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    Mysteries For Kids Age 4 – Grade 8: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits

    22.7KViews Modified: Jun 15, 2022 · Published: Sep 12, 2015
    By Jacqueline 26 Comments

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    Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: A teenager reading a thick book with excitement!

    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?

    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.

    100 Wholehearted Books to Help Fight Back the Culture
    Print this booklist before going to the library!

    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. 4 mysteries: The Hardy Boy's Treasure Tower; Black and White; The Eleventh Hour; and the Mysterious Benedict Society

    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+

    The Mad Scientists’ Club  (getting hard to find)

    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. 4 mysteries: The Secret Seven collection, Masterpiece, The Westing Game, and Swallows and Amazons

    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!

    Encyclopedia Brown, the Famous Five Collection by Enid Blyton, American Girl Mystery, and Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

    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

    4 more books on my list

    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 (Be aware that the modernized versions of Nancy Drew are not appropriate for kids. I believe this edition came out in the early 90’s. The edition from the 70’s is ok, but much changed from the original from the 30’s and 40 ‘s. Original version is much better in it’s storyline and overall writing.)

    The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Gr 3-7

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

    The Cooper Kids Adventures #1-4 by Frank E. Peretti

    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.

    6 more books on my list

    Riverboat Adventure Series and The Viking Quest Series, by Lois W. 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

    Treasured Old Books
    Print this booklist before going to the library!

    (FYI: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

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

    Mysteries For Kids Age 4 Thru Middle Grades: Thrilling but Wholesome Whodunits, A young teen aged girl engrossed in reading a mystery.

    ©2023 Deep Roots at Home • All Rights Reserved

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    Related

    Hi! I’m Jacqueline!

    Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
    Welcome to my own little place on the internet! Home is where I love to be. I feel there is no greater place to incubate souls. These days you’ll find me using my experiences here to write about herbal remedies and natural health research — a big passion of mine. But being a wife and mother is not easy. It is challenging and potentially lonely. I get that. I wanted to create a place to connect with and support other moms for creating a natural, healthy, and fulfilling home life.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joanna

      August 07, 2017 at 9:23 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        August 07, 2017 at 2:41 pm

        This was on the audios, Joanna? How very sad to hear! 🙁

        Reply
    2. Karen

      August 10, 2017 at 11:24 am

      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

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        August 12, 2017 at 5:07 pm

        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

        Reply
        • Karen

          August 13, 2017 at 2:32 pm

          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

          Reply
    3. Dominic Adams

      August 12, 2017 at 10:31 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        August 12, 2017 at 5:00 pm

        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

        Reply
    4. Kathleen - Bloggers Lifestyle

      October 06, 2017 at 11:10 pm

      What a long and helpful list of mystery books for children. I feel like reading them myself. I saved this to Pinterest.

      Kathleen
      Blogger’s Pit Stop

      Reply
    5. Create With Joy

      October 07, 2017 at 1:26 am

      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! 🙂

      Reply
    6. Kathleen - Bloggers Lifestyle

      October 10, 2017 at 8:52 pm

      Jacqueline, the Blogger’s Pit Stop will feature this most helpful post and book recommendations. Be looking for the feature on Friday.

      Kathleen
      Blogger’s Pit Stop

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        October 10, 2017 at 9:14 pm

        Wow! Thank you so much, Kathleen!

        Reply
    7. Tina at Mommynificent

      October 10, 2017 at 9:28 pm

      This is a wonderful list I will refer to often! Thanks for sharing this with us at Booknificent Thursday at Mommynificent.com!
      Tina

      Reply
    8. Lisa/Syncopated Mama

      October 10, 2017 at 11:43 pm

      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!

      Reply
    9. DeeDee Allen

      March 16, 2020 at 11:13 am

      Thanks for the list! It is nice to have something comprehensive with age recommendations. I suggest that parents re-read their old favorites before passing them on to their children. For example, the original Hardy Boys series contains racial references that would have been very common for the time period, but is definitely not appropriate for today. At the advice of reading lists my husband hunted down the originals, but we have been very surprised at the racial slurs that are present as well as a few other things in the books. (Mich like rewatching many of my favorite childhood movies and not remembering the bad language that was in them =/ )

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        March 16, 2020 at 11:26 am

        Yes, Dee Dee, It is always wise and appropriate to use these as rich and compassionate teaching moments…for well-rounded children, they need to have a frame of reference. and yes, some of these would provide that! Great point!
        Blessings to you, ~J

        Reply
    10. Melena

      September 23, 2020 at 6:06 pm

      There are 8 titles in the Cooper Kid Adventures by Frank Peretti.
      My kids LOVED them and so did Mom! I believe my 20 yr old has possession of them now.
      https://www.christianbook.com/cooper-kids-adventures-volumes-1-8/frank-peretti/pd/69321#CBD-PD-Description

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        September 24, 2020 at 12:14 am

        Melena, it is interesting you mention that your 20-year old had the books! I love that he does!
        Our kids, now all married and starting families, have dibs on certain books and our youngest son actually looked for and bought the whole set of Uncle Arthur bedtime stories so he could have it for his children (14-15 volumes!) The are all starting their own little libraries for their children already! 😀

        Reply
        • Melena

          September 24, 2020 at 5:09 am

          The 20 yr old is my daughter and my youngest! They really belong to her brother who is the father of two now! Books are like old friends in our family…it’s in our DNA. Grandma Elizabeth was schooled in England and was a librarian so we have a fabulous legacy and book collection. <3

          Reply
          • Jacqueline

            September 24, 2020 at 12:01 pm

            Melena, what a rich heritage for them! You are indeed bibliophiles as we are!
            Warm hugs to you, friend!

            Reply
    11. Shannon

      July 23, 2021 at 12:15 am

      Thank you for this wonderful list. I thought I’d share our family’s favorite mystery series – The Baker Family Adventures. They are written by a homeschool graduate and from a Christian worldview. We loved reading these aloud together.
      https://crhedgcock.com/the-baker-family-adventures/

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        July 23, 2021 at 12:54 am

        Thank you, Shannon, for sharing that with us here! I hope to add it to the post if I get time before all the family comes!
        Blessings~ J

        Reply
    12. Sonya

      July 02, 2022 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks for these lists! So helpful to hunt for these books on amazon, read the reviews and get more info on them to see if they are of interest to my 11-year-old son. He loves reading and these lists have given us a new way to hunt for books other than our old tried and true method of just hunting the shelves and picking according to what looked interesting by the book cover info. We have hunted and found so many good books you have recommended. One of the librarians even remarked how great of a selection we’d picked out once as we were checking out the books. I told her it was from recommendations and research, and she even remarked that I was a good mom. Never hurts to hear that! Our library has a feature online where we can look for the book online and then create a list we can printout that makes it very easy to look for the books once we arrive. Or, we can even put them on hold if needed. Thanks for making these lists. Such a treasure! Not all of the books were at our library, but there were plenty to keep us busy!

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        July 02, 2022 at 9:12 pm

        Sonya, I am so glad the booklists are helpful! They were nostalgic for me and fun to write!
        Sounds like you have a better library than most!

        Blessings,
        Jacque

        Reply

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