May is Mystery Month, so in honor of all the talented authors who write and have written mysteries for children, this month’s book recommendations will be children’s mysteries. Listed below are some of the books that helped us and our children love reading and made us fall in love with the mystery genre. Some of these books are timeless classics and others are new offerings, but all of them will become treasured favorites.
The Hardy Boys Mysteries - The series was created in 1926 by American writer Edward Stratemeyer, who founded the book-packaging firm, Stratemeyer Syndicate. The first book which features, Frank and Joe Hardy, fictional teenage brothers who are amateur sleuths debuted in 1927. They solve cases that baffle their adult counterparts. The books have been ghostwritten by several authors all using the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. In 1959, the decision was made to extensively revise the original books to update them and eliminate racial stereotypes. The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories which is comprised of 190 books ran from 1927 to 2005.
In 1987, a new Hardy Boys series, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, was created. This series, comprised of 127 books, includes books with more adult plots including murders, violence, and international espionage.
In 2005, a new series was introduced named Undercover Brothers. This series features updated versions of Joe and Frank who narrate their adventures in the first person. Undercover Brothers (39 books) ended in 2012. It was replaced in 2013 by The Hardy Boys Adventures (also written in the first person).
The Hardy Boys books remain popular and sell over a million copies annually. The adventures have been translated into more than 25 languages. Joe and Frank have been featured in five television shows, several video games, and merchandise with the Hardy Boys images such as lunchboxes and jeans. They were also featured in standalone books, such as The Hardy Boys Ghost Stories and crossover books where they teamed up with Nancy Drew or Tom Swift.
Check out a few of these titles from the three main series:
The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories:
The Tower Treasure (1927 – revised in 1959)
The Hidden Harbor Mystery (1935 – revised in 1961)
The Secret Panel (1946 – revised in 1969)
The Mystery at Devil’s Paw (1959 – revised in 1973)
The Secret Agent on Flight 101 (1967)
The Witchmaster’s Key (1976)
The Hardy Boys Casefiles Series:
Dead on Target (1987)
The Last Laugh (1990)
Murder by Magic (1995)
Absolute Zero (1997)
Dead in the Water (1998)
The Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers:
Extreme Danger (2005)
Hurricane Joe (2006)
Murder at the Mall (2007)
Comic Con Artist (2008)
Double Deception (2009)
The Children of the Lost (2010)
Forever Lost (2011)
Murder Mayhem (2012)
The Hardy Boys Adventures:
Secret of the Red Arrow (2013)
The Curse of the Ancient Emerald (2015)
A Con Artist in Paris (2017)
The Disappearance (2019)
A Treacherous Tide (2020)
Nancy Drew Mysteries- The first Nancy Drew mystery was written in 1930. Nancy Drew is a fictional character created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer to be a counterpart to his Hardy Boys Mystery series. The books have been ghostwritten by several different authors who all use the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Nancy has evolved in response to changes in US culture and tastes. There are 175 titles and 34 revised stories in the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series which started in 1930 ended in 2003. In 2004, the new Nancy Drew Girl Detective series was launched. In this series, Nancy drives a hybrid electric car and uses a cell phone. This series which produced 47 books ended in 2012. In 2013, the first book in a new series called Nancy Drew Diaries was published. To date, 19 books have been released in this current series. By reinventing the series and allowing Nancy Drew to change with the times, the books have remained popular. To date, book sales for these three series total approximately 80 million and the books have been translated into over 45 languages. As of 2019, 533 Nancy Drew books have been published in nine series. There are also five films, three television shows, and a number of popular computer games featuring the Nancy Drew character. Nancy Drew merchandise is sold around the world.
Check out a few of these titles from the three main series:
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories:
The Secret of the Old Clock (1930)
The Sign of the Twisted Candles (1933)
The Clue in the Old Album (1947)
The Witch Tree Symbol (1955)
The Mystery of the 99 Steps (1966)
The Sky Phantom (1975)
The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery (1984)
The Baby-Sitter Burglaries (1996)
Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland (2003)
Nancy Drew Girl Detective:
Without a Trace (2004)
Uncivil Acts (2005)
Pit of Vipers (2006)
Intruder (2007)
The Stolen Bones (2008)
Nancy Drew Diaries:
Curse of the Arctic Star (2013)
Secret at Mystic Lake (2014)
The Clue at Black Creek Farm (2015)
The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn (2016)
The Professor and the Puzzle (2017)
The Haunting on Heliotrope Lane (2018)
The Stolen Show (2019)
The Boxcar Children Mysteries – This series was originally created and written by Gertrude Chandler Warner an American first-grade teacher in 1924. Warner wrote the first 19 books of the series which now includes well over 150 titles. The series is intended for readers in grades 2–6.
