Mystery & Suspense Archive - Staff Picks 4 Kids

Staff Picks 4 Kids

The Missing: Book 1, Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I rarely read past the first book in a series, so it says a lot that I can’t wait to read book 2 of “The Missing” series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Book 1, Found, is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller. It begins when 13-year-old Jonah gets a letter in the mail with just six words: “YOU ARE ONE OF THE MISSING.” The plot thickens as Jonah, his friend Chip, and his sister Katherine gather clues about disappearing airplanes, stolen babies, and the FBI.

Book reviewed by Erin E., Youth Services Programming Coordinator

By MPPL on January 5, 2010 Categories: Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Erin E., Science Fiction

Hannah’s Winter by Kierin Meehan

If you like mysteries, ghosts, and international travel, then you have to read Hannah’sWinter by Kierin Meehan! Hannah is staying in Japan while her mom is working. When she and her friends find an ancient clue in a stationery shop, the mystery begins. Will Hannah and her friends solve the mystery? Is the ghost friendly or evil? Read more to find out!

Book reviewed by Anne W., Youth Assistant.

By MPPL on September 23, 2009 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Anne W.

Masterpiece by Elise Broach

I just finished Masterpiece by Elise Broach. Do you like mysteries, art, or beetles? Then you will enjoy reading about James and Marvin. Marvin is a beetle that lives in James’ house, and he has the ability to draw beautiful delicate pictures. Marvin’s drawing ability comes in handy when an art thief tries to steal art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Will the art thief succeed? Will Marvin and his family be discovered by the rest of James’ family? Read and find out!

Book reviewed by Anne W., Youth Assistant

By MPPL on June 22, 2009 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Anne W.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod Owens is just like any other boy except he is being raised by ghosts, lives in a graveyard, and is being hunted by a vicious killer. Okay, so he’s not quite like everyone else. Bod’s unusual childhood lets him have thrilling adventures such as meeting the Indigo Man, being chased by ghouls, and learning to fade. I was so excited when The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman won the Newbery award. Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and his new book does not disappoint! If you like a good ghost story, this book is for you. (For grades 5 and up)

Book reviewed by Mary S., Youth Services Department Head

By MPPL on April 27, 2009 Categories: Fantasy, For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Mary S.

The Name of This Book is… Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

Are you able to keep a secret? Perhaps a secret about your very best friend? Or a secret concerning an extraordinary discovery? Or about how many Twinkies you really ate after dinner last night? The Name of the Book Is… Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch is an amazing book is all about secret, potions, smells, hidden places and secret identities…… Is the dead magician Pietro really dead? What about those missing pages from that mysterious book? And why does Ms. Mauvais always wear gloves? Follow Cass and Max-Ernst into the world of hidden rooms, creepy pyramids and a place that could happen even in your own hometown.

It’s a secret that will drive you mad…..

Shhh! Just keep the secret……

Book read by Darice Castino, Library Assistant

By MPPL on February 16, 2009 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Darice C.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

I listened to The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke on CD and I think Simon Jones does a really good job reading it. This is a tale of two runaway brothers who find a home with the “Thief Lord” of Venice, and it turns into an adventure beyond their wildest dreams. Between the author choosing every word just perfectly and Simon Jones having a different voice for each character, I felt like I was in the middle of the story. Chase scenes, surprises, mystery, villains, fantasy…this story has it all so check it out!

By MPPL on January 27, 2009 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

In The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd, Ted’s cousin, Salim, mysteriously disappears while riding the famous London Eye (it’s like a huge ferris wheel), and the whole family is frantic! Ted thinks he spontaneously combusted but Aunt Gloria thinks that he has been kidnapped. Even the police can’t crack the case. So Ted, whose brain functions a little differently then most people’s, and his big sister, Kat, decide to put their aside their fighting to work together as detectives. They follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate search to find Salim while time ticks dangerously by. What goes up must come down…right?

Book read by Julie D., Elementary School Liaison

By MPPL on December 2, 2008 Categories: For Grades 2-4, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Julie D.

Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements

If you like a good mystery, take a look at the clues in Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements, and see what you make of it. There’s more than one mystery going on in the tiny farm town of Plattsford, and Ted Hammond is in on all of them. The only sixth-grader in the one-room, one-teacher school, Ted has always been a big fan of mysteries. He reads at least three a week, and he doesn’t just read them. He solves them, too. He stops half way through the book, takes notes on suspects and evidence, and works through the theories. Eight times out of ten, he’s right.

It’s not surprising then that Ted notices the face in a second-floor window of the old Anderson place. Only problem is, the Anderson moved away two years ago and the farmhouse has been abondoned and boarded up ever since. He investigates, and what he finds is a homeless family – a mom and two kids in desperate need of shelter and secrecy ever since their dad was killed in Iraq. What will Ted do? Help the family and keep their secrecy? Turn them in to the authorities as trespassers? Ted makes some surprising choices that have some big, big consequences.

Book read by Mary Ann S., Assistant Head of Youth Services

By MPPL on October 27, 2008 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Mary Ann S.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil. E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil. E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg is considered a classic by many and is also a Newbery award winner from the 1960’s. I’d heard it was a story about two kids who run away from home in an unusual way. I was intrigued. So I picked it up and found out that the story is just as clever and cute as I’d hoped, and the characters are realistic and lovable. Claudia Kincaid, a 12-year-old straight-A perfectionist, does not want to pull off that “old-fashioned kind of running away… in the heat of anger with a knapsack on [your] back,” so instead she arranges to run towards something. So she recruits her brother, Jamie, mostly because he has money saved up, and they go to a large, comfortable, beautiful place- the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Between keeping their residency a secret and trying to solve the mystery of a controversial statue, the two have plenty to keep them busy. This book kept me guessing ‘til the end!

Book reviewed by Erin E., Youth Programming Librarian

By MPPL on March 31, 2008 Categories: Award Winners, For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Erin E., Realistic Stories

The Theft and the Miracle by Rebecca Wade

Do you like Christmas stories that are also mysteries? I hope so because you’re going to enjoy reading The Theft and the Miracle by Rebecca Wade! Overweight, suffering from acne, and feeling insecure, Hannah Price does not have many friends. But what she does have is talent. She’s a wonderful artist. When a wooden statue of baby Jesus is stolen from the cathedral after she sketches it, Hannah becomes a suspect. This wasn’t just any statue but one that people felt had a special power. When a terrible illness travels throughout the city, people are sure that this is because of Hannah. No, the illness isn’t the Bubonic Plague, it’s more like colds, but it spreads like a plague! Will people stop getting sick? Will Hannah find the statue? Will she make more friends? And who exactly was the thief? This is a mystery that will thrill you!

Book reviewed by Anne W., Youth Library Assistant

By MPPL on December 18, 2007 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Mystery & Suspense, Picks by Anne W.