Author: Jabria Williams
![Text reads "Adventure begins at your library". Drawing of a girl on a dirt bike using a book cover as a ramp.](https://files.nc.gov/statelibrary/styles/_inline_extra_large_/public/images/2024-06/SR%20Image.jpg?VersionId=xx81cQidEJhfV0ezVw92Tamcv5FZ7j9o&itok=Va2eJvhW)
Youth Summer Reading 2024 June's Picks
The SLNC Accessible Books and Library Services is happy to announce the first series of our Summer 2024 reading list! This list is curated for the month of June and explores fiction mysteries with rich plots and colorful characters that help tell stories that will enhance your sunny summer days. Below is the list of books for each grade level. Dive into the titles, authors and annotations of this year’s summer reading list!
*Please check annotations for any warnings or sensitivities mentioned in the books to ensure satisfaction with the books!
Books Grades K-3
Books Grades 4-7
Books Junior High and Senior High
Books Grades K-3
- Ballwhinney Girl
Eve Bunting
DB074365
Maeve and her grandfather uncover a girl's ancient mummified body in a bog in Ballywhinney, Ireland. After the police and archeologists start piecing together the mystery, Maeve realizes the long-dead lass was probably much like her. For grades K-3. 2012. - The Case of the Scaredy Cats
Crosby Bonsall
DB044776
Wizard, Tubby, Skinny, and Snitch are private eyes. They have their own clubhouse, but the girls have taken it over. And the boys' plan to scare the girls away doesn't seem to work. Then one of the girls becomes missing and the private eyes have a job to do. For grades K-3. - A Walk to the Great Mystery
Virginia Stroud
DB042959
When Dustin and Rose visit their Grandma Ann, she promises to show them the "Great Mystery," where the secrets of the earth come from. For grades K-3. - The Case of the Dumb Bells
Crosby Bonsall
DB010552
Four young private eyes who match wits against an invisible doorbell ringer are astounded to discover who the culprit is. For grades K-3. - The Zach and Zoe Mysteries Books 1-2
Mike Lupica
DB090894
Two mysteries featuring sports-loving eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe. In The Missing Baseball, when a signed baseball goes missing, the duo searches for clues. In The Half-Court Hero, the twins search for who is behind a basketball-court renovation. Commercial audiobook. For grades K-3. 2018. - Young Cam Jansen and the Speedy Car Mystery
David Adler
DBC06690
Cam Jansen and her friends are having fun at the school's Green Fair exhibits until a student's remote-controlled car goes missing. It is up to Cam's amazing memory to find it. For grades K-3. - Big Max in the Mystery of the Missing Moose
Kin Platt
DB013438
Big Max, the little detective, helps the zoo keeper. Slapstick fun for grades K-3. - The Big Bad Butcher
Michael Steele
DBC00396
WordGirl uses the power of words to help her catch a robber who uses free barbecues as a diversion. For grades K-3. - City Hall Sandwich
Annie Auerbach
DBC00394
WordGirl is having a bake sale when Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy threatens to crush City Hall if they do not give in to his demands. For grades K-3. - Katie Fry, Private Eye: The Lost Kitten
Katherine Cox
DBC06864
Katie Fry may be little, but she's got a big brain, and she uses it to solve mysteries. So when she finds a very cute, VERY lost kitten named Sherlock, she decides to take his case. Can Katie track down the clues to find Sherlock's home? For grades K-3.
