MYSTERY BOOKS FOR KIDSYour kindergartener may be a spy.

THERE ARE MYSTERIES FOR ALL LEVELS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: PICTURE BOOKS, EASY READER, CHAPTER BOOKS, MIDDLE GRADE, AND YOUNG ADULT.

Kids' mystery books come in all reading levels: picture books, easy readers, chapter books, middle-grade novels, and young adult novels .

Age ranges: •Picture books: 0-8•Easy readers: 6-9•Middle grade: 9-12•Young adult: 12-18

THESE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURE BOOK MYSTERIES FOR YOUNGER KIDS.

Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

Miss Nelson Is Missing!

The first book uses a familiar children's rhyme as a structure. There is a "detective" character. There are a few clues.

The second book has a school setting. There are no clues—it's more the idea of a mystery. It's one of my favorites because it's deadpan and hilarious.

The stories are gentle and humorous as well as suspenseful. Unlike other types of picture books, there is not an emphasis on character growth, but rather on plot.

MORE MYSTERY PICTURE BOOKS

Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective

The Mystery of Eatum Hall

These are for older picture book age, considered 5-8. They are film noir spoofs. They have a detective who is an adult, clues the kids can follow, and a takeoff on the fim noir form. They use humor and a hardboiled-detective voice. Mother Goose characters sometimes star.

More plot-driven than character-driven, they are often have clever wordplay.

Plots center around things kids relate to or find funny--missing cookies, grandpa's missing teeth, a missing library card.

CHAPTER BOOK MYSTERIESNate the Great seriesCam Jansen series

Chapter books lend themselves well to series. Kids gobble them up. There can be multiple stories per book.

Kids are the sleuths. They may have special gifts, such as Encyclopedia Brown's encyclopedic knowledge or Cam Jansen's photographic memory. They are sharper than the adults around them.

There are clues throughout for the reader to pick up. The clues usually get summarized at the end, to make sure the reader has understood. Clues along the way are usually clear to readers.

Sammy Keyes series The London Eye Mystery

Middle-grade mysteries for older kids can be part humor, part thriller. They have strong, sometimes quirkly characters.

Mysteries give children a sense of empowerment; child protagonists succeed in a confusing, dangerous world with brains and doggedness.

MYSTERY BOOKS FOR TEENSPaper Towns Murder Most Unladylike

Mysteries for teens have no limits on subject matter. Violence, sex, and abuse are common themes. Young adult mysteries can be straight, conventional mysteries, where a teen plays sleuth. Usually the teen has to cover up his or her involvement in investigating. They bypass regular law enforcement.

Teen mysteries can have elements of fantasy, romance, adventure, thriller, and horror. They often have social commentary. They can be historical or take place in the future. YA, Young Adult, has a wide age range of readers, from age 12 even up to adults. These books are suspenseful and often psychologically rich.

HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THIS MYSTERY BOOKS FOR KIDS PRESENTATION.

Read more on this topic at Vicky Rubin's Doodle Soop: http://www.doodlesoop.com/mystery-books-for-kids/

Book shown in this slideshow:

Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? by Bonnie Lass and Philomena Sturges, illustrated by Ashley Wolff

Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall

Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective byThe Mystery of Eatum Hall by

Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds by David Adler, illustrated by Susanna Natti

Nate the Great and the Sticky Case by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illustrated by Marc Simont

Sammy Keyes, Hotel Thief Wendylyn van DraanenThe London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Paper Towns by John GreenMurder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

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