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I am old, and can't remember many names of authors I read at that age, and if I did, they might be dated or not in print anyway.
It's a secret Santa sort of thing at church, and I don't know who this child is, but that she's in 5th grade and likes mysteries. I'd like to get her something good, which might make her want to read more by the same author. Really evil witches and bloody stalkers are probably not appropriate, since it's not my kid. Well, probably not if it was, either. But I don't have any kids anyway. Even though I read that kind of stuff (I read Everything) and I turned out okay. Sort of.
Posts: 1379 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Westing Game is indeed awesome, and very kid-friendly. We read it in my 6th grade class, and really enjoyed it.
Edit: With a bit more thought, I remembered From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which I also loved at that age. The Giver is also in some ways a mystery, given that you spend half the book trying to figure out what's up with Jonas's world.
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Many girls her age are horse-obsessed, so she'd probably like The Mystery of the Crimson Ghost, by Phyllis A Whitney. Unfortunately, that title seems to be out of print, but Amazon shows that some of her more recent titles are still available new, and they seem to have good reviews. The heroine of Crimson Ghost was twelve, and most of the other books seem to have early-teen protagonists as well.
At her age I also like the Johnny Dixon/Lewis Barnavelt mysteries by John Bellairs, but those might be too heavy on the supernatural side. If her parents would consider Harry Potter to be going to far, then they wouldn't like those books either.
I loved mysteries at that age, but I tended to read adult things like Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. I can't think of any other young adult mysteries that haven't already been mentioned.
I love "From the Mixed-up Files..." also. That was one I had thought of. Also, Zilpha Keatley Snyder's books, but I can't remember if they take the magic/occult stuff too seriously. The Velvet Room was always a favorite, and The Egypt Game.
Horses and Sherlock Holmes are good, too. I always thought I was a weird kid for liking to read A. C. Doyle. (Not implying that KQ might be weird, of course Posts: 1379 | Registered: Feb 2002
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My VERY FAVORITE Christmas present the year I was in 5th grade was The Complete Annotated Sherlock Holmes. And yes, I was a bit weird as a child, but then, how many of us weren't?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I read sherlock holmes around that time. I also liked from mixed up files. I wasn't that big into mysteries though, so I can't suggest any others.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Eowyn-sama: The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun
They're not kid-targeted, but they're kid friendly-- I started reading them in the third grade and I still enjoy them today (I'm 22)
If she likes cats, they're a must-read ^_^
Um, there is the occasional swear word and a few of the books (not most, but The Cat Who Lived High comes to mind as one) have some content that is a little bit much for many kids younger than 14 or 15. (That one was a bit much for me at 13, when I read it.)
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The Arm of the Starfish or Dragons in the Waters by Madeleine L'Engle. Dragons is more clearly a mystery, but Starfish has some mystery-suspense elements
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I read a lot of Baby-Sitters' Club mysteries (and the regular books) and Nancy Drew books at that age.
Posts: 1547 | Registered: Jan 2004
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You know what I loved when I was in the fifth grade? (I think we read it in third, but I still loved it by the time I was in fifth -- I still love it now). John Bellairs, The House With The Clock In Its Walls.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: I sort of agree with Sherlock Holmes, but worry about the whole cocaine addiction thing.
Was pretty over my head at that age, and is worded delicately enough that it's much, much tamer than it would be were it written now.
Really it's just a passing reference in most of the stories that mention it, and many don't mention it at all.
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