This booklist is for children who enjoy a good mystery to solve.
This booklist was contributed by Appleton Public Library Children's Service Staff., 11/07
The Ghost in the tokaido inn(1999)While attempting to solve the mystery of a stolen jewel, Seikei, a merchant's son who longs to be a samurai, joins a group of kabuki actors in eighteenth-century Japan.
A Family trait(1999)Living with her mother and grandparents on their Michigan farm, eleven-year-old Iris tries to find out about her father, who died before she was born, and to solve a local murder mystery involving a friend of her grandmother.
Disney's Inspector Gadget : a junior novel(1999)He may look like a mild-mannered detective, but Inspector Gadget is somewhere between a man and a machine, and he's out to clean up the city if he can keep all his many parts under control
Sammy Keyes and the hotel thief(1998)Thirteen-year-old Sammy's penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel across the street from the seniors' building where she is living with her grandmother. Other mystery titles by this author available.
Night of the chupacabras(1998)When Mi-Sun and her younger brother spend the summer in Mexico with their friend Lupe, they become convinced that there is a mysterious vampire-like monster killing Tío Héctor's goats.
Island bound(1997)While trying to prove he can survive on an island off the coast of Maine, Chris Fossett meets Joellen Roth, who has come to the island with her father to work on a puffin research project, and the two become caught up in a mystery surrounding the island's 150-year-old ghost. Other titles by this author in children's fiction.
Cellar in the woods(1997)When twelve-year-old Joanna, her younger sister, and their cousin Mark discover a haunted house in the woods, they set out to resolve the mysteries surrounding it.
The Case of the dognapped cat(1997)When neighborhood dogs begin to mysteriously disappear, the newly-formed Crimebusters team takes on its first case and solves it with the help of Samson, a huge tomcat.
Christie & Company down east(1997)Friends and mystery lovers Christie, Maggie, and Victoria try to discover who is sabotaging the inn run by Maggie's parents. Other titles available.
I dream of murder(1997)Fourteen-year-old Jere is haunted by a recurring dream about a murder he may have witnessed ten years earlier.
The Purloined corn popper(1997)Ten-year-old Tim is worried when a popcorn popper containing a wad of money is stolen from his kitchen and his friend Freddie is suspected of the crime. Other mystery titles are available by this author.
Hawk moon(1996)Will faces a mystery involving drugs at his high school, while being framed for the disappearance and possible murder of his girlfriend.
Bunnicula : a rabbit-tale of mystery(1996)Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. This title and others done by this author are located in the children's fiction collection.
The Case of the missing cutthroats : an ecological mystery(1996)After Spinner Shafter catches a cutthroat trout in the Snake River, she and her cousin Alligator search the nearby mountains to determine where the endangered fish came from and how it survived.
The Spray-paint mystery(1996)Someone's been painting graffiti on the walls. It's up to Cameron to find out who and prove that he can be a great detective just like his dad. With help from his best friend, Tarann, it's up to him to solve this paint puzzle!
Search for the shadowman(1996)While working on a genealogy project for his seventh grade history class, Andy Bonner becomes determined to solve the mystery surrounding a distant relative who was accused of stealing the family fortune. Other titles by this author.
Would my fortune cookie lie?(1996)While worrying that her mom is plotting to move the family from their Chicago home, thirteen-year-old Alexis also wonders about the mysterious young man who seems to be shadowing her and her friend.Syndetic Solutions
Getting Lincoln's goat : an Elliot Armbruster mystery(1995)Tenth-grader Elliot wants to be a detective when he grows up, and when he discovers that Lincoln the goat, the school mascot, is missing, he and some of his classmates get a taste of what their chosen careers would really be like.
Orp and the FBI(1995)Twelve-year-old Orville and his friend Derrick form their own detective agency and, with help from Orville's younger sister Chloe, investigate the arrival of an unusual letter and the appearance of a mysterious intruder.
Tarot says beware(1995)Herculeah Jones and her bumbling pal, Meat, investigate the murder of a palm reader.
Angel's gate(1995)Kimmy encounters two wild children who have grown up in the hills of Australia and tries to protect them from the unknown person who murdered their father.
The Summer of the bonepile monster(1995)When he and his sister Lou are sent to spend the summer with their blind great-grandmother in the tiny town of Dolliver, Hollis encounters some dark family secrets and vows to uncover them.
Beware the ravens, Aunt Morbelia(1995)Todd Fearing, his aunt Morbelia, and his friend Jeff are shadowed by mysterious characters when they visit London and their ancestral home.
Harvey's mystifying raccoon mix-up(1994)Twelve-year-old Harvey and his bossy cousin Nora get involved with counterfeiters, imposters, and a pet raccoon when they find a prowler outside the house one night. There are other titles by this author.
The Brick House burglars(1994)A group of kids from a run-down neighborhood start using an old mansion for a club house and soon discover some mysterious goings-on involving a plot to destroy the mansion for the insurance money.
Troubling a star(1994)As she tries to stay alive after being left on an iceberg in the Antarctic, sixteen-year-old Vicky recalls the series of events that brought her to the bottom of the world and involved her in a dangerous mystery.
Zoe's gift(1994)While vacationing in England, eleven-year-old Cory meets a girl with extrasensory powers and together they solve a 100-year-old mystery. Other titles by this author.
Marvelous Marvin and the wolfman mystery(1994)Marvin looks for clues after suspecting that his new neighbor is a werewolf and involved in a murder conspiracy.
Phantom Victory(1994)A teenage boy and girl, aided by ancestral ghosts, embark on a treasure hunt to find an heirloom necklace hidden years earlier by a guest at South Bass Island's historic Victory Hotel.
The Secret of the floating phantom(1994)While staying with her grandmother in Monterey, California, eleven-year-old Kathy has some strange experiences as she is led by a foglike phantom to treasure hidden from pirates over 150 years ago.
Blackwater Swamp(1994)Other mystery titles by this author in children's fiction.
Having discovered the true nature of the old woman known as the Witch of Blackwater Swamp, fifth grader Ted must decide whether to come to her aid when she is accused of the thefts plaguing his small Louisiana town.
Spider Kane and the mystery at Jumbo Nightcrawler's(1993)Lieutenant Leon Leafwing and Detective Spider Kane investigate the mysterious disappearance of Leon's mother and members of the Order of the Moth. Other mystery titles by this author.
Scoop Snoops(1993)When their neighbor is robbed on Halloween night, a group of fourth-grade reporters decide to try to find the thief.
Tangled Webb(1993)Twelve-year-old Juniper Webb and her best friend Alison find themselves enmeshed in a "tangled web" when the two girls begin to investigate Juniper's new stepmother's background. There are other mystery titles by this author.
Wrapped in a riddle(1993)While staying at the Jumping Frog Inn, a bed-and-breakfast establishment run by her grandmother, eleven-year-old Miranda investigates a mystery involving stolen letters supposedly written by Mark Twain.
The Great Smith house hustle(1993)Just after moving into their grandmother's house in Pittsburgh, the five Smith children must uncover a long-standing scam to steal the houses of old people before Grandma Smith loses her home. Sequel to "The Big Smith Snatch."
The Light on Hogback Hill(1993)When she investigates the mysterious light up on Hogback Hill, eleven-year-old Hadley finds and befriends a hunchbacked old woman with a tragic past. There are additional titles by this author.
Tory & me and the spirit of true love(1992)Cousins Tory and Emily embark on a quest for secrets, romance, and insight into the past of their mysterious Aunt Louisa, who had not talked to the family for years before her death.
Coffin on a case(1992)Twelve-year-old Henry Coffin, the son of a private investigator, helps a gorgeous high school girl in her dangerous attempt to find her kidnapped mother.
The Mansion in the mist(1992)While spending the summer in an old house on a desolate Canadian island, Anthony Monday and Miss Eells discover a chest that can transport them to another world and a maniacal group who are plotting the destructon of people on Earth.
Susannah and the purple mongoose mystery(1992)Susannah and her friends investigate a series of fires in their San Francisco neighborhood.
Underrunners(1992)Tris and Winola find the underrunners, a vast network of tunnels, the ideal place to escape their unhappy lives and act out their fantasies, but the tunnels become a dangerous place when invaded by an unseen stranger.
Under the mummy's spell(1992)When Peter Harring kisses a mummy mask on a dare, he finds that he has fulfilled an age-old prophecy and must contend with an ancient Egyptian sorceress in order to right a terrible wrong.
Locked in the screaming school(1991)Monica and her ketchup-loving friend Dee Ellen investigate when someone destroys the posters for the big county wrestling match.
Has anyone seen Allie?(1991)After her best friend Allie disappears bearing a dangerous secret, Judy is stalked through her Wyoming town by a shadowy killer.
The Vandemark mummy(1991)When, as the new Classics professor at Vandemark College, their father is made responsible for a collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, twelve-year-old Phineas and his older sister Althea try to find out why the collection is the target of thieves, especially when the mummy disappears. Other mystery titles by this author available in children's fiction.
Murder in a pig's eye(1990)Convinced that the owner of a neighboring farm has killed his sharp-tongued wife, sixteen-year-old Bodie searches for her body, until his detective work reaches a chaotic and humorous climax. Other titles by this author.
The Dead man in Indian Creek(1990)When Matt and Parker learn the body they found in Indian Creek is a drug-related death, they fear Parkers's mother may be involved.Also found in the child paperbacks
The Dollhouse murders(1983)A dollhouse filled with a ghostly light in the middle of the night and dolls that have moved from where she last left them lead Amy and her retarded sister to unravel the mystery surrounding grisly murders that took place years ago.
Chip Mitchell, the case of the stolen computer brains(1982)A seventh-grade computer whiz solves ten puzzling cases using his knowledge of logic and computers.
The Deadly hoax(1981)When taken aboard the spaceship of creatures who announce a plan to save Earth from human beings, Morgan and Sid doubt the beings are from outer space and that their intentions are good. There are other titles by this author.
The Westing game(1978)The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance. A 1979 Newbery Award winner.
The House of Dies Drear(1968)A black family of five moves into an enormous house once used as a hiding place for runaway slaves. Mysterious sounds and events as well as the discovery of secret passageways make the family believe they are in grave danger. A classic story.