Mystery Books for 6th Graders

The Amelia Six is the story of six clever girls who are invited to spend a night in Amelia Earhart’s home because of their achievements in STEM (specifically flying and aeronautics). Although all big-time Earhart fans, each of the girls are different. The girls are hosted by Birdie, one of the Ninety-Niners who is the museum’s caretaker. Also in the house are Edna, the housekeeper; Collin, Birdie’s nephew; and Perry, the chef. Things are going smoothly until the girls realize that Birdie has been drugged and Amelia Earhart’s famous aviator goggles — which must be retrieved by the Smithsonian the next day(!) — have gone missing. Everyone’s a suspect and suddenly these girls have to band together if they want to get out alive. The Amelia Six is a clever, girl-powered mystery that is perfect for Amelia Earhart fans (and non fans alike).

Paul Marconi and his two besties, Beanpole and Shank, investigate the unusual appearance of a swarm of rubber duckies discovered on a neighbor’s lawn, bringing some life to their summer. This gentle low-stakes mystery is full of sneaky sleuthing, short, hilarious at times, and sweet. Grades 5+

When a dead body is found in Coop’s small town, he and his best friends, Justice and Liberty, are intrigued and want to help solve the mystery. But the stakes get even higher when Coop’s grandfather is accused of murdering the victim (who turned out to be Coop’s missing grandma!). Can Coop get the scoop on this mystery and save his grandfather before it’s too late? Coop Knows the Scoop is a thrilling middle grade mystery with a rollercoaster of a narrative and seriously high stakes.

Twelve-year old Sara Martinez is a hacker bouncing from foster home to foster home in Brooklyn, New York. After getting arrested for hacking into the NYC foster care system to expose her foster parents as criminals, she meets a man named Mother, who is not a lawyer but convinces her to take on her case. Mother somehow wins, and Sara gets released only to join a team of kid spies operating out of a base in Scotland. The kids get codenames (they’re basically renamed) to match their city of origin. As Sara adjusts, the team prepares for their first mission in Paris, France, even as Mother is working hard to find his two kids lost as a consequence of a previous mission. James Ponti’s City Spies #1 is an excellent start to an exciting mystery series that both kids and adults can enjoy.

Owen is in Paris with his mom for the summer studying the popular French writer Jules Verne when he becomes the center of several weird coincidences, ending with a never-before-seen Jules Verne book ending up in his possession. Suddenly, he and his new friends are being tailed by dangerous people who want the book back. This is a high-energy mystery with plenty of chases around Paris, perfect for fans of Paris. The audiobook is excellent, with captivating sound effects.

Ben Ripley’s life does a 180 when he gets an invitation to work for the CIA, only to find out that it was a case of mistaken identity because someone on the inside has a secret ploy against the agency. With a new crush roping him into an undercover mission to unravel the plot, Ben discovers that he’s actually not half-bad at being a spy. This isn’t my favorite spy series, but kids love it and can’t stop reading. Perfect for fans of spy and adventure books grades 6+ since there’s gun use involved.

For twelve-year-old Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it’s the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles). Upon her arrival, however, Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold himself, and might contain the only copy of his mysterious new game.

Kyle Keeley is the class clown and a huge fan of all games—board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the construction of the new town library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot as one of twelve kids invited for an overnight sleepover in the library, hosted by Mr. Lemoncello and riddled with lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route!

This cozy middle-grade mystery series stars 12-year-old Lark Heron-Finch, who happens to have a limb difference. Much like Nancy Drew, each case Lark solves has an old-school feel, and living on a small island allows her plenty of room to move freely and investigate solo. This is perfect for fans of cozy mysteries such as The Parker Inheritance.

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.

This is such a heartwarming, intriguing mystery! When the discovery of a painting thought to be lost coincides with the attempted murder of a man in Harlem, three kids are drawn together in sleuthing adventures. Jin, Alex and Elvin are completely different from each other and yet form a sweet friendship as they work to piece together the puzzle in this story. I especially loved how racially diverse the cast is, the emphasis on the power of art, and the strong sense of community fostered in this novel. The narration is equally fantastic and this story kept me glued until the very end! Very memorable characters and setting! Loved this one!

