Mystery Books For Children

Mystery books for children can be a tough case to untangle. While mysteries are undoubtedly entertaining, one doesn't want to subject a child to a story that's too scary. Thankfully, there are a number of proven mysteries for children that are sure to delight while avoiding dismay.

One example is the original series of Hardy Boys books (volumes 1-58), first published by Grosset and Dunlap. These books, written for boys between the ages of eight and fourteen, balance complicated mysteries with amusing character clashes. Frank and his brother Joe, while always managing to solve the case in the end, often have to fight one another to do so as they attempt to balance the scales between Frank's thoughtfulness and care versus Joe's enthusiasm and impetuous behavior.

Mystery Books for Children, New and Old

The series most commonly associated with the Hardy Boys is Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew mysteries were started three years after the Hardy Boys, as the creator realized that he didn't have any books that would appeal directly to girls. Nancy Drew provides girls an entertaining, caring role model with whom they can adventure.

More recently, we have been exposed to a set of modern classics in the field of mystery books for children. The Harry Potter books indeed transcend this designation, so well-loved are they by readers of all ages. Harry Potter truly delights the child in all of us and provides a modern counterpart to the children's classics listed above.