Who-Dun-It? It's a Mystery!

This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite mystery chapter books for kids . . .

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger
Horton, an upstanding kitchen boy in a castle in nineteenth-century England, becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding a series of thefts, which is also connected to the pursuit of a very eligible and wealthy young lady's affections.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny -- Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
Middle-schooler Madeline's hippie parents have been kidnapped from Hornby Island, Canada, by foxes, and Madeline, upon discovering that she can understand animal languages, hires two rabbit detectives to find them.

Below by Megan McKinlay
On the day Cassie was born, the mayor flipped a lever and everyone cheered as Old Lower Grange was submerged beneath five thousand swimming pools' worth of water and now, twelve years later, Cassie is drawn to the mysterious manmade lake.


More Mysteries for Kids --
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
The Forgetting Machine by Pete Hautman
The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarity
Knightley & Son by Rohan Gavin
Madhattan Mystery by John H. Bonk
Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
The Mystery of Meerkat Hill by Alexander McCall Smith
Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Sensible Hare and the Case of Carrots by Daren King
Snowize & Snitch: Highly Effective Defective Detectives by K.H. Briner
The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery by Doreen Cronin
Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry
Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 13, 2016.

Over at the Castle

This week we learned about castles during our Eyewitness program.  So I thought I would share some books that feature castles as a setting . . . 

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger

Horton, an upstanding kitchen boy in a castle in nineteenth-century England, becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding a series of thefts, which is also connected to the pursuit of a very eligible and wealthy young lady's affections.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Princess Celie must defend Castle Glower, which add rooms, stairways and secret passageways every Tuesday, when her parents are ambushed while travelling.

The Castle Behind Thorns by Merrie Haskell

When Sand, a blacksmith's apprentice, wakes up in a broken castle, he must find a way to put it back together.

Crandall's Castle by Betty Ren Wright

Charli's impulsive uncle, Will Crandall, decides to buy the town's abandoned, possibly haunted castle and fix it up as a bed-and-breakfast, but Charli and Sophia, a clairvoyant orphan who has come to stay with the Crandall family, know his plan is somehow dangerous.

Midnight Magic by Avi 

In Italy in 1491, Mangus the magician and his apprentice are summoned to the castle of Duke Claudio to determine if his daughter is indeed being haunted by a ghost.

The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech

Two orphaned peasant children discover a mysterious pouch, the contents of which lead them to the majestic Castle Corona, where their lives may be transformed forever.

More Stories Featuring Castles --

The Beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson

Brand-New Page by Tony Davis

Castle of Shadows by Ellen Renner

The Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett

East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Jackie Morris

The House of Arden by E. Nesbit

The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye

Pure Dead Magic by Debi Gliori

Stealaway by K.M. Peyton

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine