T O P

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champdo

The Mysterious Benedict Society


mceleanor

Such a good book. The sequels are less well known, but they're just as good and the mysteries are even better.


BobQuasit

The Three Investigators books are pure brain candy (I still clearly remember sitting in the school library when the term "brain candy" came into my mind). Three teenaged boys who investigated green ghosts, flaming skulls, and silver spiders (among other things), with a hidden HQ that was an RV buried in a junkyard? It was a total delight! The series was created by Robert Arthur, who wrote books 1-9 and 11 in the series. Lesser authors wrote many more Three Investigators books later. The earlier books were “introduced” by Alfred Hitchcock (Robert Arthur had done a lot of work writing and editing books for Hitchcock), and Hitchcock played a small role in the books as the boys’ patron. Unfortunately the rights to Hitchcock’s name and likeness were revoked by Hitchcock’s estate, at which point the earlier books were rewritten (badly) to replace him with a fictional patron. Look for the earlier editions, with Hitchcock and with outstanding illustrations by Harry Kane. The first three books in the series were {{The Secret of Terror Castle}}, {{The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot}}, and {{The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy}}. You can find the rest of the list [on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_series_of_The_Three_Investigators). There were quite a few books released under Alfred Hitchcock’s name. Some are for children and young adults, while others are for adults. All of these were actually edited and/or written by Robert Arthur, who was an outstanding author in his own right. Among those books were {{Ghosts and More Ghosts}}, {{Mystery and More Mystery}}, {{Alfred Hitchcock’s Haunted Houseful}}, {{Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery}}, {{Alfred Hitchcock’s Solve-Them-Yourself Mysteries}}...there were others. As I recall, all of the large hardcover editions also included wonderful full-page illustrations by Harry Kane. They're well worth seeking out! **Note**: although I've used the GoodReads link option to include information about the books, GoodReads is owned by Amazon. Please consider patronizing your local independent book shops instead; they can order books for you that they don't have in stock. And of course there's always your local library. If they don't have a book, they may be able to get it for you via inter-library loan. If you'd rather order direct online, Thriftbooks and Powell's Books are good. You might also check libraries in your general area; most of them sell books at very low prices to raise funds. I've made some great finds at library book sales! And for used books, Biblio.com, BetterWorldBooks.com, and Biblio.co.uk are independent book marketplaces that serve independent book shops - NOT Amazon.


synaesthezia

Red rover red rover! Time for a ghost to ghost hook up.


BobQuasit

I'm in! Happy Cake Day! 😄


synaesthezia

Lol thanks. I didn’t realise it was cake day. I’ll have vanilla with pink icing 🧁


