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Mystery

Riddle me this, whodunit? A look in these books will solve the puzzle. As part of its Lifelong Literacy campaign, the Library of Congress invites you to put on your sleuthing hats and uncover the mysteries that await you.

“Bernie Magruder & the Bats in the Belfry” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
There are strange goings-on once again in Middleburg, and Bernie Magruder is determined to get to the bottom of things. Someone has put up posters all over town warning that the dreaded Indiana Aztec bat, whose bite is often fatal, has been sighted in the area. What's more, the town is in a political uproar over the bells recently placed in the church belfry that every hour chime out the hymn "Abide with me" 24-hours a day.

“Chasing Vermeer” by Blue Balliett
When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: an eccentric old woman seeks their company and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal.

  • Edgar Allan Poe Award (2005); Chicago Tribune Prize (2004); Agatha Award (2004)

“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick
Orphan, clock keeper and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy.

“Room One: A Mystery or Two” by Andrew Clements
Ted Hammond loves a good mystery, and in the spring of his fifth-grade year, he's working on a big one. The mystery that has Ted's full attention is about the face he sees in the upper window of the Andersons' house. The Andersons moved away two years ago, and their old farmhouse is supposed to be empty. Ted soon learns that in a very small town, there's no such thing as an isolated event. And the solution of one mystery is often the beginning of another.

“The Wright 3” by Blue Balliett
Destruction threatens Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. The Wright 3—Calder and Petra, sixth graders at the University School, and Tommy, Calder's former best friend who had moved away for a year—piece together the puzzle that will lead to the building's rescue.

  • Child Magazine’s Best Children’s Book Award (2006)

“Goosebumps” (series) by R.L. Stine
"Why do kids like scary stories so much? Like fictional monsters, many kids sometimes feel like outsiders: different, ugly, out of control, frightened by their angry feelings...." says R.L. Stine. More than 60 books make up the series of horror fiction novellas that feature spine-tingling spins on growing up and life’s little problems.

“I SPY” (series) by Jean Marzollo
Can you spy "a tortoise, a hare, a tea bag, a key/ a clock, and a flag on a house in a tree"? It's not easy—but readers of all ages will have a whole lot of fun trying. Readers search for subtly hidden objects on every page. More than a dozen “I SPY” picture books make up the series.

  • Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year (1993); Parents' Magazine Best Book (1992); Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award (2008)

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