Mysteries for children and young adults: Middle school
This guide lists selected mystery fiction for children and young adults to be found in the Cubberley Library collections.
Middle school
Harvest house by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Publication Date: 2023Lexile measure 850; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He's excited to take part in the fun, spooky show--until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an "Indian maiden," a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. A creepy man is stalking teenage girls and young women, particularly Indigenous women; dogs are fretful and on edge; and wild animals are behaving strangely. While Hughie weighs how and when to speak up about the bigoted legend, he and his friends begin to investigate the crossroads and whether it might be haunted after all.The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst
Publication Date: 2023Ages 13-17; Gr.7 and up.
Claire's grown up triple-checking locks. Counting her steps. Second-guessing every decision. It's just how she's wired--her worst-case scenarios never actually come true. Until she arrives at an off-the-grid summer camp to find a blackened, burned husk instead of a lodge--and no survivors, except her and two other late arrivals: Reyva and Mariana.The nighthouse keeper: a Blight Harbor novel by Lora Senf
Publication Date: 2023Ages 10-12; Gr.5-7.
Evie Von Rathe has been home for only a few weeks from her adventure in the strange world of seven houses when Blight Harbor's beloved ghosts begin to disappear. Did they leave without saying goodbye, or has something gone horribly wrong? Soon Evie is invited to a mysterious council meeting, where she learns about the Dark Sun Side and a terrible secret.
2021-2022
The Hawthorne legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication Date: 2022Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions--including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.Jennifer Chan is not alone by Tae Keller
Publication Date: 2022Lexile measure 640; Ages 8-12;Gr.5-7.
Tae Keller offers a gripping and emotional story about friendship, bullying, and the possiblity that there's more in the universe than just us. Sometimes middle school can make you feel like you're totally alone in the universe...but what if we aren't alone at all? Thanks to her best friend, Reagan, Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school. The most important one? You have to fit in to survive. But then Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, and that rule doesn't seem to apply.The mysterious disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) by David Levithan
Publication Date: 2021Lexile measure 660; Ages 8-12; Gr.5 and up.
New York Times bestselling author David Levithan takes young readers on twisting journey through truth, reality, and fantasy and belief. Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply. . . impossible.Sugar Town queens by Malla Nunn
Publication Date: 2021Lexile measure HL680; Ages 12-17; Gr.7-9.
A biracial girl living in post-apartheid South Africa is determined to unveil the mystery of her white mother's hidden past.
2020
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger; Rovina Cai (Ill.)
Publication Date: 2020Ages 12 and up; Gr.5 and up.
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family.The hand on the wall by Maureen Johnson
Publication Date: 2020Gr.7 and up.
New York Times and USA Today bestseller! New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.In the hall with the knife by Diana Peterfreund
Publication Date: 2020Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
A murderer could be around every corner in this thrilling YA trilogy based on the board game CLUE! When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students--including Beth "Peacock" Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam "Mustard" Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry--are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it's very clear his death was no accident.The inheritance games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication Date: 2020Lexile measure 640; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
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.The silence of bones by June Hur
Publication Date: 2020Ages 13 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: "May you live in interesting times." Indentured to the police bureau, she's been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman. As they delve deeper into the dead woman's secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.
2016-2018
The Agony House by Cherie Priest; Tara O'Connor (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3616 .R537 A63 2018Lexile measure HL740L; Ages 14 and up; Gr.7-10; Locus Award finalist, 2019.
Denise Farber has just moved back to New Orleans with her mom and step-dad. They left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and have finally returned, wagering the last of their family's money on fixing up an old, rundown house and converting it to a bed and breakfast.City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3601 .N54443 C58 2017Gr.7 and up.
Sixteen-year-old Tina and two friends leave Kenya and slip into the Congo, from where she and her mother fled years before, seeking revenge for her mother's murder but uncovering startling secrets.Beastly Bones by William Ritter
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3618 .I795 B43 2016Lexile measure 850; Ages 11-18; Gr.7-12.
Some girls work in shops or sell flowers. Some girls find husbands and play house. I assist a mad detective in investigating unexplained phenomena. My name is Abigail Rook, and this is what I do.Goldie Vance by Hope Larson; Brittney Williams (Ill.)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PN6728 .G65 L377 2016Ages 11-14; gr.6-9.
Sixteen-year-old Marigold "Goldie" Vance lives at a Florida resort with her dad, who manages the place. Her mom, who divorced her dad years ago, works as a live mermaid at a club downtown. Goldie has an insatiable curiosity, which explains her dream to one day become the hotel's in-house detective. When Charles, the current detective, encounters a case he can't crack, he agrees to mentor Goldie in exchange for her help solving the mystery.OCDaniel by Wesley King
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR9199.4 .K565 O235 2016Lexile measure 560; Gr.6-12; Guided reading Z+.
