Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery
- by Doug Cushman
Harper 1987 (64p); also paper
Aunt Eater -- an anteater -- solves
mysteries in four short stories.
- The Fourth Floor Twins and the Fish Snitch Mystery
- by David A. Adler
Puffin 1986 (64p); also paper
The Fourth Floor twins become
suspicious of one of their neighbors.
- The Case of the Hungry Stranger
- by Crosby Bonsall
(Multicultural)
Harper 1992 (64p); also paper
The Private Eyes Club -- Wizard,
Tubby, Skinny, and Snitch -- search for
a missing blueberry pie.
- My Dog and the Green Sock Mystery
- by David A. Adler
Holiday 1986 (32p)
Jennie and her dog hunt for a missing
sock.
- Emily Eyefinger, Secret Agent
- by Duncan Ball
Simon 1993 (96p)
The only girl with an eye on her finger
helps her friends solve mysteries.
EASY
- Sebastian (Super Sleuth) and the Copycat Crime
- by Mary Blount Christian
Macmillan 1993 (64p)
Canine detective Sebastian (Super
Sleuth) comes to the aid of his human
partner to solve a mystery.
- Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Gold Coins
- by David A. Adler
Viking 1982 (64p); Dell 1985 paper
Cam uses her memory to find two gold
coins.
- Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine
- by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Delacorte 1994 (48p)
Nate tries to find out who left his dog
Sludge a valentine.
- Eagle Eye Ernie Comes to Town
- by Susan Pearson
Simon 1990 (80p); also paper
Ernie, the new girl in school, must
find out who is stealing kids' lunches.
- The Mystery of the Russian Ruby: A Pop-Up Whodunit
- by Iain Smyth
Cobblehill 1994 (12p)
Who stole Countess Wilby's ruby? Use
pop-up devices to find out.
- Mr. Pin: The Chocolate Files
- by Mary Elise Monsell
Atheneum 1990 (64p)
Mr. Pin, a South Pole penguin, must
find out who replaced dinosaur eggs
with chocolate ones.
- Something Queer in Outer Space
- by Elizabeth Levy
(Science)
Hyperion 1993 (48p); also paper
Jill's dog Fletcher has been chosen as
NASA's first dog in space.
AVERAGE
- Who Dunnit? How to Be a Detective in Ten Easy Lessons
- by Marvin Miller
Scholastic 1991 (112p); also paper
Ten two-minute mysteries involving
secret codes and riddles.
- KIDZ Five-Minute Mysteries
- by Ken Weber
Running Press 1994 (32p)
Cassette provides solutions to
mysteries in the book.
- The Case of the Sabotaged School Play
- by Marilyn Singer
Harper 1984 (64p); also paper
Sam and Dave investigate when
someone doesn't want the school play
to go on.
- The Case of the Elevator Duck
- by Polly Berends
(Multicultural)
Random 1989 (64p); also paper
A young boy finds a duck in the
elevator of his apartment building.
- Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
- by Donald J. Sobol
Dutton 1979 (96p); Bantam 1985 paper
Introduces Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown,
who helps his police-chief father solves
cases.
- Deputy Shep
- by Mary Stolz
Harper 1991 (96p); also paper
Deputy Jack Shep, the lazy police dog,
investigates a wave of burglaries.
- Meg MacKintosh and the Mystery in the Locked Library
- by Lucinda Landon
Little 1993 (48p)
Meg follows clues to find a missing
rare library book.
- Surfboard to Peril: A Miss Mallard Mystery
- by Robert Quackenbush
Simon 1986 (48p)
Miss Mallard, the famous ducktective,
solves several crimes while surfing in
Hawaii.
- Basil of Baker Street
- by Eve Titus
McGraw 1958 (96p)
Basil the mouse learned his skills from
watching Sherlock Holmes in action.
- Piggins
- by Jane Yolen
Harcourt 1987 (32p); also paper
Piggins the butler takes charge when
Mrs. Reynard's diamond necklace is
stolen during a dinner party.
- The Mystery of the Hidden Beach
- by Gertrude Chandler Warner
(Multicultural)
Whitman 1994; also paper
The Boxcar Children and their new
cousin Soo Lee solve an ecological
mystery in Florida.
- Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye
- by Ethel Clifford
Houghton 1990 (48p)
Fat Cat wants Flatfoot Fox to find his
missing glass tiger eye.
- Jane Martin, Dog Detective
- by Eve Bunting
Harcourt 1984 (44p)
Three stories in which the dog
detective solves crimes for twenty-five
cents a day.
- Susannah and the Purple Mongoose Mystery
- by Patricia Elmore
(Multicultural)
Dutton 1992 (120p)
Susannah and her pals try to find out
who wants to destroy a neighbor's
house.
- The Losers Fight Back
- by Barbara M. Joosse
Clarion 1994 (98p)
Wild Willie and his friends King Kyle
and Lucy must figure out how to turn
the soccer team into winners.
- Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw?
- by Patricia Reilly Giff
Delacorte 1981 (128p); Dell 1982 paper
Abby Jones and her sidekick Potsie
scurry all over town in search of
Hyacinth Macaw.
- Culpepper Adventures: Prince Amos
- by Gary Paulsen
Dell 1994 (80p)
On a class trip to Washington, Dunc
and Amos see a kid who looks just like
Amos: Prince Gustav of Muldavia.
- The Case of the Desperate Drummer
- by E. W. Hildick
(Multicultural)
Macmillan 1993 (160p)
The McGurk Organization protects a
famous drummer.
CHALLENGING
- Hank the Cowdog
- by John Erickson
Texas Monthly 1981 (131p); also paper
Hank is forced to resign his position as
Head of Ranch Security. Available in
Spanish asLas verdaderas aventuras
de Hank el Perro Vaquero.
- Clue® : The Case of the Invisible Cat
- by A. E. Parker
Scholastic 1992 (160p)
A mystery based on the board game
Clue®.
- Mathnet® Casebooks: The Case of the Smart Dummy
- by David D. Connel and Jim Thurman
(Math)
Scientific American 1994 (64p); also
paper
The Mathnetters use logic and
time/distance calculations to track
robbers.
- Spider Kane and the Mystery at Jumbo Nightcrawler's
- by Mary Pope Osborne
Knopf 1993 (128p); also paper
Spider Kane solves mysteries in the
bug world.
- Incognito Mosquito Flies Again
- by E. A. Hass
Knopf 1994 (112p); also paper
Incognito is on the trail of Russian
Cagey Bee operatives in this pun-filled
mystery.
- Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World
- by George Shannon
Greenwillow 1985 (53p)
The reader must solve the riddle posed
by each of fourteen folktales.
Books for Teachers to Read Aloud
- The Real Thief
- by William Steig
Farrar 1976 (64p); also paper
Gawain, guard of the royal treasury,
must prove he is not a thief. Available
in Spanish asEl verdadero ladrón.
- Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?
- by Avi
Random 1990 (144p); also paper
Becky and her twin brother must find
out who stole a rare book from the
library.
- Dinosaur Detective: Out of Place
- by B. B. Calhoun
(Science)
Scientific American 1994 (128p); also
paper
Fenton helps his paleontologist parents
solve a mystery about dinosaur bones.