Dowd, Siobhan. The London Eye Mystery. David Fickling Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0375849763. Ages 9-12.

When Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim comes to visit, their mothers agree to take them for a ride on the London Eye, the largest observation wheel of its kind, so that Salim can get a one-of-a-kind view of the city. Waiting in the long line, the children are approached by a stranger who offers them a free ticket, which they give to Salim since he is the visitor. Ted and Kat watch as Salim enters one of the observation capsules and track his ride, but when the capsule returns and the other riders exit, Salim is nowhere to be found. Thus begins this captivating story as Ted and Kat attempt to solve the mystery of his disappearance, relying on Ted’s special skills and brain “that run on a different operating system” to discover their cousin’s whereabouts before it is too late.

Beil, Michael D. The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. ISBN 978-0375848148. Ages 9-12.

After Sophie sees the ghostly face in the church window next to their private school, she and her friends Margaret and Rebecca are quickly swept up in a mystery involving an eccentric old lady who has found a mysterious birthday card addressed to her estranged daughter containing the first of several clues in an elaborate scavenger hunt. With the help of some good friends and a pretty cool teacher, the girls work together to solve puzzles involving everything from religion to literature (and even math!), in the hopes of finding the treasure at the end before several other suspicious characters get their hands on it first. But will it be enough to bring a broken family together again? And can the girls do it without getting expelled—or even arrested?

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective...Then and Now!

Keene, Carolyn. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #1: The Secret of the Old Clock. Grosset & Dunlap, 1930. ISBN 978-0448095011. Ages 9-12.

Nancy Drew becomes entangled in a case to determine the true heirs to the estate of the recently deceased Josiah Crowley. Nancy’s dislike for the Topham family, a snobbish, wealthy family that has laid claim to the estate,

prompts her to look into the matter, where she meets several friends and family of Josiah Crowley who are claiming that he wrote a later will. When one of them tells her that a clue to the location of the will was hidden in an old clock before he died, Nancy finds herself on a dangerous quest to find this mysterious old clock in the hopes of finding Josiah Crowley’s true will and providing for his rightful, and more deserving, heirs.

Keene, Carolyn. The Nancy Drew Files, Case #1: Secrets Can Kill. Pocket Books, 1986. ISBN 978-0671746742. Ages 10-14.

When Nancy Drew goes undercover as a high school student at Bedford High School in order to investigate a series of thefts, she expects it to be a piece of cake. But after someone sends her a videotape warning her to stay away, and then one of her main suspects ends up dead, Nancy finds herself even more determined to get to the bottom of this case. So when the line becomes blurred between allies and enemies, and she develops feelings for someone other than Ned, Nancy realizes that if she doesn’t figure things out soon, someone could get seriously hurt…or even end up dead.

Keene, Carolyn. Nancy Drew, Girl Detective #1: Without a Trace. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2004. ISBN 068986566X. Ages 9-12.

In the first book of this modernized version of the famous girl detective series, Nancy Drew gets caught up in not one, but two mysteries. While trying to determine who has been destroying the neighborhood zucchini patches and keep the neighbors from turning on one another, she meets a new neighbor, who kindly welcomes Nancy and her friends into her home. But things take a turn for the worse when her new neighbor discovers that her priceless Faberge egg is missing! Could the two crimes be linked? With the help of her friends Bess and George, Nancy is determined to get to the bottom of both of them, no matter what!

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief. Knopf, 1998. ISBN 978-0679888390. Ages 10-13.

Sammy loves to watch people from her grandmother’s window with her binoculars, especially those at the “seedy” Heavenly Hotel across the street. But an innocent bit of spying turns dangerous when Sammy witnesses a burglary. And to make matters worse, when he sees her watching him—she waves! Now not only does she have to deal with her mother abandoning her and her first day of junior high, but also a criminal who will stop at nothing to keep her quiet. Too bad everyone keeps thinking she’s making it all up. Why won’t anyone believe her? And who is the hotel thief?