A thirteen-year-old boy's life revolves around hiding his obsessive compulsive disorder until a girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time and he gets a mysterious note that changes everything.Steeplejack by A. J. Hartley
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR6108 .A787 S74 2016Lexile measure 930; Gr.6 and up.
Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga lives and works as a steeplejack in Bar-Selehm, a sprawling city known for its great towers, spires, and smokestacks - and even greater social disparities across race and class. Ang's world is turned upside-down when her new apprentice Berrit is murdered the same night that the city's landmark jewel is stolen. Her search for answers behind his death exposes unrest in the streets and powerful enemies.
2014-2015
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest; Kali Ciesemier (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3616 .R537 I2 2015Lexile measure 790; Ages 11-14; Gr.6-9.
Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine was called Princess X. Then Libby is killed in a car crash May is sixteen when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window. Princess X?The Marvels by Brian Selznick
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3619 .E469 M37 2015Lexile measure 770; Ages 10-17; Gr.5-8; Guided reading U
In this magnificent reimagining of the form Selznick originated, two stand-alone stories--the first in nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, the second in prose--create a beguiling narrative puzzle. The journey begins at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage.Fake ID by Lamar Giles
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3607 .I433 F35 2014Lexile measure HL540L; Ages 13 and up; Gr.7-12.
Lamar Giles takes readers on a wild and dark ride in this contemporary Witness Protection thriller. Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight. In fact, his name isn't really Nick Pearson. He shouldn't tell you his real name, his real hometown, or why his family just moved to Stepton, Virginia. And he definitely shouldn't tell you about his friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy Eli was uncovering when he died.Jackaby by William Ritter
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3618 .I8 J33 2014Lexile measure 920; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7-12.
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary -- including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby's assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose.The Spiritglass Charade by Colleen Gleason
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Stacks » PS3607 .L437 S65 2014Lexile measure 840; Ages 12-15.
After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa "appear lunatic, " using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her.
2011-2012
The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt; Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3572 .O33 B66 2013Gr.5-8.
Newbery medalist Cynthia Voigt presents a rollicking mystery in three acts! Max's parents are missing. They are actors, and thus unpredictable, but sailing away, leaving Max with only a cryptic note, is unusual even for them. Did they intend to leave him behind?Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3568 .O84195 P53 2013Lexile measure HL780L; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7-12.
Twelve-year-old Mila travels with her father to upstate New York to visit friends and family, who may lead them to clues as to the whereabouts of her father's best friend, who has gone missing.The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR6069 .T744 S37 2013Lexile measure 720; Ages 11-15; Gr.6-8.
Follows three young operatives of a Psychic Detection Agency as they battle an epidemic of ghosts in London.Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3570 .U653 T49 2012Lexile measure 560; Ages 11-15; Gr.5-7; Guided reading W.
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a café and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.City of Orphans by Avi; Greg Ruth (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3551 .V5 C58 2011Gr.6-8.
In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works.Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3611 .I732 I28 2011Lexile measure 670; Ages 10-14; Gr.5-8.
Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst.Virals by Kathy Reichs
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3568 .E476345 V57 2011Lexile measure 480; Book level 3.5; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7-12.
Fourteen-year-old Tory Brennan is as fascinated by bones and dead bodies as her famous aunt, acclaimed forensic anthropologist, Tempe Brennan. However living on a secluded island off Charleston in South Carolina there is not much opportunity to put her knowledge to the test. Until her and her ragbag group of technophile friends stumble across a shallow grave containing the remains of a girl who has been missing for over thirty years.
Before 2011
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3603 .A7765 H45 2010Guided Reading Level: Z; Lexile measure 800; Ages 12-18; Book level 5.5.
When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre . . . to case it. When Kat turned 15, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving the life for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PR6104 .O88 L66 2008Lexile measure 640; ages 10-14; book level 4.1, gr. 5-8.
When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart; Carson Ellis (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3619 .T535 M97 2007Guided Reading Level W; Lexile measure 840; ages 10-15; book level 5.6
After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3556 .E68 C48 2006Guided Reading Level T; Lexile measure 800; ages 14-17; book level 5.1
On the payroll as an assistant to her coroner father, seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney uses her knowledge of forensic medicine to catch the killer of a friend while putting herself in terrible danger.Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3573 .E673 B53 2003Lexile measure 580; Book level 4.7; Frances Leventhal refuses to look in the mirror; she can't bear to face her reflection. She has hidden from herself and everyone around her for such a long time, and now that her brother Daniel has committed suicide, she can't help thinking that it's somehow her fault. If she hadn't been so caught up in her own pain, maybe she would have noticed her brother's.
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