The Mystery of the Tween...

What is a mystery novel?
While many tween mystery novels involve the solving of a crime by a tween detective or a couple of friends who find themselves in puzzling circumstances, the mystery genre can encompass many other scenarios. Mystery novels may present an unexplained event that the book’s protagonist is trying to explain. They can involve supernatural events or involve the unraveling of a complex puzzle, like a deep, dark family secret. When crime is involved it can range from kidnapping and murder to robbery and harassment. What all these books have in common is the need to use deduction and reasoning to get to the heart of the story and find the truth behind the mystery.


How are mysteries good for tweens?
A good mystery novel draws readers in and keeps them. Mystery novels are also exciting and compelling to read for reluctant and enthusiastic readers alike. Reluctant readers might be more interested in reading a mystery to the end in order to find out whodunit. Trying to answer questions that arise in a mystery novel and following along with the book’s clues and investigation help develop critical thinking, analytical, deductive reasoning, and research skills. Additionally, mysteries are quite often FUN, which is more than enough reason to read!


Our mystery selections
From classic – and not so classic – whodunits to unexplained disappearances and deeply protected secrets, tween mysteries cover a varied array of topics and interests. The following selection of titles includes 20 tween mysteries chosen to appeal to a broad range of tweens. Selected are easy-to-read mysteries with neat and tidy endings, to more troubling stories that leave readers wondering what really happened, as well as many stories in between. Tweens from diverse backgrounds and maturity levels will find appealing titles below. We’ve included classic young detective stories featuring Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys as well as new favorites like Gilda Joyce and Sammy Keys. Many of the mysteries read like realistic fiction with a mysterious twist, while some represent historical and modern time periods. The vast majority of the books in this mystery collection have received awards, many have received multiple awards, and all have been well received by critics and tweens themselves. Of course there are many additional mystery novels for tween readers to discover for themselves…in true detective style.

Shredderman: secret identity

Shredderman: Secret Identity

by Draanen, Wendelin.

(2004). New York: Yearling.

ISBN 978-0440419129

Reading Level: Grades 3-6

Summary: Nolan Byrd has had enough of the pain and torture inflicted on him and his classmates by the class bully, Bubba Bixby, and his goons. When his teacher Mr. Green, the “Happy Hippie”, assigns a project that allows him to exert revenge, Nolan takes on the secret identity “Shredderman”. Nolan’s creative website Shredderman.com allows him to expose the rotten things Bubba and his gang have been doing. Soon Nolan is empowered and empowers other to stand up for themselves in this mystery.

Review: Shredderman: Secret Identity has elements of whodunit, exposé, and the unmasking of the new superhero. Chosen because of Wendelin Draanen, the author, who is a favorite thanks to her Sammy Keys series and also because of excellent reviews received from Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal. Additionally, this book is one of a new series for the younger tween, encouraging them to use new and imaginative problem solving skills.

Selected Award: Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004

Closed for the Season: a Mystery Story

Closed for the Season: a Mystery Story.

by Hahn, Mary Downing.

(2009). Boston: Clarion Books.

ISBN 978-0547084510

Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Summary: A new kid, Logan Forbes, moves to Bealesville with his mother and father where his dad is to begin teaching art at the local high school. Logan, on his first day, encounters his unusual new neighbor, Arthur Jenkins and his friendly dog, Bear. Arthur tells Logan about the suspected murder of an old woman named Myrtle Donaldson that occurred in Logan’s new house. The boys encounter quite a few people who are also interested in the mysterious murder of Mrs. Donaldson, a bookkeeper accused of embezzling at the now closed amusement park, Magic Forest. So begins a new apprehensive friendship for Logan and new mystery to be solved for both boys as they start to unravel what really happened to Mrs. Donaldson.

Review: Closed for the Season is a fun mystery adventure book for everyone. Mary Downing Hahn fills the book with interesting characters and events and does a great job of infusing real life with mystery. Arthur Jenkins is sure to become a favorite character for all. Arthur is a smart and funny boy who is not well liked and the object of ridicule for most other kids. Logan, try as he might, can’t avoid liking him and likely neither can readers. Logan and his mother learn that “the right society people” are not all they seem and no one can judge a book by its cover. This book was chosen due to its Edgar Award for Juvenile Fiction and because of favorable reviews by School Library Journal and Kirkus.

Selected Award: Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery Novel (2010)

Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol

Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol

by Krieg, Jim

(2010). New York: Razorbill.

