Super Sleuth! 17 Marvelous Middle Grade Mystery Books for Kids Ages 8-12

Middle grade mystery books are the best! I started reading them when I was a kid, and I still read them as an adult. My 11-year-old daughter also reads mystery books by the dozen. Once she starts reading one, she can’t put it down until she’s solved the mystery and turned the final page.

Puzzles, clues, and mysteries fill the pages of these novels and will keep your kids (and you) guessing until the very end.

These are some of my favorite middle grade mystery books that I’ve read (and I’ve read a LOT). I included only the best ones on this list.

Grab a pen and paper and write down the names of these titles so you can snag them at the library or the bookstore for your little sleuth!

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Marvelous Middle Grade Mystery Books for Kids Ages 8-12

It Wasn’t Me by Dana Alison Levy

I gave this book to my twelve-year-old daughter (who gave it to a neighbor when she finished). She loved it! It’s a contemporary mystery novel that reads like a middle school version of The Breakfast Club. When his photography project gets vandalized at school, Theo wants to forget the incident ever happened. But his teacher makes him and five suspected students come to school over vacation. Stuck at school with a bunch of kids he doesn’t like, Theo thinks this is his worst nightmare. As time goes on, the kids discover true friendship, loyalty, and the culprit behind the vandalism.

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The Mutant Mushroom Takeover by Summer Rachel Short

This is a witty mystery novel for the environmentally-minded kids out there. When Maggie and her friend Nate discover a rare mushroom, she thinks she’s stumbled across a great discovery. But when strange things start happening, Maggie realizes the mushrooms are dangerous. She’ll have to use her scientific knowledge and Nate’s obsession with aliens and conspiracy theories to figure out where the mushrooms came from and how to stop them from destroying everything. With a slightly spooky vibe and a tenacious, science-loving girl as the main character, this book will be a favorite of STEM and mystery lovers!

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The Maypop Kidnapping: A Quinnie Boyd Mystery by C.M. Surissi

I attended a workshop with the author of this book, and it was fantastic, so I bought the book. I loved it so much that I gave it to my daughter, then purchased the rest of the series. We devoured all the books in this middle grade mystery series and loved every page! The mysteries are quirky, unique, and upbeat. They’re unlike any of the other books on this reading list. If you’re looking for a few books to keep your kid occupied, pick this series up!

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The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

You can’t talk about middle grade mystery books without mentioning this modern classic. My daughter read this book in a day and couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved it. It’s about a group of sixteen people who get caught up in an elaborate puzzle left behind by an eccentric millionaire. With twists and turns and humor, this book will keep you guessing until the end.

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Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers by Shauna Holyoak

Dognapping is a popular theme in middle grade mystery books, and my kids love it! When dogs start disappearing from her neighborhood, Kazu Jones must figure out who’s behind the dognappings. With her best friend and her helpful pooch, Kazu follows the clues right into danger. The second book in this series, Kazu Jones and the Comic Book Criminal, is also available.

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The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton

My daughter and I both loved this mystery novel! Three delinquent kids receive a mysterious scholarship opportunity. They get promised a pile of money if they can solve a set of clues around the city of Chicago. The catch is that they’re competing against each other. It doesn’t take long before the kids realize there’s more at stake than a scholarship. This book is fun to read, especially if you love Chicago, trivia, riddles, and middle grade mystery books.

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The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart

This is a pretty long book, but it reads quickly. My kids and I read it in just a few weeks and enjoyed every chapter. It’s about a boy named Reuben who stumbles across an antique watch that can make him invisible. But someone knows about the watch and will stop at nothing to take it from him. With danger lurking around every corner, Reuben has to use his brains and adventurous nature to stay out of the clutches of the mysterious person searching for him.

