Look at the covers on these books! There’s never been a better time to be a kid if you love books. This is a well rounded group of mysteries. For the reluctant reader there’s Home Sweet Motel and Space Case. For fans of the Westing Game, there’s The Greenglass House and Winterhouse. For fans of Lemony Snicket, there’s Pseudonymous Bosch. For fans of geocaching there’s The Book Scavenger. For fans of books set in the south there’s Three Times Lucky. Lastly, for those who love an eccentric group of kids working together, there’s The Candymakers and The Mysterious Benedict Society.
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (series)
When 11-year-old Mo was a baby, she washed up in the small Southern town of Tupelo Landing in a basket during a hurricane. The Colonel, who owns the only restaurant in town, took her in and raised her. As summer vacation begins, a local man is murdered. Mo, along with her best friend Dale, are determined to find the murderer. Told in the quirky, precocious, very Southern voice of Mo.
Greenglass House by Kate Milford (series)
Milo lives with his parents in an old hotel called Greenglass House. They don’t usually have guests over Christmas break, but this year people start showing up one after another. Before they know it, guests are acting strangely and things are missing. When they begin telling stories around the fire, they start to learn the connection they all have to the hotel.
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (series)
Logan’s family owns one of the candy factoires that is sponsoring four kids to the annual candy invention contest. Logan, Miles, Daisy and Philip arrive at the factory for two days of candy making to prepare for the contest. All of them have a secret and are going to be surprised by what they find out about the other contestants.
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
Elizabeth’s unkind aunt and uncle have shipped her off to the Winterhouse hotel for Christmas break while they take a vacation. Right away she realizes that this hotel is going to provide ample opportunities for fun, beginning with the grand library. Everyone seems to be looking for a particular book, and by all indicators, it’s the same book Elizabeth stole from the library.
The Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (series)
Emily loves to play a geocaching type game where people hide books, post clues, and find books. Unfortunately, the creator of the game, has been shot by a couple of thugs looking for a book in his possession. Emily inadvertently finds the book without realizing its significance, until the thugs are now after her.
Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (series)
Four exceptionally bright and eccentric children pass a difficult test and are consequently recruited by Mr. Benedict to go undercover at the Learning Center for the Very Enlightened to figure out Mr. Curtain’s plot to use mind control to take over the world. This one is still extremely popular 10 years after its release.
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs (series)
Dash thought he won the lottery when his scientist parents were selected to work on the new moon base. In reality, it’s anything but luxury and boring as heck. When one of the scientists is found dead outside the airlock, Dash suspects murder. His boring life turns exciting as he races to find the killer.
Home Sweet Motel by Chris Grabenstein (series)
P.T. lives with his mother and grandfather in a Florida motel that is facing foreclosure. He comes up with a marketing plan to save the motel, but it’s not enough. When a couple of criminals show up at the hotel looking for a treasure, P.T. thinks he has found a solution to his grandfather’s money problems.
The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (series)
This is one of those books where the narrator talks to the reader. It makes for a humorous read. When Cass and her friend Max-Ernest investigate a house of a recently deceased magician, they steal a notebook. A mysterious couple is in search of the same notebook. Cass wants to know what they are up to, so when they kidnap a classmate, Cass plans to save him.
CHATTERING LIBRARIAN 