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Mysteries: Books For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits

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Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

Mysteries, in my opinion, should not be dark or disturbing mentally. I didn’t want to develop a taste for horror or twisted themed books in our children’s hearts or in my own. I came up with a booklist that follows the biblical command to think on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, commendable, and excellent. (Phil. 4:8). Still, parents may want to check out these books for content for themselves.

Why Mysteries

In the meantime, mysteries can give us some of the best opportunities for exploring splendidly written, high quality literature. A student watching for clues makes for careful reading, while looking at the books analytically involves looking for patterns and critical thinking among other skills.

In general mysteries cover such a broad range of settings and subject matter that they can easily be integrated across many areas of the curriculum.

There are mysteries which rely on detecting patterns in the clues or codes, so they are great for focusing on math skills. There are mysteries set in different time periods and locations that bring in history and geography. Many mysteries include police officers or detectives which fit well with units on communities or crime and justice themes. There are great mysteries set in art museums or involving forgery. Finally a mystery allows us to dig into language arts topics such as characters and writing styles. Mystery, in particular, is a good vehicle for noticing and practicing plot writing techniques.

If you as a parent enjoyed books like Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and The Hardy Boys when you were a child, here are more fantastic mysteries for your children in various age categories that will keep them reading all year long.

Some of our criterion for wholesome reading material – no matter the genre:
  • beauty through character and integrity
  • healthy adult relationships
  • promotes strength of family unit
  • if there is a later romantic relationship, it grows out of mutual admiration, respect, communication, connectivity
  • sexual purity of characters
  • evil characters demonstrate cruelty, wrong choices, and selfish behavior, and they are punished/conquered by good characters or through natural consequences
  • good triumphs over evil

Mysteries by Grade or Age

Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

Sugar Creek Gang Mystery books 1-6 by Paul Hutchens (The Swamp Robber/The Killer Bear/The Winter Rescue/The Lost Campers/The Chicago Adventure/The Secret Hideout) 

The Hardy Boys Mystery series by Franklin W. Dixon (look for dates before 1959 to get the true originals without alterations. Older than that have been re-written.)

Black and White by David Macaulay, Gr 1-4. 

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery by Graeme Base, age 5-8+

Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – age 9+

Just David by Eleanor H. Porter, age 4-5+

Piggins series by Jane Yolen, Gr. K-3.

Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

Secret Seven Collection by Enid Blyton (Blyton’s stories remain timeless classics, adored throughout the world). Gr 4-7                                                             

Masterpiece by Elise Broach – Gr 3-6.

Concord Cunningham the Scripture Sleuth Series

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome; all ages!

Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

Famous Five Collection by Enid Blyton – Adventure/mystery for 4-11 year olds

Enid Blyton Adventure Series – Adventure/mystery for 6-14 year olds

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein, Gr 3-7

American Girl Historical mysteries, Gr 2-5

Riley May series by Jill Osborne, Gr 3-6

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol, Gr 4-6.

The Secret Of Copperhead Creek: One of 3 Culverton Kids Mystery Stories

Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

The Mystery of Smugglers Cove (The Mystery Series, Book 1)

Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene (beyond #15 in the series I cannot vouch for content) Ages 8-13

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Gr 3-7

The Left-Handed Fate by Kate Milford, Gr 5-8

Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg, Gr 2-6.

The Boxcar Children Bookshelf (Mysteries, Books 1-12)

Journeyforth Novels from BJU Press

The Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson, Gr 2-5.

Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

Riverboat Adventure Series and The Viking Quest Series, by Lois Walfrid Johnson, Gr 4-8

Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg, Gr 3-6.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Gr 4-6

Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson, Gr 4-7

Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, Gr 3-7

Nightmare Academy (The Veritas Project) by Frank Peretti, Age 12-17

Trixie Belden Mysteries by Julie Campbell, Gr 3-7

Some other booklists here at Deep Roots with completely different content.

DEAR READERS, THERE ARE AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST. IF you are already planning TO PURCHASE, And IF THERE IS ANY WAY POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO USE THESE LINKS, IT WOULD BE A BLESSING. IT WOULD HELP TO COVER SOME OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO WRITE THIS FREE RESOURCE. ALL THE LINKS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE FOR PRODUCTS THAT I FEEL ARE WHOLESOME AND HELPFUL. I WOULD SHARE THESE LINKS FOR PURPOSES OF ENCOURAGING FAMILIES EVEN IF NOT AN AFFILIATE. I SINCERELY THANK YOU!

