Mystery books for 4th graders
Boy of a Thousand Faces
by: Brian Selznick - (Harper, 2000) 48 pages.
Ten-year-old Alonzo King is an expert about monster movies. He spends hours with Scotch tape and makeup trying to master his beloved monster faces in the mirror. When a mysterious beast is rumored to be stomping on flower beds and scratching up cars, Alonzo is called on for his monster expertise.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find at your local library.
Edgar & Ellen Under Town
by: Charles Ogden, illustrated by: Rick Carton - (Tricycle Press/Star Farm Productions, 2004) 140 pages.
The cover art on this book immediately draws children’s attention. The concept of twins and the mystery of a prankster draw students into the story plot.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find at your local library.
Framed
by: Frank Cottrell Boyce - (HarperCollins Children's Books, 2006) 306 pages.
The story is told by a young boy who is endearingly naive and who understands less than the reader about what is really going on. He is missing a parent and doing the best he can with his limited understanding to make things better for everyone. And his well-meaning but clueless actions change not only his family, but his town. Dylan lives with his sisters and parents, and is the only boy in a small, rainy town in Wales. They run a small garage, the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel, on the brink of insolvency. Dylan is obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as is Tom, the man who tried to rob them and whom they hire instead. Then a series of seemingly unrelated events starts to change things in their lives and community.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find at your local library.
Jim Ugly
by: Sid Fleischman - (Greenwillow Books, 1992) 131 pages.
The year is 1894. Jake Bannock and his father Sam are on the run and hiding out in Blowfly, Nevada. When Sam unexpectedly disappears and is presumed dead, it’s up to Jake and Sam’s dog, Jim Ugly, (who is part wolf and part dog) to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find at your local library.
The Missing ‘Gator of Gumbo Limbo: An Eco Mystery
by: Jean Craighead George - (Harper, 1992) 144 pages.
Liza and her mother are seeking refuge in Gumbo Limbo, a lush hammock of trees in the Florida Everglades. Also in residence is Dajun the alligator, caretaker of this precious ecosystem. When Dajun is seen as a threat to the nearby condos in development, he is ordered killed and Liza becomes determined to keep him safe at any cost.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find at your local library.
Murder, My Tweet: A Chet Gecko Mystery
by: Bruce Hale, illustrated by: Bruce Hale and Brad Weinman - (Harcourt Children's Books, 2004) 136 pages.
Chet Gecko plunges into another troublesome case when his mockingbird sidekick, Natalie, is suspended for a crime she didn’t commit. Bullying, blackmail, and tongue-in-cheek humor run rampant at Emerson Hickey Elementary in this 10th installment of these private-eye mysteries.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find at your local library.