When You Reach Me

Stead, R. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York, NY: Random House Publishing.

Plot: It is 1979 in New York City and Miranda has lost her best friend Sal after he got punched in the stomach and decided that he didn't want to be friends anymore. Miranda is helping her mom study up because she is going to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid. The spare key is missing after Miranda received a strange note asking about the key and telling her that they are going to save the life of her friend. How does this person seem to know things about Miranda's life, things that haven't happened yet even? Miranda goes on to receive more creepy notes, even when working at Jimmy's Sandwich Shop while counting bread rolls during lunch time. Miranda makes many references in the story about her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, which she reads time and again.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-8

Subjects/themes: friendship, growing up, family, mystery, sci-fi

Awards:

• Newbery Medal 2010
• Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books 2010
• Book Sense Book of the Year 2010
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards 2010

The Fairy-Tale Detectives

Buckley, M. (2005). The Fairy-Tale Detectives. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Plot: Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are orphan sisters since they lost their parents a year and a half ago, literally. Their parents just disappeared one day. They have gone to live with their so-called grandmother, the one their father told them died a long time ago. Relda Grimm is her name, and she lives with Mr. Canis and a huge dog named Elvis. They live in a strange town called Ferry Port Landing, which houses the Everafters, fairty-tale creatures and characters. Sabrina and Daphne soon learn their true family history and what lies for them in the future, but first there is a mystery to solve involving giants, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and many more fantastical creatures!

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Adventure

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: detectives, fairty-tales, family, mystery, legacy

Other books in The Sister's Grimm series:

• The Unusual Suspects
• The Problem Child
• Once Upon a Crime
• Magic and Other Misdemeanors
• Tales From the Hood
• The Everafter War
• The Inside Story

Nancy Drew: The Mistletoe Mystery

Keene, C. (2002).  The Mistletoe Mystery. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Plot: It is the holiday season in River Heights, and Nancy Drew's friend Bess is working for a company called Special Effects, which is designing decorations for Albemarle's Department store. Bess has a good friend, Ali, who is working in the Wave department of Albemarle's and there was a huge theft of expensive dresses from there, and she is suspected of taking them. There has been some expensive equipment missing from the electronics department too. Bess knows her friend wouldn't do a thing like that, so she asks Nancy to investigate and find out who is stealing from Albemarle's and clear Ali's name.

Genre: Mystery

Recommended Reading Level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Detective work, Christmas, friendship, sleuthing

Other Books in this Series:

• The E-Mail Mystery
• Whispers in the Fog
• The Curse of the Black Cat
• The Secret in the Stars
• Mystery on the Menu

Annotation: Have you ever known in your gut that your friend was innocent of a crime they didn't commit? Well, Nancy Drew's friend Bess knows that Ali didn't steal the dresses from Albemarle's Department store, right? Find out who Nancy catches red-handed in this edition of the popular series by Carolyn Keene.

Nancy Drew: The Baby-Sitter Burglaries

Keene, C. (1996). The Baby-Sitter Burglaries. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Publishers.

Plot: Nancy Drew is on to a new mystery. There have been a string of burglaries in River Heights and each one is connected to a girl named Juanita Puentes, who has baby-sat for each family. What is more serious is that Juanita's boyfriend used to work for an alarm company, the same one used for each home burglarized. Nancy knows Juanita is innocent, so she is going solve this mystery and clear her name.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Mystery, sleuthing, friendship, magic, burglary, theft.

Other Nancy Drew Books by Carolyn Keene:

• The Vanishing Veil
• The Nutcracker Ballet Mystery
• The Wedding Day Mystery
• Mystery on Maui
• The Ghost of the Lantern Lady
• The Mistletoe Mystery

Annotation: Nancy Drew is onto a new mystery! Can she find out who has been burglarizing the people of River Heights before the police arrest her friend Juanita Puentes because she is connected to all the families? Read the book and find out!

Howliday Inn

Howe, J. (1982). Howliday Inn. Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. New York, NY.
Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.

Plot Description: Harold and Chester's family are going on a roadtrip and are leaving them at the Chateau Bow-Wow. Dr. Greenbriar, the veterinarian for the Chateau, will be on his own vacation and is leaving Jill and Harrison in charge to watch over the animals. During the first night Harold and Chester overhear some ominous howling, and Chester quickly renames the place the Howliday Inn.

Harold, a dog, and Chester, a cat,  meet some strange animals being boarded at the Howliday Inn. Max the bulldog, Louise a poodle (who seems to be having a lover's spat with Max), Georgette the flirty poodle, Taxi the strange mutt, Lyle the crazy cat, and Howard and Heather, a pair of wire-haired dachshunds who are the ones doing all the howling. This leads Chester to believe they are werewolves. After a rather stormy night Louise disappears without a trace and Chester and Harold are off to investigate. From the looks of her cage, Chester fears Louise was poisoned and Harold thinks it might have been Taxi because he overheard him mention a show he'd seen where a woman was poisoned. Taxi hears them talking and gets upset. Later Chester and Harold eavesdrop on Max and Georgette, hearing them talk about running off. Chester and Harold get caught and Taxi and Max want to know what they are up to. Chester lets them in on their investigation.

The next day Chester is missing, and Harold hears Harrison and Jill talking about how Chester was poisoned. This is awful, but Harold must find out what happened. Chester shows up and says that it is Harrison and they need to stop him before he can get to Howard and Heather. Heather had just had puppies and that is what Harrison is after. Taxi and Lyle jump Harrison and while he tries to get them off Dr. Greenbriar shows up with Jill, Max, Georgette and Louise! It turns out Harrison had planned to sell the puppies to make money, Jill got suspicious of his behavior and called Dr. Greenbriar. They went by Harrison's home and heard Max, Georgette and Louise (who he had snatched and kept captive at his house) barking. Harold and Chester's family come and get them but have a surprise of their own. They are getting to keep one of the puppies and are naming him Howie after Howard!

Genre: Mystery

Subjects/Themes: animals, theft, friendship, mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Other books by this author:

• Bunnicula (with Deborah Howe)
• The Celery Stalks at Midnight
• Return to Howliday Inn
• Bunnicula Strikes Again!

Annotation: Harold and Chester's family are going on vacation and leaving them at the Chateau Bow-Wow, but Chester calls it the Howliday Inn because there is scary howling at night. Then one of the other dogs staying there, Louise, disappears one night. What is going on, and will Harold and Chester live to find out?

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book. Neil Gaiman. IIlustrations by Dave McKean. HarperCollinsPublishers, 2008.

312 pages.

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Reading Level: Grades 5-8.

Plot: Nobody "Bod" Owens has been living in a graveyard since he was a baby after the murder of his family by a man named Jack. He has been raised and taught by ghosts and has a guardian to keep him safe from Jack, who is still out there among the living looking for him.

Awards:

• Newbery Medal
• Carnegie Medal
• ALA Notable Books for Children
• Book Sense Book of the Year

Other Books by the Author:

• Coraline
• M is for Magic
• Stardust

Personal Notes:
There are some very memorable characters in this book, one of my favorites being Silas, Bod's guardian. He captivated me with his ability to leave the graveyard and go searching for the man Jack, and his love for Bod was really endearing, looking out for him and getting him food and books to read. He is fascinating because the reader doesn't really know what Silas is, because there is a part in the book where he gets hit by a car and is hurt, which means that he can't be a ghost. Great read and highly recommended for fantasy lovers or mystery lovers because there is a bit of mystery underneath the ghosts, werewolves and ghouls.