“A home-school cannot function without enthusiasm and curiosity. Enthusiasm enables the child to educate himself. Curiosity makes the child want to learn!” ~Karen Andreola

Pin It! Pin It!Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, popular genre, literature, readers, high quality, students, reading, patterns, critical thinking, skills, setting, curriculum, patterns, codes, time periods, math skills, history, geography, art museums, forgery, justice themes, language arts, writing styles, plot writing techniques, puzzles, parents, books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, age categories, good triumphs over evil, character, integrity, Sugar Creek Gang, Black and White, The eleventh Hour, Mysterious Benedict Society, Just David, Piggins, Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, Concord Cunningham, The Westing Game, Swallows and Amazons, Famous five Collection, Enid Blyton Adentures and Mysteries, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, American Girl Mysteries, Riley May series, Secret of Copperhead Creek, Culverton Kids, Mystery of Smuggler's cove, Carolyn Keene, Phantom Tollbooth, Left-Handed Fate, Bad Day at River Bend, Boxcar Children, Journeyforth Novels, Hank the Cowdog, Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Greenglass House, Kate Milford, The Candymakers, Nooks and Crannies, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, age levels

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Thanks for reading!

Jacqueline
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Comments

  1. Thank you for these Jacqueline. Some I have not even heard of, and I’ve always loved the genre myself!?
    We discovered Hank the Cowdog last year, and were really enjoying them, when I heard some bad language on one of the audiobooks. The next day I heard more on another one. ? We’re usually OK with “farm language”, but this was worse (I don’t remember what the actual words were) so we had to tell our kids “No more Hank.” ?DS was so sad.

  2. Hi Jacqueline,

    I just read your post from Sept 2015 “Rethink Medicating” and I am interested in trying some of the suggestions with my daughter. I have a couple of questions.

    First of all, the grapefruit seed extract isn’t labeled for kids. Do you know if there is a product that IS for kids, or is it safe for kids to use even though it doesn’t specifically say “for kids” on it? The pills appear to be quite large and I’m pretty sure will be too difficult for my daughter to swallow, not to mention I am unsure on dosage.

    Secondly, the probiotic powder the post linked to was for adults, but I found the kid version. When comparing which probiotics are in them the adult version has different ones than the kid version. If you are trying to deal with the same issue, wouldn’t the kids and adults need the same probiotics but in different doses? Or do adults and children need different probiotics? If I use a powdered probiotic instead of one in a capsule, does it get past the stomach acid to do any good?

    Thirdly, the post says to do both for 3x/day for 3 months….what happens after 3 months? Do you continue but only once a day? Do you stop altogether?

    Traditional medicine has not helped us and I am trying to find alternatives, but I don’t know what to do, who to ask, etc. I am a little concerned about taking such high doses of something I know little about. Can you recommend somewhere reliable where I can do more research on grapefruit seed extract and probiotics? Is it possible to take too much of either probiotics or grapefruit seed extract? What are the side-effects/dangers, if any?

    I know I am asking a lot of questions, and I really appreciate any guidance you can give. I realize you are no longer a practicing medical professional, but you have that background, as well as the learning you have done on alternatives, your own journey, being a mom and a Christ-follower, and I am grateful for you sharing what you know.

    Blessings,
    Karen

    • Hi, Karen! I will try to help and am glad to. We have grapefruit seed extract tablets to our children since they were around 5/6 years old. This may help you feel more comfortable: http://www.livestrong.com/article/304951-grapefruit-seed-extract-for-children/
      And as to probiotics, they are ALL good bacteria and suppress or crowd out BAD bacteria. I only use safe natural things to heal when I treat my own children and these two products are about as safe as safe can be. I hope that helps!
      Blessings! J

      • Thanks Jacqueline! I appreciate the link to the article as well as knowing you gave it to your own kiddos when they were 5 or 6….most other information I was finding was for 12+.

        I am off to order some!

        Blessings to you and thank you for your time!
        Karen

  3. Thank you for the list! Look forward to reading the ones we haven’t read. Another great one for ages 4 to 8 is A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery: The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman and the Complete Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton are great for teenagers through adults. Again, really appreciate the wonderful list of mysteries!

    • I am glad to provide it, Dominic! I learned a lot myself and found many books I wouldn’t share with my kids!
      Blessings,
      J

  5. Thanks so much for sharing this article at The Book Nook at Create With Joy, Jacqueline – your criteria for selecting thrilling but wholesome mysteries for middle school children is spot on and you’ve shared some wonderful books for young readers!

    I loved The Phantom Tollbooth as well as the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators series growing up. Whenever I have a chance to delve into fiction, mysteries/suspense/thrillers remain among my favorite genres to this day!

    Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

  8. Yay! I loved mysteries as a kid, so I’ll definitely be using this list with my little gal! Thanks so much for joining us at #FridayFrivolity – and I chose this post as my feature!

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