The Best Mystery Books for 5th Graders

If your children love adventure, mystery, and globe-trotting, they will fall in love with this series because it is the perfect combination of all three! My fourth grader and I devoured these brilliantly plotted novels (we actually listened to the audiobooks because the narration is fabulous!), and we were both hooked on the stories of five tweens from around the world who operate as the “City Spies,” working with Mother, a British spy, and the secret MI6 agency. Each of the kids has a special skill, from hacking to sleight of hand to observation, and their unique talents allow them to enter the depths of espionage where no kid has ever traveled before. Will they be able to successfully accomplish their missions? Either way, these books are hot, and your readers will be a go. This is hands down our favorite mystery book for 5th graders – this whole series rocks!

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On her twelfth birthday, baking-fanatic Zoe makes a shocking discovery — a letter from her father who has been imprisoned for a terrible crime — one he says he has not committed. She wants to write back but has no idea what to say. After all, what does a girl say to a dad she has never met? Zoe eventually responds but is forced to hide their blossoming relationship from her mom. As their connection grows, so, too, does Zoe’s conviction that her father is truly innocent, and it’s up to her to prove he’s incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. This is a mystery book for 5th graders I could give to just about any student and have no doubt they will love it. I love the way it explores social justice and gives tweens an intro to The Innocence Project. I could not put this down, and it’s a great novel for tween girls!

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Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle is an amateur detective. She’s devilishly smart, obsessed with justice, and has a passion for criminal science. When she suddenly learns that her next-door neighbor, an old spinster, has died under “Mysterious Circumstances,” Myrtle is determined to get to the bottom of the case and find out what really happened. She knows she can find the murderer- even if her dad, the town’s prosecutor- doesn’t believe in her. Set in Victorian England, this fantastic mystery book for 5th graders introduces a spunky investigator protagonist who dares to discover the truth behind tough cases and buck maddening Victorian rules for young girls. Will Myrtle be able to earn a spot among the most daring and acclaimed amateur detectives of her time?

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The Greenglass House is a creaky, smuggler’s inn, and 12-year-old Milo is the adopted son of its innkeepers. Milo is excited about the winter holidays and can’t wait to relax. Yet, on the first night of vacation, the Greenglass House’s guest bell rings over and over again. Soon, mysterious guests arrive one after another, each of whom has a story somehow relating to the crumbling house. And when things go missing and guests get heated, Milo, together with the cook’s daughter, must begin to untangle the deepening mystery surrounding Greenglass House. Only then will they learn the truth – both about the house and themselves.

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Ben Ripley is an undercover nerd. Can he also be a superstar spy? When he is recruited to the CIA’s Academy of Espionage, his life may just depend on it… if only he can survive. But Ben is awkward. And uncoordinated. And it seems he can barely get to and from school without encountering a challenge or mishap. This book series is perfect for 4th and 5th graders. It is just so much fun, combining humor and sarcasm and resulting in readers young and old rooting for Ben as his misadventures and spy hijinks take him around the globe.

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Charlie Thorne may not be old enough to drive, but she’s a genius. She’s also a thief, and now this young girl has to save the world! Decades before Charlie was alive, Albert Einstein created an equation that would result in one of two endings- it would either benefit all of life on earth or destroy it. Knowing the catastrophic effects it could have on the world, Einstein did the one thing he could- he hid the equation from the world. Now, an evil group called the Furies is zeroing in on the location of this monumental equation. Fearing the worst, the CIA brings Charlie into the hunt, as it’s her brilliance that might be able to save the day- and the world. This is a cherished new series of mystery books for 5th graders, and my students are absolutely obsessed with Charlie and her stories.

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What would it feel like if you never had to experience grief? Sadness? Anger? Would you give up ever feeling things like joy and creativity if it meant not feeling the more challenging and uncomfortable emotions? This is what happens when Elodee, her twin sister, and their parents move to Eventown after experiencing significant trauma. In Eventown; the sun always shines, the people are friendly, and who needs cars when you can ride bikes? Everything feels just a little too perfect- except that Elodee is the only one who thinks things are a bit odd. Are there consequences in trying to magically erase your problems? As Elodee starts to question Eventown, she begins to wonder whether life can actually be too perfect. What is hiding underneath the facade? This is a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking mystery that will captivate your tween readers!

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I love when mysteries of the past are uncovered in the present day, begging to be brought to life and explored. That is exactly what happens in this fabulous, intricately plotted story about Candice and her sidekick, Brandon. After Candice discovers a letter addressed to her grandmother describing an injustice that happened long before Candice’s time, she goes on the hunt to solve a puzzle — and maybe find a fortune, too. Expertly moving between past and present, the challenge leads the friends deep into the history of their South Carolina town and is marked by a great discovery — not just about their home, but about themselves, too. This book has received a long list of accolades for a reason – love, love, love it! For more great books with Black main characters, click here!

