Mystery Books for 5th Graders

The Firefly Summer follows young Ryanna who gets sent to a family summer camp with her mother’s extended family — who she hasn’t seen since her mom died when she was three. Ryanna is hoping for a low-key situation where she can spend time in peace and quiet with her grandparents but is surprised to find a slew of aunts, uncles, and cousins at Camp Van Camp. After a rocky start, she starts to learn more about her mom, even discovering a treasure map she created as a kid and reading the detective novels she used to enjoy. This summer-infused middle grade book has an engaging side mystery for readers who love big families and treasure hunts.

Mystery on Magnolia Circle begins with what seems to be the worst summer ever. Ivy’s summer plans are disrupted when she breaks her leg at the start of the summer before fifth grade. Her best friend Teddy isn’t having it any easier as his dog is diagnosed with a terminal illness and has to be put down. But while Ivy is standing at her window, trying to make the best of the summer, she witnesses a possible burglary and that sets both kids off on a summer of solving a mystery — or is it? This is a young middle grade book (with a few illustrations) about a summer of solving a neighborhood mystery.

12-year-old Florian hones his excellent observational skills using a technique he calls the TOAST, (Theory of All Small Things), which helps him in social situations and other life areas. But after teaching it to a new genius friend, they end up solving an art mystery, which puts them on the FBI’s radar — but also in the line of fire of a notorious crime syndicate. I love Ponti’s City Spies series, and while this one isn’t as good, it’s a fantastic escapist read with lots of intellectual mystery-solving/detective work.

Madi and her friends Jack and Aaron make a rescue at Lake Wild, saving two beaver kits, but they have a problem. Madi’s parents have said she cannot bring home any more strays. In fact, if she does, she’ll lose her trip to see acclaimed primatologist Jane Goodall. Still, Madi takes them, hiding them in a shed on her parents’ property until she can figure out her next steps. As she cares for the beavers, more adult beavers turn up shot dead. So Madi and her friends also need to figure out who is killing the beavers and why — all the while making sure her parents never figure out that she’s housing, feeding, and bathing two beaver kits under their noses. Can Madi and the gang do it all? Rescue at Lake Wild is a sweet, entertaining, and informative book about rescuing animals, caring for beavers, and advocating for the environment.

This charming classic is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Mysterious Benedict Society. It follows four kids in a competition to invent the next great confection in the country. They each have secrets of their own and we hear from each kid’s perspective about what went down during the contest. Although this is a longer book, kids who like chunky books will find this mystery charming and thrilling.

Lou has recently gone through a spat with her best friend Francie and the two are no longer speaking because of something Lou did that makes her feel like the worst friend in the world. Lou has also been ostracized by Francie and her new friend Madison. But when a new girl, Cece, comes to town, she immediately gravitates toward Lou and asks her help because she believes she’s been kidnapped by her dad. As Lou works with Cece to get to the bottom of things, she finds some loopholes in Cece’s story that will once again move her to go against a friend’s wishes. Not the Worst Friend in the World is a hugely relatable book about friendship angst, how much words can hurt, and (self-)forgiveness after a mistake.

Monty Carver is a precocious 10-year-old who’s dying to get more freedom from his parents. He has one best friend, Alex, and a new guy Jerome, who’s Alex’s friend but whom Monty doesn’t particularly like. And he has two neighbors, older women who seem to be feuding with each other and competing against each other’s gardens: Mrs Williams and Ms Jenkins. When Monty presumptuously uses the metal detector his parents planned to surprise him with and breaks it in the process, they tell him that he has to work odd jobs for people in their apartment building/neighborhood to earn the money to repay them. Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key is an upbeat, community-oriented mystery for fans of Giles’s Take Back the Block and Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance, starring a younger, charming protagonist with a striking resemblance to Barack Obama.

Maizy’s life gets more interesting when a box of Nancy Drew books with an inscription to a girl with the same name as her grandmother (Susie, aka Jacuzzi). There’s also a picture of what appears to be a young Susie. When Jacuzzi denies sending over the box, Maizy reunites with a former neighborhood friend, Nell, to get to the bottom of the mystery. In the process, the girls learn a lot about Jacuzzi and the Nancy Drew books. This is a fantastic middle grade mystery about friendship, Nancy Drew history, intellectual property, and film-making. 

Minerva lives in the luxurious Arcanum building, where she loves to play chess with her neighbor, Kermit. Her 11-year-old brother Heck is always cooking up a storm, sometimes with terrible results, and her parents are traveling in Australia, leaving Minerva and Heck with their ditsy cousin Bizzy. Suddenly, the building’s residents start passing out, sometimes with fatal consequences, and the police discover it’s some kind of poisoning. It’s up to Minerva, Heck, and a hesitant detective club recruit (Santos) to solve the mystery with Detective Wesley. Minerva Keen’s Detective Club is an absorbing, well-spun middle grade mystery with a clever female protagonist at its helm.   

When 7th grader Sarah is faced with the prospect of losing her home, she decides to team up with her two friends, who are also escape room fans, to crack the codes and break out of a 1950s fun house. Suspense, adventure, riddles, puzzles, thrills, and, surprisingly, a lot of heart make this story a winner for young readers. Although Sarah and her friends are older, this is a great story that will work for readers as young as the 4th or 5th grade. Kids who like books with puzzle solving or an escape room setting will love this one.

Four friends Gina, Elena, Edgar, and Kevin (or the GEEKs as they come to be known) and a dog named Sauce must work together to find a treasure that will keep their small town from a major economic collapse. I loved the kids in this story (I recommend the audiobook!), their diverse interests, true platonic friendship, and their love for their community. I found this book to be truly funny, the mystery engaging (full of riddles), and the plot majorly believable. It’s a fun read for young mystery fans.