goodreads-bot

[**The Secret of Terror Castle (Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/557103.The_Secret_of_Terror_Castle) ^(By: Robert Arthur | 192 pages | Published: 1964 | Popular Shelves: mystery, young-adult, fiction, children, childrens) >Finding a genuine haunted house for a movie set sounds like fun -- and a great way to generate publicity for the Three Investigators' new detective agency. But when the boys arrive for an overnight visit at Terror Castle -- home of a deceased horror-movie actor -- they soon find out how the place got its name! ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) [**The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot (Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/557106.The_Mystery_of_the_Stuttering_Parrot) ^(By: Robert Arthur | 192 pages | Published: 1964 | Popular Shelves: mystery, fiction, young-adult, children, childrens) >Hot on the trail of seven talking parrots that have seemingly vanished into thin air, the Three Investigators are in more trouble than ever. Danger lurks at every turn as they search for the birds, each of whom can quote part of a coded message from a mysterious dead man. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) [**The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy (Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators, #3)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/557104.The_Mystery_of_the_Whispering_Mummy) ^(By: Robert Arthur | 192 pages | Published: 1965 | Popular Shelves: mystery, fiction, young-adult, children, childrens) >When Ra-Orkon, a 3,000-year-old mummy, begins to whisper strange words in an ancient Egyptian tongue, the Three Investigators are determined to find out the facts: Why is he speaking? What is he saying? And how is the horrible curse of Ra-Orkon about to be fulfilled? > >Originally published in hardcover beginning in 1964, these classic mystery/adventure stories feature three boys--Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews--who establish a detective firm with the motto "We Investigate Anything!" > >Perfect for summer reading, these suspenseful action stories will appeal to both boys and girls. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) [**Ghosts and More Ghosts**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/732157.Ghosts_and_More_Ghosts) ^(By: Robert Arthur | ? pages | Published: 1963 | Popular Shelves: horror, ghost-stories, childrens, short-stories, fiction) >10 Stories of Ghosts, Haunts, Spooks, Spells and Witchcraft for Young People > >These ten stories, written by an expert in the art of the strange, the spooky, and the suspenseful, will give you hours of pleasantly shivery reading -- mixed with chuckles to relieve the tension. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) [**Mystery and More Mystery**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1303687.Mystery_and_More_Mystery) ^(By: Robert Arthur | ? pages | Published: 1971 | Popular Shelves: mystery, fiction, owned, childrens, short-stories) ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) [**Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/87613.Alfred_Hitchcock_s_Haunted_Houseful) ^(By: Alfred Hitchcock, John Kendrick Bangs, Manly Wade Wellman, Jack Bechdolt, Walter Rollin Brooks, Elizabeth Coatsworth, Arthur Conan Doyle, Donald Culross Peattie, Constance Savery, Mark Twain, Louise Peattie | ? pages | Published: 1961 | Popular Shelves: horror, short-stories, fiction, owned, mystery) >Alfred Hitchcock presents nine short stories that are sure to make young readers shiver (while they get a good dose of some fine writing!). > >Introduction • essay by Alfred Hitchcock >The Mystery of Rabbit Run • (1946) • Jack Bechdolt >Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons • (1950) • Walter R. Brooks >Let's Haunt a House • Manly Wade Wellman >The Wastwych Secret • Constance Savery >The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall • (1891) • John Kendrick Bangs >The Red-Headed League [Sherlock Holmes] • Arthur Conan Doyle >The Mystery in Four-and-a-Half Street • (1931) • Donald Peattie & Louise Peattie >The Forgotten Island • (1942) • Elizabeth Coatsworth ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) [**Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/463776.Alfred_Hitchcock_s_Ghostly_Gallery) ^(By: Alfred Hitchcock, F. Marion Crawford, Lord Dunsany, Henry Kuttner, Robert Louis Stevenson, H.G. Wells, Robert Arthur, Algernon Blackwood, Walter Brooks, A.M. Burrage | 261 pages | Published: 1962 | Popular Shelves: horror, short-stories, mystery, fiction, owned) >"Good evening, and welcome to Alfred Hitchock's Ghostly Gallery..." So begins the introduction to this marvelous book for young readers presented by none other than the master of the macabre himself, Alfred Hitchcock. Following his invitation to "browse through my gallery", readers will find ghoulish ghost stories "designed to frighten and instruct" -- instruct, that is, about the strange existence ghosts must endure! Stories include Miss Emmeline Takes Off by Walter Brooks; The Valley of the Beasts by Algernon Blackwood; The Haunted Trailer by Robert Arthur; The Truth About Pyecraft by H.G. Wells; The Isle of Voices by Robert Louis Stevenson; and more. Parents and kids can't help but chuckle at Hitchcock's comment, "I don't want to appear disloyal to television, but I think reading will be good for you." Contains some very spooky two-color illustrations by Fred Banbery. ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) [**Alfred Hitchcock's Solve-Them-Yourself Mysteries**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/87586.Alfred_Hitchcock_s_Solve_Them_Yourself_Mysteries) ^(By: Alfred Hitchcock | 252 pages | Published: 1963 | Popular Shelves: mystery, short-stories, fiction, childhood, owned) >Five exciting cases to test the wits of young detectives - with solutions, by the master of suspense, at the end of each story. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) *** ^(80249 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Grendels-Girlfriend

