zaichiki Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Ds is new to school. The literature teacher is asking the kids to read a mystery book for this month's book report. Hardy Boys is, understandably, not the reading level the teacher is looking for. Ds is enjoying the Redwall series right now, but that's fantasy, not mystery. Anyone have a (not full of popular culture or s*xual innuendo) mystery book recommendation that might be a good fit? I have picked up The Ghost of Tokaido Inn by Hoobler and Time Stops for No Mouse by Hoeye (the blurb reminds me of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh or Redwall a bit), but I haven't read them yet and I don't yet know if they could be what we need. If anyone has read either of these, I'd LOVE your comments. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Westing Game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 I saw that one on a list the librarian had... but it was out. Tell me why you like it... I may be persuaded to head out to the book store. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 All the Samurai Mysteries are good. Ghost in the Tokaido Inn is the first, so it's a good starting point. The series is set in Samurai Japan. The Roman Mysteries by Lawrence are also good. The first book in that series is Thieves of Ostia. Detectives in Togas and The Mystery of the Roman Ransom are a 2-book set. The first book is complete by itself. I had no idea there was going to be a 2nd book until I found it. Enola Holmes Mysteries is a very good series, but will have far more appeal for girls than boys. The first book is The Case of the Missing Marquess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 There's a good series by National Geographic that may be out of print now, but is surely in your library. Each mystery takes place in a national park. I know, not fantasy, but I thought of them when you said that because I had a die-hard only-fantasy all-fantasy fourth grader who liked these, too. The series title is Mysteries In Our National Parks, and most if not all of them were authored by Gloria Skurzynski. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Ds read Detectives in Togas and the Mystery of the Roman Ransom three or four years ago... They are good, though. The teacher is looking for something at a higher reading level. (When she said mystery he immediately thought Hardy Boys. She said "need higher reading level." I concurred. Ds LOVES Hardy Boys, but they are more like candy reading for him.) We're looking for something approx 6th-8th grade level, I guess... Our library catalogs those in the Young Adult section. I think I saw 2 of the Enola Holmes books in the YA section. (Something about a hand maiden for Elizabeth I?) I was intrigued, but you're right: more for girls. Ds has recently hit a "boy-ish" streak and I don't think he'd want to read them. I'll look into Mysteries in Our National Parks. That sounds like something that ds would enjoy... For now, we *do* have the Ghost at Tokaido Inn, so that's a start. I'll skim it tonight. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 This is a good list of mysteries. I second The Westing Game. The Mysterious Benedict Society is good, too (but not really YA - neither is the Westing Game, though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 The Westing Game is full of plays on words, and is a difficult read aloud but a fantastic reader. Sonlight uses it. There are lots of twists and turns, and I really liked it, once I stopped reading it out loud to dd! lol The Mysterious Benedict Society didn't seem like a true mystery, more of a gadgety, slightly-fantasy type book, but I'd see if the teacher would accept it, because it's a great read. Dd is beginning Ghost...Tokaido tomorrow--she's in 4th grade. I've looked thru it, and it seems ok--we will be reading it more to give her the historical backround than the mystery story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Harry Potter is fantasy, but the first book is a standalone mystery. You might give the Leveled Search on Scholastic Book Wizard a try. I've found it really useful. http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 What about Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence books? We especially enjoyed N or M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I read The Ghost of Tokaido Inn by Hoobler before giving it to my daughter to read. We both enjoyed it. It's a good book, and not filled with anything you mentioned you didn't want. It's a good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Freerange, Someone else had recommended that Agatha Christie series. I'll look into it, too. Thanks everyone! So far we're starting with Ghost in the Tokaido Inn and we'll go from there. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) The Samurai mysteries (Ghost at Takaido Inn, etc.) are great, but IMO, they are at a similar reading level as the Hardy Boys. I can only think of two YA mysteries that might be at a slightly higher reading level: - Westing Game - Baker Street Irregulars Here are several adult mysteries that are "clean" that he might enjoy trying: - several Sherlock Holmes short story mysteries (Doyle) - several Father Brown short story mysteries (Chesterton) - several Lord Wimsey short story mysteries (Sayers) - Murder on the Orient Express (Christie) - a Father Cadfael mystery (Peters) Just a side question -- your son is 10yo and Hardy Boys is not acceptable reading level?? When I googled the series, it came up at a 5th grade reading level. Just curious! Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited October 22, 2009 by Lori D. added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ya know... Ds really enjoyed The Lost World by Doyle. (He read it at least 20 times last year. He's really into dinosaurs! Ha!) Maybe we should look into some of the Sherlock Holmes... Yes, my son is 10, but he's in the 6th grade in a small private school with a reputation for being accelerated. (He gulps Hardy Boys books in an hour or so... so I understand the teacher wanting him to read something meatier for this month's book report assignment. I also understand that she wants it to be a book that he hasn't already read.) Anyway... I had asked our librarian for recommendations, but she doesn't spend too much time with mystery. She *did* have a list that our local public school uses. It included the Westing Game. When it gets back (it was out), I'll borrow that one, too. My goal is to give ds a few choices and let him pick. But, THANK YOU, all of you! I *knew* this would be the right place to come and ask for book recs! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Yes, my son is 10, but he's in the 6th grade in a small private school with a reputation for being accelerated. (He gulps Hardy Boys books in an hour or so... so I understand the teacher wanting him to read something meatier for this month's book report assignment. I also understand that she wants it to be a book that he hasn't already read.) Ah-ha. Lightbulb goes on for me now. :tongue_smilie: I did think of 3 others; the first is at a similar level as the Samurai Mysteries by Hoobler. I haven't read the second to know about level/content, but it is in the Sonlight book lists: 1. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Konigsberg) 2. A Murder for Her Majesty And a third that is *definitely* more of a high school school level that is clean: The Ides of April (Ray). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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