F
ROB
The Absolutely True Story ... How I Visited Yellowstone park With the Terrible Rupes (age 9-12)
by Willo Davis Roberts
humor ... mystery
Publisher comments: Lewis and Alison's vacation should be lots of fun. Driving to Yellowstone in a motor home, seeing all the fantastic sights, getting to know their new neighbors...the trip should be a blast. It turns out to be anything but. First they discover their hosts, the Rupes, have no interest in nutrition, manners, or their own children. Even worse, two strange men seem to be following them. Could they have something to do with the one-hundred-dollar bills little Billy Rupe keeps finding in the motor home? Lewis is afraid the answer is yes -- and he should be.
F
HIA
Scat (age 9-12)
by Carl Hiaasen
mystery ... adventure ... nature ... humor
Publisher comments: Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing. She disappeared after a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. And, to be honest, the kids in her class are relieved. But when the principal tries to tell the students that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a "family emergency," Nick and Marta just don't buy it. No, they figure the class delinquent, Smoke, has something to do with her disappearance. And he does! But not in the way they think. There's a lot more going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. And Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture. That's life in the swamp, kids.
F
VAN
Moon Over Manifest (age 9-12)
by Clare Vanderpool
mystery ... historical
Publisher comments: "The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby. I closed my eyes to the dusty countryside and imagined the sign I'd seen only in Gideon's stories: Manifest—A Town with a rich past and a bright future." Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was. Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it's just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to "Leave Well Enough Alone." Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest's history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest's secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.
F
STE
When You Reach Me (age 9-12)
by Rebecca Stead
mystery ... family
Publisher commments: This remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.
F
ANG
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (age 9-12)
by Tom Angleberger
humor ... school ... mystery
Publisher comments: In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren't strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient. Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment with some well-timed advice. Dwight's classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. With contributions from his puzzled classmates, he assembles the case file that forms this novel.
American Girl History Mysteries (age 9-12)
historical ... mystery
Each mystery takes you to an exciting moment in American history.
title: Circle of Fire by Evelyn Coleman F COL
title: Danger at the Wild West Show by Alison Hart F HAR
title: Enemy in the Fort by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC
title: Gangsters at the Grand Atlantic by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC
title: Ghost Light on Graveyard Shoal by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON
title: Hoofbeats of Danger by Holly Hughes F HUG
title: The Minstrel's Melody by Eleanora E. Tate F TAT
title: Mystery at Chilkoot Pass by Barbara Steiner F STE
title: Mystery of the Dark Tower by Evelyn Coleman F COL
title: Mystery on Skull Island by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON
title: The Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON
title: Riddle of the Prairie Bride by Kathryn Reiss F REI
title: Secrets on 26th Street by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON
title: Shadows in the Glasshouse by Megan McDonald F MCD
title: The Smuggler's Treasure by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC
title: The Strange Case of Baby H by Kathryn Reiss F REI
title: Trouble at Fort La Pointe by Kathleen Ernst F ERN
title: Under Copp's Hill by Katherine Ayres F AYR
title: Voices at Whisper Bend by Katherine Ayres F AYR
title: Watcher in the Piney Woods by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON
title: Whistler in the Dark by Kathleen Ernst F ERN
The 39 Clues (age 9-12)
historical ... action ... adventure ... mystery
Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice: one million dollars or a clue." Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.
title: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan F RIO
title: One False Note by Gordon Korman F KOR
title: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis F LER
title: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson F WAT
title: The Black Circle by Patrick Carman F CAR
title: In Too Deep by Jude Watson F WAT
title: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix F HAD
title: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis F LER
title: The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman F KOR
title: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park F PAR
F
LOW
The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline (age 9-12)
by Lois Lowry
humor ... mystery ... family
When their mother starts to date the mystery man on the fifth floor who has been instructed by his agent to "eliminate the children" by the first of May, eleven-year-old Caroline and her older brother figure they're targeted to be the victims of a savage crime.
F
ROB
The Pet-Sitting Peril (age 9-12)
by Willo Davis Roberts
mystery
A boy who does odd jobs in an apartment house becomes involved with a gang of arsonists employed by the building's owner, who plans to destroy it in order to collect the insurance.
