Mystery Anyone?

This afternoon at the pool I had a chance to catch up with an old friend and her kids.  After comparing the books we are reading, she mentioned that she couldn't get her daughter, Lauren, to settle on a book.  She is passing on all of the perennial favorites of our youth and my friend didn't know what to recommend next.  She even wondered aloud if her mentioning that she liked the book caused her daughter to reject it.

So, I struck up a conversation with Lauren. Before long, I had ascertained that what she longed for were not the realistic coming of age books her mother and I loved at her age.  She craves mystery, intrigue and dare I say it...Murder!

My mind began to race and her mom grabbed her iphone to take note.  I quickly suggested the following authors and some of the titles that would certainly fit the bill.

•  Margaret Downing Hahn

1. Deep and Dark and Dangerous
2. The Old Willis Place
3. Closed for the Season

• Betty Ren Wright

1. The Dollhouse Murders
2. Christina's Ghost
3. Crandall's Castle

•  Neil Gaiman

1. The Graveyard Book

If your 4th-7th grader has similar interests, give these titles a try and let me know if they were a hit.