I’ve been a lover of mystery stories since I became an independent reader. I still have my first copy of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures, a Santillana abridged version in Spanish, which is now in tatters because of how much I read it. When I started writing for children, I never imagined myself as an author of mysteries, but as I began developing my first story, my central character and the plot begged to be a mystery. Since I’m also passionate about research—currently in grad school for an English Ph.D.—I’m mesmerized by the cultural cosmos that can be imbued into stories, so I try to share knowledge through interesting tidbits.
I love mysterious letters. And if these lead to a series of cascading events and a beautifully developed puzzle, the better. The Parker Inheritance not only includes these elements, but also takes readers on a journey to the past. When Candice finds a letter addressed to her grandmother, who was run out of town, she’s unsure if she should read it. However, when she reads about an injustice committed decades ago, she decides to decipher the clues in the letter and, along with Brandon (her neighbor), uncover the town’s hidden past.
When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding its writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.
So with the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into…
Time-travel mystery? Yes, please! Miranda has been receiving letters from a stranger, who knows the future. When her mother is invited to participate in the $20,000 Dollar Pyramid, Miranda can no longer ignore the fact that her secret correspondent does in fact know the future. When You Reach Me takes place in New York during 1978 and 1979 and follows the ‘ordinary sixth-grader’ as she races against time to possibly prevent a death she has been warned about by the mysterious letter-writer.
Miranda's life is starting to unravel. Her best friend, Sal, gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The key that Miranda's mum keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives: 'I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own. I ask two favours. First, you must write me a letter.'
The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realises that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she…
Finalist for the 2023 California Book Award, and the 2023 Northern California Book Award.
Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place than she was a year and a half ago. She’s sober, getting treatment for her depression and anxiety, and volunteering at a suicide prevention hotline. Her own suicide attempt…
“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” This is the message on a cryptic ad that Reynie’s tutor finds in the newspaper. After spending the weekend to determine if, in fact, he is a gifted child, Reynie meets three other special children—who are alone in the world—and are taken to Mr. Benedict’s school. Here, they learn that the world is more dangerous than they previously imagined. At the institute, they prepare, along with other children with extraordinary gifts and talents to become spies and vanquish evil-doers.
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.As our heroes face physical and…
A children’s mystery book classic and winner of the 1978 Newbery medal, The Westing Game is the only murder mystery I'm recommending. When the newly-moved-in tenants of the Westing Estate are invited to a will reading, they are read Samuel W. Westing’s obituary and invited to play a game to discover the murder’s culprit. With an outrageous cast of characters and layers of puzzles, The Westing Game is the perfect mystery book for puzzle lovers.
"A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." —Booklist, starred review
A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!
Winner of the Newbery Medal Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award An ALA Notable Book
"Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight…
Worcester Glendenis is a 12-year-old wannabe private detective. He models himself on his hero, the fictional private eye Philip Marlowe, of course without the booze, cigarettes, and violence. After all, he is only twelve.
He's a likable and smart kid with two pesky 7-year-old twin sisters, and a Mum and…
Letters from unknown senders always spark my curiosity. And books about stolen art are my jam. Chasing Vermeer brings three strangers together when they all receive a letter asking for help to solve the mystery of a stolen Vermeer painting. But, they can’t go to the authorities or they could be in grave danger. This book is perfect for puzzle lovers and code-breaking aficionados who along with Petra and Calder will solve pentominoes to receive clues that will solve the puzzle.
This bewitching first novel is a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure and delivered as a work of art. When a book of inexplicable occurences bring 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 centre of an international art scandal. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth they must draw on their powers of intuition, their skills at problem solving, and…
Nine-year-old Julieta is finally about to put a purple pin in her family's world-traveling map! She's off to Paris to help her art-handler dad collect pieces for a new exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Sadly, they must leave Julieta's very pregnant mother behind, but they're sure they'll be back before the baby is born. Julieta sees the best of Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Coeur, and plenty of great art. But things go awry when she and Dad walk in on a thief stealing the Louvre's most prized piece—a priceless cursed diamond with a shady history. When Julieta runs for help, she accidentally frees the thief instead! Now, Dad's job is in danger and he's become a suspect. Can Julieta determine who the thief really is before it's too late?
Taking only what they can quickly pack, 11-year-old Mardella and her mom secretly move away from their abusive home to start a fresh life in Haven, MN. But Mardella’s sure she's to blame—if only she hadn’t dialed 911, her dad wouldn’t be in jail, her mom wouldn't have been fired,…
