Kids Mystery
FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg
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Claudia knows that she is under-appreciated, and she intends to teach her parents a lesson. That is why she begins plotting to run away. She selects her younger brother Jamie as her companion, for although Claudia has all of the grand plans, she lacks Jamie’s sense for financial planning. They hide in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, originally planning to return after a few days, when their parents are sure to no longer take Claudia for granted. But when they discover a mystery surrounding a museum sculpture, the adventure becomes even more exciting and Claudia is determined not to return home until the adventure has changed her from the ordinary girl she was into someone heroic and different.
Winner of the 1967 Newbery Award, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a children’s literature classic. It addresses themes of growing up, the balance between fun and responsibility, and finding adventure in ordinary life. If you liked From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I would also recommend Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. For teens, I would recommend Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt.
CLOSED FOR THE SEASON by Mary Downing Hahn
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Logan was kind of excited about moving to a new city. He would have a chance to escape his reputation as a nerdy bookworm and start afresh with the popular crowd. The minute he moves in, however, his hopes begin to sink. For one thing, the house his family is moving into is in a horrible state of disrepair. For another, waiting to meet him is his new next door neighbor, a very friendly and pushy boy named Arthur who seems to be exactly the type of nerdy bookworm that Logan wants to avoid. But when Arthur announces that a woman was murdered in Logan’s new house, Logan’s previous worries are quickly overshadowed as he gets swept up in a macabre and potentially dangerous mystery. As the clues keep leading to a creepy old run-down amusement park and a possible hidden treasure that pits the young amateur sleuths against despicable, violent thugs, Logan wonders if he has the courage to see the case through to its conclusion.
Although different from Mary Downing Hahn’s usual ghost stories, Closed for the Season has plenty of creepy scenes and suspense to entertain middle grade readers who enjoy thrillers and mysteries. The mystery unfolded fairly predictably, but suspense was built up in the setting of the scenes and the crafting of villains who were neck in neck with the heroes in their race to uncover the secret. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to mystery readers in grades 4-6.
THE CHAMELEON WORE CHARTREUSE by Bruce Hale
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Chet Gecko is a fourth grade private eye. He is also a lizard. When a dame with a sob-story about a missing little brother corners him after class, he knows he’ll have to take the case. With the help of Natalie, the mockingbird, Chet Gecko follows a trail of clues that lead him closer and closer to the missing kid and the sixth grade Gila Monster who may be behind the disappearance. If only his teachers didn’t keep getting in the way . . .
Chet Gecko narrates his story in a style worthy of the best film noir voice-over. With clues, twists, and a touch of danger, this series is sure to win the affections of elementary school readers who enjoy humorous detective stories. Third and fourth graders who liked the Nate the Great series as beginning readers should definitely check out Chet Gecko. He’s quite a character.
If you liked the Chet Gecko mysteries, you might like “Who Could That Be At This Hour?” by Lemony Snicket and Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer.
THE SISTERS GRIMM by Michael Buckley
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Ever since their parents disappeared, Sabrina and Daphne have been shuffled around from foster home to foster home. All of their new homes have been terrible by Sabrina’s standards, and she has grown quite skilled at escaping from them. When an old lady claiming to be their grandmother, “Relda Grimm,” summons the girls to live with her, Sabrina starts planning an escape before they even arrive in Ferryport Landing. Their father always told them their grandmother was dead, so the old lady must be either crazy or evil, and either way, Sabrina and Daphne will need to escape. Once they meet the old lady, however, it becomes clear that “crazy” is the more appropriate adjective. Not only does she believe that she is the girls’ grandmother, she also seems to believe that all of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales are historical fact, and that the fairy tale creatures still live magical lives in Ferryport Landing! Young Daphne seems to believe the old lady’s stories, but Sabrina knows better. Her perspective changes, however, when Granny Relda is abducted by an actual, real, live giant. Unable to ignore the fairy tale reality any longer, Sabrina and Daphne prepare to take up the Grimm legacy as fairy tale detectives. Their first mission: to rescue their grandmother from the clutches of the giant.
The Sisters Grimm is the first book in a series of fairy tale detective stories. The books are very humorous, and the modern imaginings of the fairy tale characters are a lot of fun. The stories are heavier on the fantasy action than the detective work, but there are a fair number of clues to unravel throughout. I recommend The Sisters Grimm to upper-elementary readers who enjoy humorous fantasy stories.
If you liked The Sisters Grimm, you might like Fablehaven by Brandon Mull.