Shriner, Wil. (Director). (2006). Hoot [Motion picture]. United States: New Line Cinema. Ages 9-14.

As the new kid in town, Roy isn’t making any friends. So when he stumbles upon social outcast Mullet Fingers and his tough stepsister Beatrice, he is immediately intrigued by how different they are (despite the fact that they call him "Cowgirl"). And then he discovers that they are fighting to save the homes of some burrowing owls, and Roy quickly risks everything to join their cause. But can three kids make any difference against a big shot corporation, or will they have to resort to something more illegal? Based on the winner of the Newbery Honor Award by Carl Hiaasen.

Patterson, James. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Little, Brown & Company, 2005. ISBN 031615556X. Ages 11-14.

Max is just a kid, but she’s a kid with a lot of responsibilities—five brothers and sisters to be exact. Oh, and she and her siblings can fly. After the mutant Erasers abduct their youngest sister Angel, the “bird kids,” who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit. Throughout their adventurous journey, they also find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose as they fight to keep the only family they’ve ever known together, no matter what the cost.

This story, as well as the others in Patterson’s bestselling series, is adventure-packed and the characters are well developed. The plot is fast-paced and visually dynamic, with short chapters perfect for keeping even the most reluctant reader’s attention. The story tells of a futuristic world when child mutants are created to fight man’s wars in hopes of gaining the most power, even at the expense of the child. Tweens will have an easy time relating to the recombinants’ feelings of not belonging and feeling different, as well as Max’s feelings of responsibility for her younger siblings.

Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. ISBN 978-0375834868. Ages 9-12.

When Bunny Starch, the most feared Biology teacher at school, goes missing during a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp, Nick and Marta aren’t sure whether to be elated or concerned. They’re pretty sure Smoke, the class delinquent who recently threatened her, had something to do with it. And they’re also sure that Mrs. Starch did not have a family emergency like the school told them. As they investigate further, Nick and Marta are dragged into a complex ecological mystery involving illegal oil drilling and an endangered panther, where nothing is as it seems but one wrong step could be the difference between life and death.

Bosch, Pseudonymous. The Name of This Book is Secret. Little, Brown and Company, 2007. ISBN 978-0316113663. Ages 9-12.

Cass and Max-Ernest follow a trail of clues to discover what happened to a missing magician and his Symphony of Smells. Encountering danger and adventure everywhere they go, Cass and Max-Ernest must battle the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais as they infiltrate the Midnight Sun Sensorium and Spa and save their classmate from a horrible death. But their investigations turn up far more clues than expected, and many more adventures lie in store for them in Pseudonymous Bosch’s exciting, and quirky, new series.

The Exploratorium. Exploratopia. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006. ISBN 978-0316612814. Ages 9-12.

Experiment with science by exploring yourself, the places around you and other interesting stuff! Conduct experiments to find out why we need our noses to taste things, why some sand is magnetic, and why it's so hard to tell a counterfeit bill from a real one. Experiments are prefaced and followed up with interesting history and facts to reinforce the knowledge learned in each exploration.

Stephens, Sarah Hines, & Mann, Bethany. Show Off. Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0763645991. Ages 10-14.

AMAZE others by faking a fall or twirling a drumstick! INVESTIGATE the use of morse code or invisible ink! CREATE a catapult or silhouette portraits! EXPLORE the outdoors by predicting a rainstorm or building a dam! COOK up some homemade fortune cookies or a Jell-O city! MOVE by freezing your own ice rink or rigging a zipline! Learn how to do all 224 of these awesome tricks and activities with Show Off's simple step-by-step instructions.

Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society. Megan Tingley Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0316003957. Ages 10-14.

When orphan Reynie Muldoon answers the newspaper ad looking for gifted children, he never imagined the adventure he was signing himself up for. Together with three other bright and parent-less children--Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall and Constance Contraire--Reynie embarks on a dangerous mission for the mysterious Mr. Benedict. As Mr. Benedict's secrets agents, they go undercover as new students at The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, a special school on Nomansan Island with sinister intentions that only they can put a stop to.