Mysteries for 5th – 8th Graders

J/F/ABRAHAMS
Abrahams, Peter - Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery
Ingrid, an 8th grade amateur detective, lands the lead in the local community theater production of Alice in Wonderland and discovers that one of the cast members may be a murderer. Other Echo Falls mysteries include Behind the Curtain and Into the Dark. 375 p., Grades 6 – 9

J/F/BEIL
Beil, Michael D. - The Ring of Rocamadour
Sophie, Margaret and Rebecca try to solve a series of puzzles left at their school thirty years earlier which might lead them to a real treasure – the famous missing ring of Rocamadour. The Red Blazer Girls series continues in Book 2, The Vanishing Violin. 299 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/BERLIN
Berlin, Eric - The Puzzling World of Winston Breen
Winston loves solving puzzles, so when he discovers a series of puzzling clues, he follows the answers and hopes to find a hidden treasure. The Puzzling World of Winston Breen series continues in Book 2, The Potato Chip Puzzles. 215 p., Grades 4 – 7

J/F/BROACH
Broach, Elise - Shakespeare’s Secret
Hero moves to a new town where she lands in the middle of a mystery involving her family’s house, a missing diamond and the question of who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays. 250 p., Grades 4 – 7

J/F/BUCKLEY
Buckley, Michael - The Fairy-Tale Detectives
Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm find a new home with Granny Relda in a town that is home to an odd assortment of fairy tale characters. When Relda goes missing, the girls investigate. The Sisters Grimm series continues in Book 2, The Unusual Suspects. 284 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/BURKE
Burke, Bob - The Third Pig Detective Agency
Harry Pigg, owner of the Third Pig Detective Agency, takes on a new case when a Mr. Aladdin asks him to locate a missing lamp. 152 p., Grades 4 – 7

J/F/ CAREY
Carey, Benedict - The Unknowns: A Mystery
Di, Tom, and their gang of friends try to locate their missing teacher using clues left on her flash drive. The trail leads them to the dangerous tunnels under the Folsom Energy Plant. 259 p., Grades 6 – 9

J/F/CARTER
Carter, Ally - Heist Society
Kat is drawn into the illegal escapades of her family (all thieves and con artists) when her father is arrested. Kat and her friends must prove that he didn’t steal several priceless paintings by figuring out who did. 287 p., Grades 7 – 9

J/F/CHATTERTON
Chatterton, Martin - The Brain Finds a Leg
Theo Brain, who considers himself The World’s Greatest Detective, investigates a murder involving a leg, a local surfing champ, and some very unusual animal behavior. 212 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/DOWD
Dowd, Siobhan - The London Eye Mystery
Salim goes for a ride on the London Eye, the world’s largest Ferris wheel, but when the ride is over Salim is missing. His cousins Ted and Kat frantically try to solve the mystery of Salim’s disappearance. 322 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/FEINSTEIN
Feinstein, John - Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery
Steve wins a Basketball Writers’ contest and earns a trip to the Final Four, where he stumbles onto a plot to fix the final game. 251 p., Grades 6 – 9

J/F/FERRAIOLO
Ferraiolo, Jack D. - The Big Splash
Matt’s school is run by Vinny Biggs and his organized crime ring that deals in forged hall passes and stolen tests. When a squirt gun sniper “takes out” one of Vinny’s guys, P.I. Matt is hired to find out who did it. 277 p., Grades 6 – 8

J/F/FINNEY
Cavendish, Grace - Assassin
Grace Cavendish is a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. When her suitor is accused of murder, it’s up to Grace to clear his name. The Lady Grace Mysteries continues in Book 2, Betrayal. 194 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/GIBBS
Gibbs, Stuart - Belly Up
When Henry the Hippo is found dead in his habitat at FunJungle, the world’s newest zoo and theme park, Teddy suspects it’s a case of murder and tries to solve the crime. 294 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/GRISHAM
Grisham, John - Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
With attorneys for parents, Theodore Boone knows more about the law than most lawyers. When his class sits in on a high-profile murder trial, Theo investigates the case. 263 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/HAHN
Hahn, Mary - Downing Closed for the Season: A Mystery Story
Logan’s family moves into a run-down old house and he soon learns that the former owner was murdered in the basement. Logan decides to investigate the murder and uncover the killer. 182 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/KRIEG
Krieg, Jim - Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol
Griff Carver joins the Rampart Middle School Hallway Patrol and tries to catch a ring of students running a counterfeit hall pass operation. 224 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/LECK
Leck, James - The Adventures of Jack Lime
If you hire teenage detective Jack Lime to investigate your problem, he’ll do whatever it takes to solve your case unless he falls asleep first! 126 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/NEWSOME
Newsome, Richard - The Billionaire’s Curse
Gerald inherits a huge fortune from an aunt he’s never met. He also inherits a cryptic clue about his aunt’s death and the theft of a famous diamond. 344 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/RAMTHUN
Ramthun, Bonnie - The White Gates
Tom’s mother lands a new job as an emergency room doctor in Snow Park, Colorado where Tom uncovers a mystery involving murder, snowboarding, and an old Ute curse. 242 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/SELFORS
Selfors, Suzanne - Smells Like Dog
Homer inherits a basset hound with an unusual coin hidden in its collar. The dog belonged to his Uncle Drake, a famous treasure hunter, and Homer sets out to investigate his uncle’s death. 360 p., Grades 4 – 7

J/F/SPRINGER
Springer, Nancy - The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery
Enola’s big brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, want to send Enola to a ladies finishing school. But when her mother disappears, Enola runs away to London following the clues her mother left behind. 216 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/SUMMY
Summy, Barrie - I So Don’t Do Mysteries
Sherry’s not into mysteries, but her deceased mother is trying to earn her ghostly wings in the Academy of Spirits and needs Sherry’s help to pass her Prevent-a-Crime class. 264 p., Grades 5 – 8

J/F/VAN DRAANEN
Van Draanen, Wendelin - Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen
Bad things are happening to the cats in her neighborhood, and when Sammy’s own cat turns up missing she and her friend Holly won’t rest until they find out what’s going on. 293 p., Grades 5 – 8

Prepared by S. Pemberton, January 2011