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Good mysteries for children have been around for a long time. Children, like adults, love to piece together clues in a story to guess the outcome — or get creeped out trying to. Mysteries are here to stay, from the Nancy Drew series, by Carolyn Keene, and the Hardy Boys series, by Franklin W. Dixon, which offer mysteries for middle graders to solve, to the Magic Tree House series, by Mary Pope Osborne, whose protagonists solve mysteries of science and the universe. Figure 3-5 features a recently published mystery.

From The Einsteins of Vista Point, by Ben Guterson, © 2022. Reprinted by permission of Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

FIGURE 3-5: The Einsteins of Vista Point, a recent addition to the mystery genre.

In this genre, a few conventions help authors build intriguing characters and riveting mysteries:

 The beginning: The story starts with the commission of a crime (even murder in YA and adult books).

 The plot: A mystery novel should solve a puzzle and create a feeling of resolution for the reader. The main plot (more on plot in Chapter 9) deals with a mystery that needs solving.

 The central character: The detective or other fact-finder. The rest of the characters are usually suspects at one time or another. In the best mysteries, the central character is a quirky, humorous, offbeat, or unusual person — easy to remember and build a series upon.

 Suspense: The genre uses suspense to keep the reader turning the pages.

 Danger: The detective often faces danger at some point.

 Foreshadowing: The author heightens dramatic tension by using foreshadowing, hinting at events to come or suspects’ motives.

 The MacGuffin: A mystery always has twists and turns, and sometimes a MacGuffin or two. A MacGuffin is an object, event, or device that furthers the plot and motivation of the characters, but it’s irrelevant or insignificant in itself. The name was originated by Angus MacPhail, the screenwriter for a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, king of film mysteries.

 Solving the mystery: In the end, the protagonist always comes out on top, having solved the mystery.

Good mysteries, those that have a real plot and believable characters, start appearing in early chapter book series. Some mainstays are The Genius Files series, by Dan Gutman (HarperCollins), which features the McDonald twins, Coke and Pepsi, who solve mysteries; the Brixton Brothers series by Mac Barnett (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), about a boy who ends up becoming the best detective by taking his cue from literary sleuths; and the Nancy Drew Diaries, by Carolyn Keene (Aladdin), in which Nancy Drew and her friends Bess and George tackle everything from sabotage to kidnapping. You can also find plenty of stand-alone titles for this age group.

Middle-grade mysteries tend to come as much in stand-alone books as they do series. Some notable newer titles are The Amelia Six, by Kristin L. Gray (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books), about Millie, who discovers Amelia Earhart’s goggles, only to have them disappear and then someone falls mysteriously ill and Finally, Something Mysterious, by Doug Cornett (Knopf Books for Young Readers), a perfect story about friends, amateur sleuthing, and a whole lot of rubber duckies.

YA mysteries are often stand-alones, unlike the many series aimed at early readers and middle graders. And the ante is always upped because YA novels can include more dangerous content and more complex issues. Many adults read YA mysteries, as well. Get the flavor of current YA mysteries by checking out some newer titles. One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus (Delacorte Press), is a truth-or-dare mystery that keeps alive the memory of a teen who died the previous year and puts its players in peril. In All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban (HarperTeen), six teens are locked in a room with a bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour to pick someone to kill — or they all die.