F
ROB
To Grandmother's House We Go (age 9-12)
by Willo Davis Roberts
family ... mystery
To avoid foster home care while their mother is recuperating from illness, three children run off to the home of a grandmother they have never seen, where they find a cold reception and a terrible secret.
F
BAR
The Great Gradepoint Mystery (age 9-12)
by Barbara Bartholomew
math/science/technology ... school ... mystery
When the grades of twelve-year-old Ricky and his friends inexplicably drop at the beginning of junior high, they suspect someone may be tampering with the school computer during a competition with a rival junior high.
F
HAH
Time For Andrew: a Ghost Story (age 9-12)
by Mary Downing Hahn
family ... mystery ... spooky
Aunt Blythe's house gives Andrew the creeps, full of dark rooms, creaky noises, and the sound of a woman sobbing somewhere in the shadows. Then, in the middle of the night, Andrew awakens to find a boy standing in his room...a boy who is Andrew's double, except he looks as if he's come from the grave. He wants to follow him, to a place where he will meet the spirits of long-dead ancestors...a place from which Andrew may never return.
F
SHA
Waterman's Boy (age 9-12)
by Susan Sharpe
family ... mystery ... nature
Two boys from a small town on the Chesapeake Bay help a scientist interested in cleaning up the water for the benefit of animals, plants, and people. Their parents, meanwhile, disapprove of people with too much education, and of outsiders' interference in their means of earning a living.
F
SEL
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: a Novel in Words and Pictures (age 9-12)
by Brian Selznick
the arts ... mystery ... math/science/technology ... historical
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.
F
PAR
Liza, Bill and Jed Mysteries (age 9-12)
by Peggy Parish
action ... adventure ... realistic ... mystery
Who or what is taking the kitchen scraps from the garbage every night? What starts out as a puzzle becomes a mystery. Every night Grandma leaves table scraps in a wrapped plastic bag in the garbage can where, according to plan, the McNellis children pick them up to feed their kittens. But the plan changes when the bag is gone in the morning. The twins, Liza and Bill, and brother Jed decide to investigate the matter. First the children discover Liza's missing red sweater in a part of the woods she hadn't been to before, next they read about runaway children in the newspaper, and then their new puppy is lost. Finally they find a teepee in the woods with what seems to be Indians in warpaint dancing and shooting arrows! The young detectives must put all the clues together and solve the mystery.
title: Key to the Treasure
F
HAH
The Old Willis Place: a Ghost Story (age 9-12)
by Mary Downing Hahn
mystery ... spooky
Diana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren't allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone. But when a new caretaker comes to live there with his young daughter, Lissa, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules they live by and reveal herself so she can finally have a friend. Somehow, Diana must get Lissa's help if she and Georgie ever hope to release themselves from the secret that has bound them to the old Willis place for so long.
F
BUC
The Sisters Grimm Series (age 9-12)
by Michael Buckley
fantasy ... folklore ... humor ... mystery
In the tradition of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and The Spiderwick Chronicles comes a new humorous mystery of fantastic circumstances. The Sisters Grimm Book One: The Fairy Tale Detectives introduces us to two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. Grandmother Grimm lives in a strange town in New York State, known for it's extraordinary number of unexplained and unusual crimes. As soon as the sisters arrive, they begin to unravel a mystery that leads to their ancestors' magical beginnings. Sabrina and Daphne learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who were actually detectives of the magical phenomenon perpetrated by the Everafters, a parallel race of magical beings. They soon discover it is the Grimm family's legacy to keep the Everafters in line and the two sisters are the sole heirs to this challenge!
title: The Fairy-Tale Detectives
title: The Unusual Suspects
title: The Problem Child
title: Once Upon a Crime
title: Magic and Other Misdemeanors
title: Tales From the Hood
title: The Everafter War
title: The Inside Story
F
NAY
Night Cry (age 9-12)
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
growing up ... family ... mystery
Often left alone on their five-acre Mississippi farm by her traveling-salesman father, Ellen learns, through a terrifying experience, to distinguish between real and false fears.
F
ROB
Megan's Island (age 9-12)
by Willo Davis Roberts
family ... mystery
First eleven-year-old Megan is astonished when her mother insists on taking her and her younger brother up to the lake cottage a week before school is out; then they find mysterious strangers following them.