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The Girl From Felony Bay by J.E. Thompson

Abbey’s dad is in a coma, but he was also framed for a terrible crime he didn’t commit. Now living with her deadbeat uncle, Abbey meets Bee, and the two girls team up to solve the mystery around the crime, the framing, and Abbey’s old house. Set on an old plantation in the South, this mystery novel is heartwarming, funny, and full of surprises!

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Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Smart, witty, and bursting with personality, Three Times Lucky is a fun ride and the perfect middle grade mystery book to read during the summer. Turnage created characters as beautiful as they are quirky. I loved every one of them. This story came alive for me. I read it a few years ago while my kids were little. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this book yet, I highly recommend doing so.

And don’t miss the follow-up mystery books too. Ghosts of Tupelo Landing and The Odds of Getting Even.

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Greenglass House by Kate Milford

I read this book with my kids around Christmas time because that’s when it takes place, but it’s a mystery novel at heart. Milo lives in Greenglass House — an inn for smugglers. Mysterious strangers start to arrive at the beginning of winter break, a time when Greenglass House is usually empty and quiet. This mystery novel kept my kids and me reading well past bedtime with unusual characters, a puzzling mystery, and a house with endless hiding places.

Check out the second book, Ghosts of Greenglass House too!

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Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

I grew up on a steady diet of Nancy Drew, and she’s still one of my favorite female sleuths. She’s brave, intelligent, and an all-around rock star. Not to mention she’s a tried-and-true classic. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase was my favorite book in the series. Nancy Drew needs to be on your list if you’re looking for middle-grade mystery books for your kids. Even with the older writing style, these books are fantastic.

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Enola Holmes Mystery series by Nancy Springer

A friend of mine recommended this series to me several years ago, and I picked up a copy of the first book at the library. Enola Holmes is the younger sister of the famed Sherlock Holmes and feels like she’s always living in his shadow.

I adored this book! It’s full of adventure, problem-solving, and interesting characters. Enola is a strong young lady and a great heroine to read about. She’s intelligent and independent and not afraid to get her hands dirty. This one is perfect if you’re looking for books with a strong female lead. And now, you can watch the Netflix movie starring Millie Bobby Brown!

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Platypus Police Squad series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

I read this series to my girls at bedtime a few years back, and they loved it. This author has a reputation for writing hilarious and wacky books like the Lunch Lady series, and this series about a pair of platypus detectives are no exception. They’re action-packed mystery stories with real crimes to solve, delivered with loads of humor.

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Mister Max series by Cynthia Voigt

If your child is into longer books or needs something more advanced, this book is perfect. It’s similar to The Secret Keepers in length and feel, but the stories are very different. This book is a historical fiction mystery novel. Max’s parents ran off on a (possibly false) adventure, and to make ends meet, Max picks up odd jobs finding things for people. If only he could find his parents!

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Catch You Later, Traitor by Avi

Catch You Later, Traitor is about Pete, a young boy who starts investigating his family’s secrets. The plot builds slowly but surely, with a few breathtaking moments of suspense sprinkled through the story. Like all of Avi’s books, there is a point behind everything that happens. This book is a great middle grade mystery for kids in the fifth and sixth grades, especially if they like baseball, historical fiction, and detective stories.

Fun Fact: The author based parts of this book on his childhood experience with one of his teachers.

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Maggie Brooklyn Mystery series by Leslie Margolis

If your child loves animals, pets, and light mysteries, check out this series. It takes place in Brooklyn, where Maggie decides to start a dog walking business to earn some extra cash. But dogs in the neighborhood begin to go missing, and Maggie must use her amateur sleuthing skills to find the lost pups. There are three middle grade mystery books in this series, and you can read each story on its own.

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Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave by Deron R. Hicks

I read this book when I researched titles for a book roundup about Shakespeare for Brightly. It’s one of the only middle grade mystery books I’d read that combined sleuthing with actual history. I enjoyed it so much that I read the entire book in one sitting. It’s a quick, easy read and perfect for kids in the 8-12 age group who like mysteries, history, and Shakespeare.

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*Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2020.

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