Maddy Gaines is an anxious girl still coping with the grief of her father’s death — and also adjusting to her new stepfather. Home conditions are good: her mother is patient and reassuring, and she and her stepdad go on regular outings together by themselves. One day, Maddy sees on the news that a boy named Billy Holcomb has gone missing. Then several weeks after, she runs into another boy who looks a lot like Billy, except his hair is different and he’s taller than Billy was, and oh — his name is Eric. Maddy would love to report her hunch to the sheriff, but she’s already reported so many false crimes in the past that she’s practically known as the girl who cried wolf. So she decides to watch and wait. This is a sensitive, moving, and heartwarming middle grade book about managing anxiety and adjusting to a new step-parent.

The Best Worst Summer follows two sets of kids three decades apart. In the present, Peyton and her family have just moved from Minneapolis to a small town named Lake Springs, leaving her best friend and their summer soccer camp tradition behind. She’s having the worst summer! But her summer gains new life when she discovers a box of secrets: a cryptic note to a friend, half of a “best friends” necklace, a playlist, and several other items. After making her first new friend in the library, Peyton is eager to get to the bottom of the time capsule mystery. The story alternates between past and present as we read Melissa and Peyton’s perspectives. The Best Worst Summer is a charming, engaging middle grade novel that manages to blend historical and contemporary fiction.

Soon-to-be 6th grader Kacie Sithiwat finds that something in her neighborhood has changed when she returns from her summer holiday. For one, her best friend, Nisha, is nowhere to be found. Using her art journal, Kacie investigates the changes in her neighborhood and Nisha’s move. While this isn’t a true mystery, there’s an unmistakable air of mystery and nostalgia as Kacie realizes the impact of gentrification in her neighborhood, explores her memories with her best friend, and learns more about her community. A powerful, heartfelt look at navigating change and discovering the gift of community.

Weatherby is a new kid at the Boston School on a sailing scholarship and is immediately thrust into a world she knows nothing about. Old school phone booths, scrambled phone service at school, friends with kids who go to the country club.. and a boy who seems to hate her guts. It is told from two perspectives, Weatherby’s and Jack Hunt’s, a rich kid at the school who is also on the sailing team. When Jack, Weatherby, and their friends Pres, Iris, and Harper are contacted by what they think is the school’s famed secret society, they get sucked into a mission, only to unravel a deep secret about the Hunt family that involves Weatherby. The Liars Society is an intriguing, fast-paced, and tightly-plotted middle-grade mystery for younger middle-school readers who are hungry for some thrilling, suspenseful mysteries but aren’t old enough for traditional YA.

With a last name like Sherlock, siblings Alex and Zoe know that the best summer gig for them is detective work! It doesn’t hurt that their grandfather has a box full of cold cases from his time as a journalist. In this new series by James Ponti, the kids get to work solving their first case with plenty of hijinks, shocking discoveries, and of course, friendship.

 Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone opens with new girl Jennifer Chan declared missing at her middle school. As whispers begin, her next-door neighbor, Mallory Moss, worries that Jennifer may have been abducted by aliens (which Jennifer believed existed). Mallory reunites with two former friends, begging them to help her find Jennifer, following clues from her time with Jennifer and the diary Jennifer left behind. The story alternates between past and present as readers discover that Mallory’s search is also motivated by an ulterior motive: the need to prove that she and her popular friends didn’t run Jennifer Chan out of town with their bullying. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone is a razor-sharp, realistic portrayal of kids mismanaging their insecurities and coping by bullying others.

This series feels like the closest readalike to the City Spies series in terms of globetrotting, suspense and enjoyment level, and spy hijinks. Charlie Thorne is a genius tween recruited by the CIA to help stop a terrorist group from accessing a potentially destructive equation by Albert Einstein. It’s fabulous on audio and great for mature 5th graders and middle schoolers.

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. If your middle schoolers have been asking for murder mysteries, this one is one to try.

When Skye’s brother Finn is found after being missing for years, he can’t seem to remember some pivotal moments they’ve both shared, causing Skye to doubt whether he’s even really Finn. I LOVED this book and I flew through this story. The writing is very introspective, but the mystery is compelling, and no one does an unreliable narrator like Everett. This book also tackles an underrepresented topic, which is parental kidnapping and I love the way the author explores it. I think this would be great for mature 6th graders and readers in grades 7 and up because I think it might be harder for not-as-strong readers to love the introspective tone. It is truly a well-done story with such a richly drawn family where everyone feels so real.