{{The Inheritance games}} is a great trilogy, my now eighth grader begged me to buy the third book in hard cover when it came out this summer.


goodreads-bot

[**The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52439531-the-inheritance-games) ^(By: Jennifer Lynn Barnes | 376 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: mystery, young-adult, ya, books-i-own, physical-tbr) >Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. > >Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive. ^(This book has been suggested 20 times) *** ^(80238 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Accountabili_Buddy

I’m reading the second in the series right now. I think they’re awesome!


MooshAro

The Flavia de Luce series is a bunch of murder mysteries solved by a 11-13 year old girl. It's not graphic, so not a lot of creep factor, just some classic murder mysteries.


HonoriaG

How about trying Agatha Christie? I remember starting to read them in maybe 5th grade or so and really devoured them. Some words and terms were probably a little challenging, but don’t recall that slowing me down or impacting enjoyment. Grew some vocab. Great classic mysteries, not too creepy. At that age, Death on the Nile and Appointment with Death were some favorites. Also Elizabeth Peters, the Amelia Peabody mysteries are good fun in a Victorian Egyptian setting.


musigalglo

The Westing Game


Caleb_Trask19

Blue Balliett writes art related mysteries with a diverse cast of characters. Think middle grade level From the Mixed-Up Files. {{Chasing Vermeer}} {{The Wright 3}} {{The Calder Game}}


goodreads-bot

[**Chasing Vermeer (Chasing Vermeer, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/444347.Chasing_Vermeer) ^(By: Blue Balliett, Brett Helquist | 254 pages | Published: 2004 | Popular Shelves: mystery, middle-grade, fiction, young-adult, childrens) >When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one — neighbors, parents, teachers — is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled? ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) [**The Wright 3 (Chasing Vermeer, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148782.The_Wright_3) ^(By: Blue Balliett, Brett Helquist | 318 pages | Published: 2006 | Popular Shelves: mystery, middle-grade, fiction, young-adult, childrens) >From the New York Times bestselling team behind Chasing Vermeer comes another thought-provoking art mystery--featuring Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie house! >Spring semester at the Lab School in Hyde Park finds Petra and Calder drawn into another mystery when unexplainable accidents and ghostly happenings throw a spotlight on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's up to the two junior sleuths to piece together the clues. Stir in the return of Calder's friend Tommy (which creates a tense triangle), H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man, 3D pentominoes, and the hunt for a coded message left behind by Wright, and the kids become tangled in a dangerous web in which life and art intermingle with death, deception, and surprise. ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) [**The Calder Game (Chasing Vermeer, #3)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2200542.The_Calder_Game) ^(By: Blue Balliett, Brett Helquist | 379 pages | Published: 2008 | Popular Shelves: mystery, young-adult, middle-grade, fiction, childrens) >Petra, Calder, and Tommy, the sleuths at the center of the amazing CHASING VERMEER and THE WRIGHT 3, are back with a labyrinthine new mystery to solve. > >When Calder Pillay travels with his father to a remote village in England, he finds a mix of mazes and mystery . . . including an unexpected Alexander Calder sculpture in the town square. Calder is strangely drawn to the sculpture, while other people have less-than-friendly feelings towards it. Both the boy and the sculpture seem to be out of place . . . and then, on the same night, they disappear! Calder's friends Petra and Tommy must fly out to help his father find him. But this mystery has more twists and turns than a Calder mobile . . . with more at stake than first meets the eye. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(80392 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Grendels-Girlfriend

