Mystery stories for children and teens
Mystery stories for kids and teens pull readers into puzzles, secrets, and unexplained events that beg to be solved. The characters might be junior detectives, curious friends, or regular kids suddenly caught in something strange, but they all rely on logic, observation, and teamwork to crack the case. These stories hook readers with suspense while sharpening problem-solving and critical thinking. For younger kids, they build confidence in spotting clues, and for teens, the plots dig into deeper, more thought-provoking themes. This list features books by Eoin Colfer, Chris Grabenstein, Rebecca Stead, E. L. Konigsburg, Ellen Raskin, Stuart Gibbs, Karen M. McManus, Tiffany D. Jackson, Angeline Boulley, and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
Mystery stories for children and teens – our recommendations
Mystery stories for children
To Catch a Thief by Martha Brockenbrough. 
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman. 
Scrimshaw: A Deephaven Mystery by Ethan M Aldridge. 
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein. 
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. 
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. 
Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley. 
Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley, illustrated by Xavier Bonet. 
Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo. 
The Curse on Spectacle Key by Chantel Acevedo. 
Crushed by Melanie Conklin. 
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. 
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl. 
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. 
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. 
Greystone Secrets: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix. 
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel. 
The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart. 
The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie. 
Spy School Project X by Stuart Gibbs. 
Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs. 
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell. 
Mystery on Magnolia Circle by Kate Klise. 
Ali Cross by James Patterson. 
Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega. 
Shadow Jumper by J M Forster. 
Nothing is Little by Carmella Van Vleet. Mystery stories for teens
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams. 
Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards. 
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. 
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíd. 
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. 
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas. 
Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti. 
I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick. 
Girl Forgotten by April Henry. 
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay. 
Killing November by Adriana Mather. 
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus. 
They Went Left by Monica Hesse. 
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson. 
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. 
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, illustrated by Rovina Cai. 
Follow Me Back by A. V. Geiger. 
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson. 
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds. 
Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price. 
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 
Five Survive by Holly Jackson. 
Twelfth by Janet Key. 
Olivetti by Allie Millington. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this mystery stories book list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page, which makes this process easy.
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Mystery stories for children and teens – resources for teachers
- National Archives – “Be a Document Detective” A ready-to-teach inquiry lesson that turns students into evidence-spotting detectives; adaptable to clue-gathering in middle-grade and YA mysteries.
- Smithsonian NMAH – Historians Are Detectives (Grades 3–5) Primary-source routines that model questioning, corroboration, and claims-with-evidence – ideal for introducing mystery thinking in upper-elementary.
- Library of Congress – Lesson Plan: Primary Sources & Personal Artifacts Step-by-step strategy for examining “clues” and building a case from objects and documents; pairs well with museum-heist, library, and puzzle mysteries.
- Smithsonian Learning Lab – Primary Sources (K–5) Collection Curated, classroom-ready sources and prompts for close looking, sequencing, and inference – use as evidence packets alongside middle-grade mysteries.
- International Spy Museum – Educator Resources Free lessons on codes, tradecraft, and analysis, including primary documents and turnkey activities; great enrichment for detective/espionage plots.
- FBI Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Age-leveled cyber-sleuthing challenges and teacher tools that build digital evidence skills – a modern angle for social-media and tech mysteries.
- Smithsonian NMNH – Forensic Anthropology (Teaching Resource) Clear explainers and classroom materials on forensic methods (bones, context, identification) to support crime-scene logic in teen mysteries.
- National Archives – Teaching with Documents Thousands of primary sources with activity templates; perfect for constructing alibis/timelines and testing hypotheses in whodunits.
- Library of Congress – Getting Started with Primary Sources A simple, reusable organizer (observe–reflect–question) to scaffold clue logs, red-herring checks, and suspect boards across ages.
- APT Learning Adventures – Inside the Crime Lab Free video + classroom PDF on lab techniques and STEM careers; students practice evidence evaluation to “solve” a case – great for teen mystery units.
BISAC YAF029000 Children’s and teenage crime and mystery fiction | Thema YFCF
