nmoira Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 DD the Elder has lately begun to read mysteries. I've set her up with Agatha Christie on her e-reader, Cadfael, and Sherlock Holmes. After this I'm as stumped, as it is not a genre I've explored myself. I'm hoping the Hive can recommend some relatively child-friendly mysteries. She's 10, but reads above her age content-wise. Oblique sexual references are okay, but nothing graphic; and she prefers no more than a passing description of blow-by-blow acts of realistic violence, so "gritty" is probably out. I'd appreciate any suggestions you might have. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I'll be watching with interest to see the replies, because my younger dd has the same requirements. She handed back Kathy Reich's Virals because she didn't like the swearing, and doesn't want to read the Forensic Mysteries series her sister is enjoying because it includes detailed descriptions of post mortems. She has enjoyed the Traces series by Malcolm Rose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I believe the "Cat Who" mysteries aren't too bad, but I've only read a couple of them a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Cat who series came to my mind as well. Also Susan wittig Albert...she does a series set in Pecan Springs, TX that I think is safe. I adore Robert Parker, although he's more on the line. He did write a couple of young adult books shortly before his death. I love how he sprinkles literary allusions through his books. They are best in order and you would definitely want to pre-read and probably wait a couple years. Dick Francis might work. Asimov wrote Murder at the ABA :). Haven't read in decades, so unsure how safe. Carl hiassen has some YA books but avoid adult ones. Nevada Barr has a park ranger series... Anna Pigeon. Again, may be on the border or a bit past it. Absolutely avoid for now... John Sandford, probably both Kellermans, Dana Stabenow (Alaska setting. Good but disturbing.) Patricia Cornwall. Unsure about early Sara Paretsky (V I warshawski series set in Chicago) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TippyCanoe Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) nm Edited November 21, 2012 by Honoria Glossop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Love Mrs. Pollifax! Try googling ”cozy mystery”. I prefer British ”cozies” to American ones, but what makes a mystery a cozy is it's lack of s*x and violence. Language is usually pretty tame, too. Almost all of the books listed on this thread so far, I've seen described as cozies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funmamacita Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Dorothy Sayers is fantastic. (I especially love Gaudy Night, but all of her mysteries are nice -- intelligent and entertaining.) And I second Josephine Tey, especially The Daughter of Time. I loved Rebecca at that age, which is a very Gothic-y kind of mystery. The Amelia Peabody mysteries, by Elizabeth Peters, are lots of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thank you so much... you guys are the best. :D What she's got now won't last long, so I'll get a book or two of each from the library and let her choose where to go from there. Here's a link to the other thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=409804 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Arsene Lupin was my absolutely fav at that age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Rita mae brown with sneaky pie brown (her cat). Think these would be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) Thank you so much... you guys are the best. :D What she's got now won't last long, so I'll get a book or two of each from the library and let her choose where to go from there. Here's a link to the other thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=409804 Yay! I finally had time to find the cross post here. I haven't heard the term "cozies" before, so I've learned something new. If you have time, let us know what your DD likes. I am always looking for new ideas here too! :) ETA: I found this site http://www.cozy-mystery.com/index.html and was reminded of the "Rabbi Small" by Kemelman. I think I read those even before the Father Brown books. I haven't read either in years, but remember really enjoying them at the time. Edited July 24, 2012 by sunriseiz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I agree with "Cozies". They're generally light, not graphic, and have a non-professional sleuth as the heroine (or hero, but usually heroine), who has a day-job (which I often find quite interesting in it's own right). If she likes dogs, Laurien Bernstein's books are good-they're set in the dog show world. I also really like Donna Andrews-she has two series, one (with bird names in the title) where the narrator is a female blacksmith with a very, very kooky family, and the other (with computer references in the title), the narrator is a sentient AI program named Turing Hopper, who only has a few people who know that she's a computer. The series beginning with "The sweetness at the bottom of the pie" has a narrator/sleuth who is an obviously gifted pre-teen with an obsession with chemistry (and poisons). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Rita mae brown with sneaky pie brown (her cat).Think these would be okay. The last couple of books in this series have become very, very political (Abortion and abortion rights have been a big sub-plot) as well as just plain darker, so I'd go with earlier ones here. I think the author has had some changes in her life (the protagonist was diagnosed with cancer in one, and I'm guessing that's a reflection on the real world), and I think it's influenced her ability to write a light story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Oh, these are great! We're planning a classic mysteries unit for next year. What about P.G. Wodehouse? And maybe even Wilkie Collins? Poe short stories? Another suggestion is Georgette Heyer - yes, the queen of regency romances, but she did a whole set of mysteries, set in English country houses in the first half of the 20th century. I remember devouring them gleefully. In fact, I attribute my excellent vocabulary mostly to reading Georgette Heyer as a tween/teen!! I also loved Agatha Christie, Daphne DuMaurier, and Victoria Holt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 The last couple of books in this series have become very, very political (Abortion and abortion rights have been a big sub-plot) as well as just plain darker, so I'd go with earlier ones here. I think the author has had some changes in her life (the protagonist was diagnosed with cancer in one, and I'm guessing that's a reflection on the real world), and I think it's influenced her ability to write a light story. Interesting.... I stopped reading her a bit before my son was born. Good to know about the change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Do you think that she would like Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series? I recently saw a whole bunch of those books in our local costco. Also check out Enid Blyton's classic mysteries. They might be hard to come by, but quite entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 The verdict on Mrs Pollifax is "yes." :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 The verdict on Mrs Pollifax is "yes." :001_smile: Woohoo!!! :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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