F
ROB
Scared Stiff (age 9-12)
by Willo Davis Roberts
family ... mystery
When their mother disappears, two brothers go to stay with a great uncle in a mobile home park next to an abandoned amusement park and begin a search which puts them in danger.
F
IBB
The Star of Kazan (age 9-12)
by Eva Ibbotson
mystery ... identity
Set in pre-World War I Vienna, a young servant girl Annika learns that she is actually an aristocrat whose true home is an ancient castle. There, Annika discovers that all is not as it seems in the lives of her newfound family.
F
COL
Half-moon Investigations (age 9-12)
by Eoin Colfer
action ... brilliant protagonist ... mystery
Catalog: Twelve-year-old Fletcher Moon, the youngest qualified private detective in the world, receives a diploma and gold-plated detective's shield after completing an Internet course, and sets out to solve petty crimes at school, but he forced to go on the run when, while investigating the town's biggest crime family, his badge is stolen and he is framed for several crimes he did not commit.
F
CUR
The Great Smith House Hustle (age 9-12)
by Jane Louise Curry
enterprise ... family ... mystery
Just after moving into their grandmother's house in Pittsburgh, the five Smith children must uncover a long-standing scam to steal the houses of old people before Grandma Smith loses her home.
F
CAR
Aunt Morbelia and the Screaming Skulls (age 9-12)
by Joan Davenport Carris
humor ... spooky ... family ... mystery
The peaceful life of a boy with dyslexia is interrupted when his great-aunt, who has a morbid fascination with ghosts and death omens, moves in.
F
SNY
Gib Rides Home (age 9-12)
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
identity ... mystery ... historical ... family
Gib Whittaker's life at Lovell House Orphanage in the early 1900s is pretty bleak. But along with hours of chores, bad food, and paddlings, the boys do get some schooling, and reading and writing are better than scrubbing floors. Still, Gib's fondest dream is to have a real family. So when Georgie Olson is adopted, Gib can't help being jealous, even when he finds out that the "adoption" really means being farmed out to work as unpaid labor until the age of 18. When Gib himself is farmed out, he arrives at the home he has always dreamed of. But he's soon aware of barely concealed tensions and secrets kept hidden from him.
F
WRI
The Dollhouse Murders (age 9-12)
by Betty Ren Wright
spooky ... family ... mystery
Catalog: A dollhouse filled with a ghostly light in the middle of the night and dolls that have moved from where she last left them lead Amy and her retarded sister to unravel the mystery surrounding grisly murders that took place years ago.
F
SNY
Janie's Private Eyes (age 9-12)
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
mystery
Intent on investigating a rash of dog disappearances, eight-year-old Janie forms a detective agency and involves her friends and unwilling family in tracing clues and suspects.
F
SNY
The Headless Cupid (age 9-12)
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
spooky ... mystery ... magic ... friendship
When the four Stanley children meet Amanda, their new stepsister, they're amazed to learn that she studied witchcraft. They're stunned to see her dressed in a strange costume, carrying a pet crow, and surrounded by a pile of books about the supernatural. It's not long before Amanda promises to give witchcraft lessons to David, Janie, and the twins. But that's when strange things start happening in their old house. David suspects Amanda of causing mischief, until they learn that the house really was haunted a long time ago. Legend has it that a ghost cut the head off a wooden cupid on the stairway. Has the ghost returned to strike again?
F
BAL
Chasing Vermeer (age 9-12)
by Blue Balliett
the arts ... mystery
When a book of unexplainable occurances brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth they must draw on their powers of intuition, their skills at problem solving, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?
F
LAW
The Roman Mystery Series (age 9-12)
by Caroline Lawrence
mystery ... historical
In the first of this series, Thieves of Ostia, the dogs on Flavia's street have started dying mysteriously, and she is determined to find out why. Her investigation leads her to three extraordinary people: Jonathan, her new neighbor; Nubia, an African slave; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy. The four embark on a search for the killer--and that's when the excitement begins.
title: The Secrets of Vesuvius
title: The Pirates of Pompeii
title: The Assassins of Rome
title: The Dolphins of Laurentum
title: The Sirens of Surrentum
F
KON
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (age 9-12)
by E. L. Konigsburg
realistic ... the arts ... mystery ... adventure
Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away...so she decided not to run FROM somewhere, but TO somewhere. And so, after some careful planning, she and her younger brother, Jamie, escaped right into a mystery that made headlines!
