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The 6 Best Chicago Mystery Books for Young Readers

The 6 Best Chicago Mystery Books for Young Readers

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The kids are back to school and that means one thing—their bookshelves are left unguarded.

I don’t have any kids myself, but I have a penchant for middle-grade books left over from my own childhood. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg? Forget it. I was never the same after I read that book. From Beverly Cleary to Judy Blume to Lois Duncan, the books that are meant for young readers have things they teach us—like how to spend a last lazy summer afternoon recapturing the enjoyment of reading.

As a mystery writer, what I really love are kid mysteries. I began to wonder… what are the great mysteries for young readers set in Chicago? I solicited some opinions from literary/library friends and got a treasure trove. Special thanks to Susanna Calkins, Hope Baugh, Karen Steinberger, Mike Hominick, and Keir Graff (all adults) for the recommendations.

Quick, get your hands on these books before the kids get home.


1Chasing Vermeer
by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist

Art, puzzles, and full-on nerd-dom set at the laboratory school on the campus of the University of Chicago. Middle grade.

 

 

 

 


cc851710-015e-0132-0753-0eae5eefacd9The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin

One last game for a dead man? Sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of a will; one of them might be a killer. Middle grade.

 

 

 


9780375857102_af7a4The Sixty-Eight Rooms
by Marianne Malone, illustrated by Greg Call

Ever wanted to shrink to the size of the Thorne miniature rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago and just walk around, solving crimes? Middle grade.

 

 

 

 


I9780544582491_dce28sabel Feeney, Star Reporter
by Beth Fantaskey

A spunky young newspaper seller in 1920s Chicago makes news when she investigates a murder. Middle grade.

 

 

 

 

See Also


9780316403511_73580The Detective’s Assistant
by Kate Hannigan

The first woman Pinkerton detective, Kate Warne (real) takes on an orphaned niece (fiction), who turns out to be a crime-solving asset. Middle grade.

 

 

 

 


9780375867811_e0ed1On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave
by Candace Fleming

Ten ghost stories set in White Cemetery, a real cemetery in Barrington, Illinois—based in part on the ghost stories of Chicago. Young adult, tween.

 

 

 

 


What did we miss? Suggest your favorite Chicago-set mysteries for young readers in the comments!

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