In honor of Mystery Month, I’m presenting my reading recommendations a little differently. Instead of giving you a list of selected books for your kids, I’ve selected authors who write mystery series for kids. The author is listed with a short introduction to the book series. I loved reading mystery series as a kid and reading them to my kids.
Books by Mike Grylls – Though Mike Grylls does not have an official mystery series, he writes bedtime stories for children ages 3-8. Some of his books are mysteries. Why not read Griffy the Detective Dog to your little ones and encourage their love of mysteries and problem-solving.
Zach and Zoe Mysteries by Mike Lupica – Zach and Zoe are eight-year-old twins who love playing sports almost as much as they love solving mysteries. Luckily for readers, they do both in each book. Lupica is a well-known sportswriter. He is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News and his popular "Shooting from the Lip" column, which appears every Sunday. Lupica writes books about sports for kids, and he has contributed to writing additional books in the adult mystery genre for the Jesse Stone Series and The Sunny Randall Series created and originally written by Robert B. Parker. Lupica enjoys writing about sports and writing mysteries. He created Zach and Zoe Mysteries to share his love of both genres with a younger audience. This book series is for children ages 6-9.
Ballpark Mysteries by Davis A. Kelly – Each mystery in the series is set in a different American baseball park and solved by kids. David A. Kelley is the author of many books for children and two book series for early readers. He is also a freelance travel writer and technology analyst. This book series is for children ages 6-9.
Nate the Great – World’s Greatest Detective Series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat – Nate the great is a boy who loves pancakes and solving mysteries for his friends. This is the only series written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. She often collaborates with her husband, Mitchell. This book series is for children ages 6-9.
Precious Ramotswe Mysteries for Young Readers by Alexander McCall Smith – This mystery series for young readers takes place in Africa and follows the adventures of Precious Ramotswe as a young girl solving mysteries. Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, the 44 Scotland Street series, and the Corduroy Mansions series. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and lives in Scotland. This book series is for ages 7-12.
Rebekah Girl Detective Books by P.J. Ryan – Rebekah and her best friend, a boy named Mouse because he carries his pet mouse around in his pocket, solve mysteries in their community. They interact with other children and adults in positive ways while they investigate. P.J. Ryan is a former nanny. This series is for children ages 8-12.
The Crime Solving Cousins Mystery Series by Shannon L. Brown – Twelve-year-old cousins Sophie and Jessica don’t have much in common. Sophie loves the outdoors and her small town while Jessica is happy to spend the day shopping in a big city. When they encounter their first mystery and must work together gathering clues with the help of their friend Tony, the cousins discover something they have in common – solving mysteries. Shannon L. Brown had a lot of different jobs until she discovered writing. After she became an award-winning journalist, she switched gears and started writing fiction for children. This series is for children ages 8-12.
Other Mystery series for kids:
Donald J. Sobol’s Encyclopedia Brown – for ages 8-12
David A. Adler’s Cam Jansen – for ages 7-10
Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew – for ages 8-12
Franklin W. Dixon’s The Hardy Boys – for ages 8-12
Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Boxcar Children – for ages 7-10
