Children Literature Mysteries

Middle school is hard. Solving cases for the FBI is even harder. Doing both at the same time - well, that's just crazy. But that doesn't stop Florian Bates! Get to know the only kid on the FBI director's speed dial - and several international criminals' most wanted lists - in this adventurous series that School Library Journal says combines "elements of Alex Rider, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes".

The Aldens are so excited when they get to meet other ballonists, learn how hot air balloons work, and even help the crew launch a balloon. Then, things start to go wrong. Someone is trying to ruin the rally, and the Boxcar Children might not get the chance to ride in a hot air balloon after all - unless they solve the mystery in time.

Mr Goon is busy with a mystery all to himself until Fatty, Pip, Larry, Daisy and Bets discover his secret. There is a gang of jewel thieves using Peterswood as their headquarters! Soon the Find-Outers and Buster the dog are helping the police hunt down the thieves - but who are they?

Timmy is in Key West, Florida, ostensibly for the honeymoon of his mother and Doorman Dave - if they even got married, which Timmy doubts. Unfortunately for Timmy, crime doesn't take a vacation. And because Total has fled to Cuba seeking political asylum, Timmy must rely on a new partner for help: Doorman Dave's nephew Emilio. Meanwhile, a surprise newcomer shows up in Timmy's life, and, as if things couldn't get more hectic, Timmy's pants have been stolen by a six-toed cat.

Mr. McGee was the principal of Englewood Elementary in 1947, and the students have just discovered that he created a massive treasure hunt all those years ago... But Mr. McGee disappeared before he could share any of the clues. Seventy years later, Leila and Nugget are ready to crack the case and find that missing treasure.

A fun short story mystery for children ages 9-12. RJ Spencer is a lucky 12-year-old. He lives in the big city and his parents are landlords of the high-rise apartment building that is his home. The many tenants in the building, along with the endless possibilities of adventures in the city itself, are the perfect setting for the young detective as he sets out to solve every case he can get his hands on.... Something terrible has happened to Hensely, the doorman. RJ and Joey fear the worst when it seems that a famous magician has done the unthinkable.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel...except he's not doing it. And no one seems to believe him. No one but a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans...and keeps him totally off balance.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He's learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can't seem to afford any allies. He's up to his neck in hostiles - his grandfather, who's spoiling for a fight; the Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out; and scheming psycho Calla, who wants to use him as bait. Then there's Kate Sullivan. She's the new girl at school. She's not hostile. She's bold. Funny. Hot. But she's got an agenda, too.

Nina Tanleven and her best friend Chris are delighted to spend the remainder of the summer with Nina’s architect father at the rambling old country inn he has been hired to restore. On the afternoon they arrive, the girls pause for a closer look at some faded Civil War photographs hanging in the hallway, fascinated by one picture in particular of a handsome Confederate soldier whose dreamy eyes hold them enthralled. But in the midst of all their oohing and aahing a shivery sensation passes between them, like an icy hand on the back of their necks.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys - the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: He can control water - just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death. And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery - a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

Amy learned a lot in her babysitting course - but not what to do if two thugs show up, intent on kidnapping. When Amy agreed to babysit little Kendra Edgerton, she had no idea she was stepping into a kidnapping plot. Armed with misinformation and a weapon, the two men force the girls out of the house and take them to a remote cabin in the woods. There they make videos of the girls and mail them to Kendra’s wealthy parents in an effort to get ransom money.

When Detective Lauren Medina sees the calling card at a murder scene in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood, she knows the Pied Piper has returned. When another teenager is brutally murdered at the same lagoon where her sister's body was found floating years before, she is certain that the Pied Piper is not just back, he's looking for payment he's owed from her. Lauren's torn between protecting the city she has sworn to keep safe, and keeping a promise she made long ago with her sister's murderer.

Middle school is hard. Solving cases for the FBI is even harder. Doing both at the same time, well that's just crazy. But that doesn't stop Florian Bates! Along with his best friend, and Watson to his Sherlock, Margaret, Florian's making the case that kids can do anything. When Florian and Margaret's FBI supervisor, Marcus Rivers, is accused of a crime, it's up to this mystery-solving duo to jump into action and clear his name because Marcus is more than their boss - he's family.

Brother detectives Frank and Joe search a hidden castle for clues to help them find a missing comic book in the 19th book in the thrilling Hardy Boys Adventures series.

After Rose Rita Pottinger cuts her finger on an enchanted Egyptian scroll, Lewis Barnavelt must work together with his neighbor Florence and sorcerous uncle Jonathan to rescue Rose Rita from the tomb in which she's imprisoned.

Frank and Joe are back on Black Bear Mountain, the scene of a previous wilderness adventure and mind-bending mystery. This time, the brothers are checking in on Dr. K, a friend they made during their first trip. Dr. K is a fan of living off the grid, but he’s been MIA long enough to cause worry in the small mountain town. And so the teenage detectives Black Bear Mountain relied on before have been called in to help once again.

King, Kayla, and Grandma find a dog who has lost his human family. What does Kayla know? This dog doesn't have a collar or any tags. He can sit, lie down, and shake hands. No one around here knows who he is. What does King know? The dog's family is staying at a campground. Can they figure out who he is and where his family is?

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school - that is, it would be if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it's really a school for spies.

Mattie Gokey has a word for everything. She collects words, stores them up as a way of fending off the hard truths of her life, the truths that she can't write down in stories.