F
BEL
The House With a Clock in Its Walls (age 9-12)
by John Bellairs
spooky ... magic ... mystery
A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which is ticking off the minutes until doomsday.
sequel: The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring
F
KEE
Nancy Drew Series (age 9-12)
by Carolyn Keene
mystery
In each book, teenage detective Nancy Drew solves a new mystery with determination and sharp wit.
title: The Bungalow Mystery
title: The Clue in the Crossword Cipher
title: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall
title: The Clue in the Diary
title: The Clue in the Jewel Box
title: The Clue in the Old Album
title: The Clue in the Old Stagecoach
title: The Clue of the Black Keys
title: The Clue of the Broken Locket
title: The Clue of the Dancing Puppet
title: The Clue of the Leaning Chimney
title: The Clue of the Tapping Heels
title: The Clue of the Velvet Mask
title: The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes
title: The Crooked Banister
title: The Double Jinx Mystery
title: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall
title: The Haunted Bridge
title: The Haunted Showboat
title: The Hidden Staircase
title: The Hidden Window Mystery
title: The Invisible Intruder
title: The Message in the Hollow Oak
title: The Moonstone Castle Mystery
title: The Mysterious Mannequin
title: The Mystery at Lilac Inn
title: Mystery at the Ski Jump
title: Mystery of Crocodile Island
title: The Mystery of the 99 Steps
title: Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk
title: The Mystery of the Fire Dragon
title: Mystery of the Glowing Eye
title: Mystery of the Ivory Charm
title: Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion
title: Mystery of the Tolling Bell
title: Nancy's Mysterious Letter
title: Password to Larkspur Lane
title: The Phantom of Pine Hill
title: The Quest of the Missing Map
title: The Ringmaster's Secret
title: The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
title: The Secret in the Old Attic
title: The Secret of Mirror Bay
title: The Secret of Red Gate Farm
title: the Secret of Shadow Ranch
title: The Secret of the Forgotten City
title: The Secret of the Golden Pavilion
title: The Secret of the Old Clock
title: The Secret of the Wooden Lady
title: The Sign of the Twisted Candles
title: The Sky Phantom
title: The Spider Sapphire Mystery
title: The Strange Message in the Parchment
title: The Thirteenth Pearl
title: The Whispering Statue
title: The Witch Tree Symbol
F
DIX
The Hardy Boys Series (age 9-12)
by Frank Dixon
mystery
In each book Frank and Joe Hardy, boy detectives, investigate a new mystery.
title: The Clue of the Screeching Owl
title: The Disappearing Floor
title: The Ghost at Skeleton Rock
title: The Great Airport Mystery
title: The Hidden Harbor Mystery
title: The House on the Cliff
title: Hunting for Hidden Gold
title: Mystery at Devil's Paw
title: The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior
title: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
title: Mystery of the Desert Giant
title: Mystery of the Flying Express
title: The Phantom Freighter
title: The Secret of Skull Mountain
title: The Secret of the Caves
title: The Secret of the Old Mill
title: The Secret Panel
title: The Secret Warning
title: The Shore Road Mystery
title: The Short-wave Mystery
title: The Sign of the Crooked Arrow
title: The Sinister Signpost
title: The Tower Treasure
title: The Twisted Claw
title: The Viking Symbol Mystery
title: What Happened at Midnight
title: While the Clock Ticked
title: The Mark on the Door
title: The Missing Chums
F
COL
Artemis Fowl Series (age 9-12)
by Eoin Colfer
math/science/technology ... mystery ... adventure ... science fiction ... brilliant protagonist ... adventure ... action ... fantasy
Artemis Fowl, a charming but villainous twelve-year-old, takes on the dangerous world of the Fairy People in this unforgettable story. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl opens up a riveting world of fantasy and mystery where anything, literally, is possible.
title: Artemis Fowl
title: The Artemis Fowl Files

Hoover Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:31 2012
Other themes and genres