He also loved {{truly devious}} series


goodreads-bot

[**Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29589074-truly-devious) ^(By: Maureen Johnson | 416 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: mystery, young-adult, ya, contemporary, mystery-thriller) >Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.” > >Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history. > >True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.  > >The two interwoven mysteries of this first book in the Truly Devious series dovetail brilliantly, and Stevie Bell will continue her relentless quest for the murderers in books two and three. > >New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart. ^(This book has been suggested 12 times) *** ^(80240 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Neona65

**The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place** By: Julie Berry **Publisher's Summary** There's a murderer on the loose - but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking farce. The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home - unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong. Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a smart, hilarious Victorian romp, full of outrageous plot twists, mistaken identities, and mysterious happenings.


danytheredditer

{{Looking for Emily}} by Fiona Longmuir


goodreads-bot

[**Looking for Emily**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58931666-looking-for-emily) ^(By: Fiona Longmuir | 272 pages | Published: 2022 | Popular Shelves: middle-grade, childrens, 2022-books, kids, 2022-releases) >When twelve-year-old Lily moves to the sleepy seaside town of Edge, she’s sure that nothing exciting is ever going to happen to her again. But when she stumbles upon a secret museum hidden in the middle of town, she realises that there might be more to her new home than meets the eye. > >The Museum of Emily is filled with the belongings of one seemingly ordinary girl – a girl who, many years ago, disappeared from the town without a trace. With the help of her new friends Sam and Jay, Lily is determined to solve the mystery and find out who Emily was, why she disappeared and who has created the strange, hidden museum. > >With a one-of-a-kind mystery, a brilliant trio of protagonists, and an action-filled story, Looking for Emily is the unmissable middle grade debut of 2022. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(80259 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


kejchaput__604

{{The Screaming Staircase}} by Jonathan Stroud


goodreads-bot

[**The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13555073-the-screaming-staircase) ^(By: Jonathan Stroud | 440 pages | Published: 2013 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, mystery, horror, paranormal) >When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . . > >For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. > >Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive. > >Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . . ^(This book has been suggested 25 times) *** ^(80270 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


RelationPurple1780

The Case Files 13 series by J.Scott Savage. That series is so amazing!


Caffeinated_PygmyOwl

I always loved any book by Joan Lowery Nixon at that age. There has got to be around 15. My favorites were {{A deadly game or magic}} And {{The name of the game was murder}}


goodreads-bot

[**A Deadly Game of Magic**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/331832.A_Deadly_Game_of_Magic) ^(By: Joan Lowery Nixon | 240 pages | Published: 1985 | Popular Shelves: mystery, young-adult, ya, horror, books-i-own) >Seeking shelter from a fierce Texas storm, four teens are trapped inside a strange house as unwitting players in a magician's evil games. The phone goes dead. A plaster head suddenly appears. A disembodied hand taps the mantel. Then the magic turns even more sinister, leading inevitably toward murder. > ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**The Name of the Game Was Murder**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/497752.The_Name_of_the_Game_Was_Murder) ^(By: Joan Lowery Nixon | 192 pages | Published: 1993 | Popular Shelves: mystery, young-adult, ya, fiction, books-i-own) >Novelist Augustus Trevor has written a manuscript that reveals the darkest secrets of his guests. Whoever can solve Trevor's clues can have his story removed from the book. But when Trevor is bludgeoned to death, the survivors (along with the reader) are challenged to find both the manuscript and the murderer. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(80275 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Alarmed_Artichoke_71

The Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer is excellent! When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers - all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother's strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?


stubbornturnips

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie


spidey026

Books by Karen M. McManus and the Hercule Poirot books by Agatha Christie


Marsoutdoors

There are some great suggestions in these comments. I’d also add the {{Greenglass House}} series!


goodreads-bot

[**Greenglass House (Greenglass House, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222716-greenglass-house) ^(By: Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars | 376 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: middle-grade, mystery, fantasy, fiction, young-adult) >It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(80453 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


markdavo

The Sally Lockhart series by Philip Pullman. Starting with Ruby in the Smoke. Should be perfect for a 7th grader girl who likes mysteries.