  The Lost World of the Anasazi: Exploring the Mysteries of the Chaco Canyon.
Martin, Michael.  Crop Circles.
Simon, Seymour.  Strange Mysteries from around the World.
Yolen, Jane.  An Unsolved Mystery from History: The Wolf Girls.
Yorke, Malcolm.  Beastly Tales: Yeti, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster.