Mysteries for Middle Schoolers
These titles are found in the Young Teen (YT) or Children's Fiction sections by author's last name.
| Location | Author | Title |
| Children Fiction Bruchac | Bruchac, Joseph | Skeleton Man |
| When Molly's parents disappear, she is forced to live with a frightening man who claims to be her uncle. She relies on her dreams to save her life and that of her parents. (Based on traditional Mohawk lore). | ||
| Children Fiction Byars | Byars, Betsy | The Dark Stairs |
| Since Herculeah's father is on the police force and her mother is a private investigator, it's only natural the thirteen-year-old investigates crimes herself. With the help of her bumbling sidekick, Meat, the bossy Herculeah provides "whodunit" suspense as well as comedy. | ||
| YT Fiction Cooney | Cooney, Caroline B | Burning Up |
| Macey's interest in an arson fire in her community almost 40 years ago leads to disturbing discoveries about her own family and town. | ||
| YT Fiction Dowell | Dowell, Frances O'Roark | Dovey Coe |
| In 1928 South Carolina, Dovey Coe, a strong-willed, outspoken twelve-year-old, is accused of murdering Parnell Caraway, whom she hated. | ||
| YT Fiction Harrison | Harrison, Michael | Facing the Dark |
| When Simon's father is suspected, Simon and Charley team up to discover who killed Charley's father. | ||
| Children Fiction Hoobler | Hoobler, Dorothy | The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn |
| Seikei, a merchant's son who longs to be a samurai but cannot due to the rigid caste system of 18th-century Japan, helps a judge solve the mystery of a stolen jewel by joining a Kabuki troupe. Sequel: The Demon in the Teahouse (2001). | ||
| YT Fiction Horowitz | Horowitz, Anthony | Stormbreaker |
| 14-year-old Alex is a spy for the British intelligence agency, M16. Sequel: Point Blank (2001). | ||
| Children Fiction Klise | Klise, Kate | Regarding the Fountain: a Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks. Ill. by M. Sarah Klise |
| What starts as a simple request to Florence Waters for a replacement water fountain at Dry Creek Middle School results in lasting friendships, an absolutely wild fountain, and Mr. Sam N.'s fifth grade class saving the town from crooks and liars. | ||
| YT Fiction Kongisburg | Konigsburg, Elaine | Silent to the Bone |
| A tense mystery unfolds when thirteen-year-old Branwell becomes mute after being accused of harming his infant half-sister. The detective work takes the form of an intellectual and psychological puzzle when Branwell's best friend devises a code that enables them to communicate. | ||
| YT Fiction Namioka | Namioka, Lensey | Island of Ogres |
| Unemployed Samurai Kajiro, sent to spy on an island fortress, is mistaken for his friend Zenta and expected to clear the island of its "ogres." | ||
| YT Fiction Napoli | Napoli, Donna Jo | Three Days |
| When her father suddenly dies while on a business trip to Italy, eleven-year-old Jackie is kidnapped by two men with unknown but ultimately sinister motives. | ||
| YT Fiction Peck | Peck, Richard | Voices After Midnight |
| Brothers Chad and Luke hear voices from the past in their family's vacation rental, an old New York City brownstone. They learn how to transport themselves to the 1880s and uncover a mystery to solve, but events begin to lead towards tragedy. | ||
| YT Fiction Pullman | Pullman, Philip | The Ruby in the Smoke |
| In a fast-paced "penny dreadful" of a thriller set in the shadowy underworld of Victorian London, sixteen-year-old Sally's father has been murdered. As she investigates, she uncovers a complicated double mystery with herself as the key. Sequels: The Shadow in the North (1989); The Tiger in the Well (1992). | ||
| Children Fiction Van Draanen | Van Draanen, Wendelin | Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief |
| Thirteen-year-old Sammy involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel across the street from the building where she is living with her grandmother while her mother is away trying to find success as an actress. First in series. | ||
| YT Fiction Voigt | Voight, Cynthia | The Callender Papers |
| Orphaned Jean, employed to sort out the family papers of a reclusive artist, investigates the mysterious death of his wife and the disappearance of their young child. | ||
| YT Fiction Voigt | Voight, Cynthia | The Vandemark Mummy |
| Twelve-year-old Phineas and his older sister, Althea, are puzzled when the mummy for which their professor father is responsible, is stolen. When Althea vanishes, Phineas moves quickly to solve the mystery. | ||
| YT Fiction Werlin | Werlin, Nancy | The Black Mirror |
| As a racially mixed scholarship student at an exclusive prep school, Frances is a lonely outcast. But when her brother kills himself, she begins to wonder about the mysterious charitable organization that sponsored both of their scholarships. | ||
| Children Fiction Yep | Yep, Laurence | The Case of the Goblin Pearls |
| Lily and her Auntie Lil, a Chinese-American movie actress, try to solve the theft of some priceless pearls and stop the operator of a Chinatown sweatshop. Set in San Francisco. Sequels: The Case of the Lion Dance (1998); The Case of the Firecracker (1999). | ||
Want to get your hands on one of these books? Check the Berkeley Public Library catalog to see where you can get a copy!