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In this children’s classic, sixteen people gather together to read Samuel Westing’s will. But a virtual stranger stands to inherit all of Westing’s fortune, and in his last mission, Westing pairs together this group of heirs and tasks them to figure out a mysterious puzzle in order to inherit their fortunes. Fans of wordplay and sleight of hand will love this novel which has stood the test of time for more than forty years.

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This is one of those series I just cannot keep on the shelf in my school library! After an ad runs in the newspaper calling for “gifted children looking for special opportunities,” two boys and two girls pass the mind-bending tests and succeed. Their mission? A secret challenge that only the most innovative and intelligent children can complete. Yet, they’ll have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened to do so, where, surprisingly, there is only one rule: there are no rules. Will the four kids succeed? This is one to add to your child’s “must-read” list!

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Chester Keene has never met his father. Yet, he does get super secret spy messages from him, because he works on secret missions for the government. Chester wants to be just like his dad, and he gets his chance when he and his friend Skye are tasked with solving a complex puzzle. While the task is a bit disruptive to Chester’s rigid schedule, the two eventually find themselves on the final clue. But figuring out the puzzle means that things aren’t always what they seem. At once a mystery and an emotional journey, this is a fabulous mystery book for 5th graders!

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It’s 1981 in New York City. Olympia’s dad is an artist, and he and his partner bring antique paintings back to life. Her mom is also an artist – a sculptor. Like her parents, Olympia draws everything as she wanders the streets of her neighborhood. But when her dad disappears, life becomes anything but normal. He leaves a cryptic note but wants Olympia to destroy it. Her mom won’t get out of bed, her dad’s partner is definitely hiding something, and even her friends begin acting strange. And why is she getting phone calls about a missing piece of art? Olympia has no doubt her dad is behind these mysterious events, but will she find him before time is up and the game is over? A meditation on family and depression all wrapped up in an art world mystery?!? Yes, yes, yes. This mystery book for 5th graders is perfection!

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Stuart Gibbs can do no wrong when it comes to mystery books, and Belly Up is the first book in the awesome FunJungle series, featuring Teddy Fitzroy, zoo sleuth! When a hippo at the brand new FunJungle dies, the zoo claims he died of natural causes. Teddy, however, is convinced the hippo was murdered, and it’s up to him and his friend Summer to prove that he isn’t wrong. But who is behind the hippo’s death? Could FunJungle’s owner – who also happens to be Summer’s dad – be more concerned about the cash in his pocket than the animals at his zoo? Gibbs is a master of mastery, and we simply love all of his work!

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Three siblings, Chess, Emma, and Finn, live with their mom and have always been happy. They each have their own unique identities and life is good. But when the kids discover reports about three kidnapped children – children who have their exact first and middle names and birthdays – things start to go awry. Who are these strangers? And why has their mom suddenly taken off on a work trip? From the beginning to the cliffhanger at the very end, kids will be hooked by this puzzling mystery book for 5th graders and eagerly jump to the next book in the series. Suspenseful, captivating, and even a bit creepy, this one is a winner!

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The Trevor family – Mom, Dad and their son – are on the run from some of the most notorious criminals. What do they need as a disguise? A daughter, of course. After all, the criminals are looking for a family with just one son, not a daughter, too. When Nicki joins the Trevor family, she is determined to keep them safe even if it means outsmarting hit men and cyber bullies as she struggles to maintain her grades in middle school. But as she juggles to protect her new family, she discovers that her own history may be the very thing to take her family down.

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For as long as she could remember, Katrina’s life has been built around secrets and lies. Even her name doesn’t last long, and though she’s now Katrina, she used to be known as Ivette. And Joanna before that. As part of the witness Protection Program, Katrina knows her life is about picking up and starting over with a new identity.  But when her family’s location leaks and her parents disappear, Katrina must jump headfirst into a dangerous rescue mission and discover the truth about the sinister people that wish her family would disappear. As Katrina gets deeper into finding her parents, she discovers that they hold even bigger secrets than she had ever imagined. Will Katrina risk everything she’s ever believed to learn the truth and nothing but the truth? Winner of the 2022 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile mystery, this book will have tweens holding their breath as they race through the pages!

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A missing father. A secret code. A war. Meg’s father left more than two years ago to fight for the Allies during World War II. All Meg has left of her father are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, a fun game the two played together. Meg eventually learns her father has been taken prisoner by the Nazis, and soon, Meg is given an impossible chance to save him. If she can safely take a family of German refugees across Nazi-occupied France, one of them will free her father. Meg accepts the duty, and also received a final code from her dad to help her complete the mission. Can she solve the puzzle, help the refugees, and save her own father, too? Once again, Nielsen is a master of middle-grade mystery. Her books are simply fabulous!

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