ISBN 978-1595142764

Reading Level: Grades 4-8

Summary: Griff Carver is a hard-nosed veteran on the force who "talks the talk and walks the walk". He's also the new guy with a chief who thinks he's a loose cannon and a rookie partner he does not like. Sounds like the typical cop story except when you learn Griff Carver is on 7th grade hallway patrol. Griff and his partner uncover a phony hallway pass ring led by the seemingly perfect class presidential candidate, Marcus Volger. Together they stop at nothing to take down the case while trying not to take the whole school down with it.

Review: Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol takes a comical look at police procedures as seen through the eyes of a 7th grader. Tweens should enjoy comparing similar themes from many popular cop buddy films including a hilarious showdown between the two partners. Tough as nails Griff is sure to be a favorite character in a book filled with many. Krieg, the author, does a great job of plot development which puts the reader right in the thick of the hallway action. This book was chosen initially because it was an Edgar nominee and also because it had many positive reviews, including those from the School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. I think it will be a core title for its ingenious twist on the detective story genre and is the first in what I hope will be a series on Griff Carver, hallway patrol.

Selected Awards: Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery Novel (Nominated 2011), Christian Science Monitor 5 Great Mystery Books for Children, Starred Review by Publishers Weekly

Zora and Me

Zora and Me

by Bond, Victoria, and T. R. Simon

(2010). Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

ISBN 978-0763643003

Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Summary: A young Zora Neale Hurston and her friends Carrie, and Teddy try to uncover the mystery of the King Gator and the murder of Ivory, a traveling turpentine worker. Zora is known around town for her tall tales. When she sees one of her neighbors, Mr. Pendir, with a gator head and believes him to be the culprit, not everyone believes her. She and her best friend Carrie, who is the narrator, discover the town of Eatonville and its inhabitants share a world of secrets and it’s up to them to uncover the truth.

Review: Zora and Me is a great mystery that involves racial tension about identity and trust. This novel was chosen because it takes a real life person, Zora Neale Hurston, one of the great writers of the Harlem Renaissance, and fictionalizes her childhood. It manages to capture the spirit of her other work such as Their Eyes Were Watching God, one of my personal favorites, and makes it accessible for younger readers. It will certainly spark readers to want to know more about Zora, as an adult and as a child. Many will want to read more about her and two friends and their life in Eatonville. Reviewed favorably by Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal, it is sure to be a classic.

Selected Awards: 2011 Coretta Scott King/ John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award, Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery Novel (Nominated 2011), Christian Science Monitor 5 Great Mystery Books for Children

Harriet the Spy

Harriet the Spy (the classic edition)

by Fitzhugh, Louise

(2001/1964). New York: Dell Yearling

ISBN: 978-0440416791 / 978-0060219109

Reading Level: Grades 3-5

Summary: Harriet M. Welsch, aka "Harriet the spy" is a wannabe writer who makes not so kind observations about her friends in her secret notebook. When her friends read about themselves in her lost notebook they form a spy-catcher club to exact their revenge on her. Side-splitting results follow along with a life lesson for Harriet who tries to make amends.

Review: First published in 1964, Harriet the Spy was chosen because it really is a true classic. The book has so many levels to it that can be missed upon the very first reading. Not only is it about social class, honesty, and friendship but also about being an individual and believing in one's self, no matter what. It definitely is one of those books that can be read again and again and is a true example of a book with staying power.

Selected Awards: New York Times Outstanding Book Award (1964), School Library Journal Review

Shadows on Society Hill: An Addy Mystery

Shadows on Society Hill: An Addy Mystery

By Coleman, Evelyn.

(2007). Middleton, WI: American Girl.

ISBN 978-1593691622

Reading Level: Grades 4-7

Summary: It is a year after the end of the civil war; 11-year old Addy and her family are no longer slaves and they now live up north in a boarding house in Philadelphia. After Addy bravely saves a man’s life he offers her father a new job and her whole family a new place to live. They move into their very own home, a carriage house behind the main house in the upscale neighborhood of Society Hill. But from the start, mysterious things happen on the grounds of her new home, and Addy, ever curious and brave, goes in search of answers.

Review: Accessible and easy to read for younger tweens, Shadows on Society Hill, is a well thought out story with secrets and suspense and a likeable main character looking for the truth. The book neither glosses over nor goes too in depth while touching on the multifaceted issues of slavery, racial discrimination, and poverty. Addy is a character from the series of books based on American Girls dolls, and can be read and enjoyed by boys and girls alike. Critically praised, Shadows on Society Hill provides a good read in addition to diversity, from its characters as well as its time period, to a core collection of mysteries for tweens.

Selected Awards: Edgar Award Nomination for Best Juvenile Mystery 2008, Independent Publisher’s Silver Moonbeam Children's Book Award for Multicultural Fiction 2008