The Boxcar Children is the title of the first book and the series about four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. After their parents’ deaths, the children run away to live in an abandoned boxcar in the forest. The self sufficient children are eventually found by their wealthy and kind grandfather and go to live with him. Grandfather has the boxcar moved to his estate for the children to use as their playhouse. During the series, the resourceful children solve mysteries. The books written by Warner are set in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Additional books in the series written by other writers feature the byline "Created by Gertrude Chandler Warner". The recent books in the series are set in the present day.
Check out a few of these titles from the series:
The Boxcar Children (1924 – reissued in 1942)
Surprise Island (1949)
The Yellow House Mystery (1953)
Houseboat Mystery (1967)
Benny Uncovers a Mystery (1976)
The Animal Shelter Mystery (1991)
The Mystery in the Computer Game (2000)
The Mystery of the Orphan Train (2005)
The Cupcake Caper (2010)
Boxcar Children Special Books:
The Mystery on the Ice (1993)
The Windy City Mystery (1998)
The Candy Factory Mystery (2002)
The Black Widow Spider Mystery (2003)
The Encyclopedia Brown book series features the adventures of boy detective Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown. Donald Sobol wrote 28 of the 29 children's novels. The last novel was co-written by Donald J. Sobol and published after his death. The first book in the series was published in 1963 and the last in 2012. The series also generated a comic strip, a TV series, and compilation books of puzzles and games.
Check out a few of these titles from the series:
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963)
Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970)
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977)
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985)
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies (1995)
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (2003)
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs (2010)
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme (2012)
Cam Jansen Mysteries by David Adler - This book series is about a fifth grade female detective named Jennifer "Cam" Jansen and her best friend Eric. She is nicknamed Cam for her photographic memory, because she closes her eyes and says "click,” the noise a camera makes, while she memorizes something she’s seen. She uses these mental pictures to solve mysteries. The Cam Jansen character is based on an elementary school classmate of Adler's who seemed to have a photographic memory. There are more than 50 books in the series which has sold over 30,000,000 books.
Check out a few of these titles from the series:
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds (1980)
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Monkey House (1985)
The Cam Jansen Fun Book (1992)
Cam Jansen and the Catnapping Mystery (1998)
Cam Jansen and the Tennis Trophy Mystery (2003)
Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery (2008)
Cam Jansen and the Joke House Mystery (2014)
Young Cam Jansen Mysteries:
Young Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Chip ♥ Mystery / Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie (1996)
Young Cam Jansen and the Library Mystery (2001)
Young Cam Jansen and the Spotted Cat Mystery (2006)
Young Cam Jansen and the Speedy Car Mystery (2010)
Young Cam Jansen and the Knock, Knock Mystery (2014)
The Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly – In this early chapter book mystery series each book is set in a different American ballpark (recommended for ages 6-9).The first book was published in 2011. Currently there are 16 books in the series plus four super special editions. The first six books in the series are available in a set. Books 1-5 and 6-10 are available in audiobook collections.
Check out a few of these titles from the series:
BallPark Mysteries #1: The Fenway Foulup (2011)
Ballpark Mysteries #4: The Astro Outlaw (2012)
Ballpark Mysteries #8: The Missing Marlin (2014)
Ballpark Mysteries #12: The Rangers Rustlers (2016)
Ballpark Mysteries #16: The Colorado Curveball (2020)
Super Special Edition Books:
Ballpark Mysteries #SS #1: The World Series Curse (2016)
Ballpark Mysteries #SS #2: Christmas in Cooperstown (2017)
Ballpark Mysteries #SS #3: The Subway Series Surprise (2018)
Ballpark Mysteries #SS #4: The World Series Kids (2019)