5 Chapter Book Series for Young Mystery Lovers

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (Encyclopedia Brown Series #1), by Donald J. Sobol, Leonard Shortall (Illustrator)
I was obsessed with this series as a kid, and may have tried to start my own neighborhood detective agency as a result. I was thrilled to discover that this series is still popular with today’s young detectives. Encyclopedia Brown (otherwise known as Leroy Brown) is the son of the Idaville police chief, and a local superstar detective in his own right. Encyclopedia even helps his dad solve his work cases over dinner! The best part of these books is that you, the reader, can try and solve the mysteries right along with the Browns! These books are so addictive I’d recommend starting with a box set. Happy sleuthing!

The Fashion Disaster (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew Series #6), by Carolyn Keene, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan 
This fun chapter book series is a modern spin-off on the classic Nancy Drew books that many current adults loved and grew up with as kids. In this stylish edition we have a doggy fashion show gone awry when a basket of fancy biscuits goes missing. Knowing Nancy, and her tried and true friends George and Bess, this case will be solved before the first pooch struts down the runway!

Fire! Fire! (Hilde Cracks the Case Series #3), by Hilde Lysiak and Matthew Lysiak, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff 
These mystery books arewritten by a real life father/daughter journalism team! Hilde Lysiak is a 10-year old superstar reporter who has started her own paper called the Orange Street News (what was I doing at 10??) and these page-turning books are based on her real stories. In this edition Hilde needs to get to the bottom of what started the fire that burned down Mrs. Brown’s shop. Fun illustrations and the true-crime elements will engage reluctant readers.

The School Skeleton (A to Z Mysteries Series #19), by Ron Roy, illustrated by John Steven Gurney 
You have a whole alphabet of mysteries to choose from in this uber-popular chapter book series! If you settle on S you’re in for a spooky skeleton whodunnit. This book stars elementary school friends Dink, Josh, and Ruth, as well as Mr. Bones, the skeleton that has gone missing from the nurse’s office. Who would want to steal a skeleton? The answer may have something to do with the fact that it’s April 1st, but you’ll have to read the book to find out the whole story…

The Mystery of the Stolen Statue (Third-Grade Detectives Series #10), by George E. Stanley, Salvatore Murdocca (Illustrator)
The third-grade detectives are headed to the art museum for a field trip to see a statue of Joan of Arc. (The class is called “the third-grade detectives” because they get to help the police solve mysteries because their teacher Mr. Merlin used to be a spy. How cool is that?) But what starts out as an ordinary field trip turns into something much more mysterious when the class arrives to discover that the statue was stolen by thieves in the night! Or was it? Luckily these resourceful third graders have agreed to take on the case, much to the reluctance of the museum’s curator, Dr. Kirk.