Mega List of Mystery Books for Kids

Are you looking for some books for your kids to read that they will be excited to continue reading? Mystery Books are a great choice. They draw the reader in and get them excited to solve the mystery. If you have a reluctant reader, you may want to try mystery books. Check out this MEGA List of Mystery Books for Kids!

Mystery books are engaging and help with thinking skills:

Mystery books are not only fun, and engaging, but they help your kids to be critical thinkers. They help to encourage logical thinking skills and deductive reasoning to try and solve the mystery presented in the story.

There are many different types of mystery books. I will never forget the classic mystery books that we all grew up with. Such as; Sherlock Holmes, The Boxcar Children Series,  Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys etc… There are also much newer spy and mystery books that will engage young readers. 

I have not personally read all of these books, but we have read many of them, or have friends that love them. Some of these are classics that I think every child should experience. Like everything we suggest, make sure to preview or read some reviews first before handing them to your children. 

Classic Mystery Books:

Sherlock Holmes – there are lots of different Sherlock Holmes books. Here are some of our favorites:

The Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection – A simplification of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. This 10 book paper back set is perfect for young mystery books. It is a great way to introduce your children to the classic Sherlock Holmes. 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and other stories – This leather bound book would look amazing on a bookshelf. ThisnCanterbury Classics edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous works, include: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four, The Valley of Fear, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. 

The Box Car Children Mysteries were one of the first mystery books I read when I was a child. I was so intrigued by the orphan children that lived inside of a boxcar who found themselves solving mysteries. These books are fun and clean. I would start with the first few books in the series.

We love The Boxcar Children Bookshelf – this set comes with books 1-12 and is a great start to the series. As your children collect the rest of the books it can hold up to 32 books. 

Nancy Drew Mystery Series – Nancy Drew is truly a vintage read from the 1930s that girls will enjoy. I love that the books are clean, and your girls will enjoy following this female detective as she uncovers mysteries and looks for clues. 

The Hardy Boys – The Hardy Boys is another vintage series you may have read as a child. The books are clean, and your boys, and girls will enjoy this series. 

Other Mystery Books:

Geronimo Stilton – this is a fun, mystery adventure series that follows a rodent who runs a newspaper and goes on many adventures. This is a huge series with lots of books your children will want to continue to read. 

Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery – I loved this book growing up, it’s clever and fun to follow. There are many other books in the series that follow the family pets from this original book.

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective – This is another fun series that follows a boy with a brilliant mind. He knows random facts, trivia and has an amazing memory which helps him to solve cases. 

Great Mouse Detective – these cute books follow a mouse that lives in the cellar of the real Sherlock Holmes. He admires the great detective and picks up on his sleuthing skills to solve his own cases. 

Nate the Great – this is a fun beginning reader series for kids that love detective stories. It will encourage them to learn how to problem solve as they follow along.

Harriet the Spy – Follow this spunky little spy as she goes around writing everything down in a notebook to try to solve mysteries.

The Secret Series – This is very secretive, fun and interesting series of books that follow kids on a search for a missing magician.

From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – This book is so much fun and it won a Newberry Medal. It follows a set of siblings who run away from home and live inside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While they are there they discover a mystery that must be solved. 

The 39 Clues Series – Rick Riordian fans will enjoy this series that follows children who follow clues to find out what happened to their parents. 

The Mandie Collection – The Mandie books are one of the only mystery series I know of that are Christian. I grew up reading these, and can still recall the excitement I felt while following Mandie and her friends on their adventures. There are lots of books in this series that can keep your kids busy for a very long time. We like the volumes that hold 5 books in one. 

If your kids enjoy reading they may also enjoy doing a book report with these freebies:

FREE Book Report Worksheets and Printables

FREE Book Report Templates (all grades included)

If you love this list, you will also enjoy:

The Mega List of Adventure Books

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Sarah Shelton

Sarah is a wife, daughter of the King and Mama to 4 children (one who is a homeschool graduate)! She is a an eclectic, Charlotte Mason style homeschooler that has been homeschooling for over 16 years now. She is still trying to find the balance between work and keeping a home and says she can only do it by the Grace of God, and Coffee!