Books for Grades 4-7
![A young boy and a ghost sitting on logs at a campfire reading BOOks.](https://files.nc.gov/statelibrary/styles/inline_large/public/images/2024-06/SR%20Image%202.png?VersionId=CiXaV525r56xVuf7F4ADYEM4RSdO98aY&itok=WkZ_4tec)
- Mystery at Chilkoot Pass
Barbara Steiner
DB055790
At the start of the Klondike gold rush in 1897, twelve-year-old Hetty travels to the Canadian mines with her family and their friends. But someone along the trail is stealing things from her family, and Hetty becomes determined to find the thief. For grades 4-7. 2002. - Mystery on Magnolia Circle
Kate Klise
DBC17176
Rear Window meets Nancy Drew in this middle-grade novel by Kate Klise about a girl who believes she has witnessed a crime"-- Provided by publisher For grades 4-7. - The Mystery in Mission Valley
Grace Treleven Barnett
DBC14283
In the late 1940s, Eric is brought to Montana by his uncle and accidents start to happen. Someone wants Eric and/or Dan dead. For grades 4-7. - Secret Agents Four
Donald Sobol
DB012349
Four teen-aged detectives unwittingly become stooges for an international gang of master criminals which is relaying false information to government agents. For grades 4-7. - The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street
Lindsay Currie
DBC16294
When lights start flickering and temperatures suddenly drop, twelve-year-old Tessa Woodward, sensing her new house may be haunted, recruits some new friends to help her unravel the mystery of who or what is trying to communicate with her and why. For grades 4-7. - A Nose for Trouble
Marilyn Singer
DB024582
Canine detective Samantha Spayed helps her master investigate industrial espionage at a women's cosmetics company in this humorous mystery. For grades 4-7. - The Flickering Torch Mystery
Franklin Dixon
DB013444
The Hardy brothers join forces with their father in a bizarre case involving two unexplainable plane crashes on the East Coast. For grades 4-7. 1971. - The Newspaper Club
Beth Vrabel
DB099084
Shortly after moving to a sleepy town, aspiring journalist Nellie is on the scene when some residents gather to report being victims of crime at their local park. Determined to get the scoop, Nellie searches for volunteers to create her own newspaper, The Cub Report. For grades 4-7. 2020. - Pieces and Players
Blue Balliett
DB081603
When thirteen highly valued pieces of art are stolen from a secret museum, Calder, Petra, and Tommy are grouped with two new companions to solve the puzzling mystery. Commercial audiobook. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2015. - Chip Mitchell: The Case of the Robot Warriors
Fred D'Ignazio
DB021066
Chip Mitchell, thirteen-year-old computer whiz, solves eight mysteries with the help of his friend Legs, his robot Sherwin, and his computer Hermes. Sequel to "Chip Mitchell: The Case of the Stolen Computer Brains." For grades 4-7.
Books for Junior and Senior High Readers
- The Owl in the Cellar
Margaret Scherf
DBC13762
A Montana mystery written with Scherf's clever dialog and humor. For high school and adult readers. - Roses
Barbara Cohen
DB022576
Seventeen-year-old Isabelle, a bright, beautiful, and popular New Jersey girl, finds herself becoming deeply involved in the life of her hideously disfigured employer, whose past is shrouded in mystery. A contemporary parallel to "Beauty and the Beast." For junior and senior high and adult readers. - The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore
Joan Lowery Nixon
DB017013
The daughter of a wealthy Houston family is kidnapped and held for a hefty ransom. Her release marks the beginning of the real nightmare as she discovers that everyone--even her parents--believes that she was an accomplice in her own kidnapping. Taut suspense for junior and senior high readers. - Down a Dark Hall
Lois Duncan
DB022689
Kit finds herself a prisoner in the dark halls of Blackwood, an exclusive boarding school for a select group of girls. Left there by her honeymooning mother and new father, Kit finds she is one of only four students at the school--all of whom unknowingly share one terrifying quality. For junior and senior high readers. - The Elk and the Evidence
Margaret Scherf
DBC13750
In this easy-paced and funny detective story, Father Martin Buell is drawn into the case with the discovery of a toe in the deep freeze. For high school and adult readers. - Haunted
Judith St. George
DB020009
Following the murder-suicide of a wealthy couple, Alex, hired to house-sit their estate, is haunted by two forces. One is leading him to discovery as the other attempts to kill him. A chilling mystery for junior and senior high readers. - The Rising Tide
Mabel Allen
DB012165
Fenny Chalfont, an eighteen-year-old orphan, goes to live on one of three very small islands she has just inherited. Though the island's two residents--an old man and his granddaughter--try to scare her into leaving, Fenny gives no thought to the possibility until danger prevents her from escaping. A fast-paced mystery for junior and senior high readers. - The Mystery of the Spider's Web
Leslie Carswell
DB017826
Dan becomes entangled in a web of intrigue when he applies for a job in a dusty art shop that always advertises for clerks but never hires anyone. For junior and senior readers looking for easy reading. - The Door That Led to Where
Sally Gardner
DB087133
Sixteen-year-old AJ Flynn finds a mysterious key at his new job with a London law firm. He and his scrappy friends begin a series of journeys to 1830, and they discover a crime only they can solve. Some strong language. For junior and senior high and older readers. 2015. - The Leaving
Tara Altebrando
DB085430
Eleven years ago, six kindergartners disappear on the first day of school. Now sixteen, five of them return to their families, with no memory of what happened to them. But they are determined to find out. For senior high and older readers. 2016.