POWERLESS by Matthew Cody
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When Daniel and his family move to a new town to take care of his aging grandmother, Daniel immediately notices something odd about the kids of Noble’s Green. At first he excuses the strange things he sees as tricks of his mind. Mollie couldn’t possibly move as fast as he thought she did. Certainly the bully Clay couldn’t be strong enough to hurl him that far through the air. But when Eric rescues him from a would-be-fatal fall and flies him up to their secret hide-out, Daniel has to face the truth. The kids of Noble’s Green have superpowers. Most of them choose to use their powers only for good and to hide their abilities from the adults. But one thing is universally true: the powers disappear on your thirteenth birthday. Your old talents vanish, and with them your memories of your childhood adventures and even of your friendships. Some of the kids have accepted this change as destiny, and watched their older friends drift away from them, knowing it would one day be their turn. But Mollie suspects that something else might be going on. Unfortunately, any kid who tried to figure out the truth in the past lost their powers prematurely. But Daniel has no superpowers, and his talent at detective work makes him the perfect man for the job. It is all up to Daniel to discover who or what is stealing the superpowers of Noble’s Green, before the supers lose another friend.
I just picked this book up when I was browsing, and boy am I glad I did! This is a great adventure mystery, built on themes of growing up and changing relationships that we can all relate to. It will probably appeal most to upper elementary and middle schoolers. A truly fun, imaginative read–I highly recommend it!
If you liked Powerless, you might like Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo.
THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS by Nancy Springer
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On her fourteenth birthday, Enola Holmes discovers that her eccentric mother has vanished. Even her older brother Sherlock cannot find the marquess. As her eldest brother, Mycroft, makes plans to send her away to boarding school, Enola discovers a series of clues that her mother left specifically for her, and she begins to realize that the mystery may not be quite what it seems. Her investigation and her desire to avoid boarding school at all costs prompt Enola to flee from her brothers and seek refuge in the city of London. With the help of her analytical mind and her gift for disguise–traits which she shares with her brother Sherlock–Enola is determined to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance and any other mysteries she stumbles across along the way. And nothing–especially not her being a girl–will stand in her way.
Springer builds a vivid and detailed picture of life in Victorian London, the poverty of the East End, and the challenges of being a woman in the nineteenth century. Add a brilliant, snarky narrator, hilarious disguises, codes to crack, clues to unravel, and the indomitable Sherlock Holmes as a rival and adversary and you have one of my favorite children’s mystery books! The only down side to this wonderful mystery series is that its reading level is a bit more difficult than its interest level. It is best for advanced upper elementary readers, (possibly also middle school readers) and will probably be of most interest to girls. I highly recommend it!
Five books follow The Case of the Missing Marquess in the Enola Holmes series:
2. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
3. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquet
4. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan
5. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
6. The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye
THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick
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When Hugo’s father perished in a fire, Uncle Claude took Hugo into his apartment in the train station and taught him how to care for the clocks. Now that Uncle Claude has disappeared, Hugo takes care of the clocks himself, hiding in the walls of the train station, stealing food when he can, and avoiding the Station Inspector. As soon as the clocks have been tended to, Hugo turns back to the secret project that keeps him going: the automaton man at the writing desk that Hugo’s father had been repairing when he died. Hugo is sure that if he can fix the automaton, the mechanical man will write a message from his father. Using his father’s notebook as a guide, he steals toys from the station toy booth and uses their parts to replace the missing and broken pieces. But one day, the toy maker catches him. When he sees Hugo’s notebook, he seems horrified and confiscates it immediately. Although Hugo follows him to his house, he cannot convince the toy maker to give it back. But he does meet Isabelle, the toy maker’s goddaughter, who seems to have secrets of her own. Together, she and Hugo try to get the notebook back and to decipher the automaton’s mysterious message.
This book has a very interesting premise that was inspired by a true story. It is told in words and pictures, switching back and forth between pages of prose and full-page drawings. As you discover later in the book, the format is very intentional for this particular story. I found it a bit challenging to get into because the transition between words and pictures was somewhat jarring (very different from reading a graphic novel!). But once I got into the rhythm, and deeper into the story, I was grateful for the story-telling images. The book deserves its Caldecott Medal.
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY by Trenton Lee Stewart
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Reynie Muldoon is incredibly gifted at solving puzzles and logic games. Kate Weatherall is incredibly resourceful with the items she carries around in her beloved bucket; she can create almost anything. Sticky Washington can read at lightning speed and remembers everything he has ever read, heard, or seen. And Constance Contraire. . .well, Constance is stubborn. And for reasons that will not become clear until the very end of the book, Mr. Benedict insists that she is far more brilliant than the other children realize.
Mr. Benedict gathers this group of brilliant children together to form a team of secret agents who will infiltrate an institution for gifted children that is really a front for a madman’s secret plans for world domination. Although the implications of the madman’s plot are quite dark, the brain teasers and vibrant characters keep the tone of the book light. The book is intended for a 4th-6th grade audience, but anyone who loves puzzles and codes and a bit of science fiction and mystery will enjoy it. The Mysterious Benedict Society is the first in a trilogy, followed by The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma.
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