Instructive Middle Grade Mysteries
What kidlit mysteries can teach us about the mystery writing craft
I’m always investigating middle grade mysteries, partly because that’s what I’m writing these days, but also because they can remind us of what makes mysteries work. The typically lower page count makes these introductions to the genre quick reads for adult readers, too. Middle grade mysteries offer what I call mystery plot scaffolding, handholds and structures that help young readers — who are newer to the genre — follow a more complex plot. Scaffolding can make certain mystery conventions more visible on the page. For example, suspects have means, motives, and opportunities for committing a crime (or creating a problem). Clues planted in the beginning of a book need reveals or explanations later, even if they turn out to be misdirects, or red herrings — otherwise we have dangling plot threads. Sleuths and sidekicks need moments to pause from the action and take stock of information they’ve discovered and things they need to know next, whether they’re discussing clues together or studying a wall of suspects. Too many characters and storylines can get out of control and overcomplicate things; middle grade mysteries tend to be pared down, the plot mechanisms humming along without too many hitches.
Mysteries for younger readers are instructive for any writer trying to wrestle a plot into shape. They’re delightful to read, too. Most importantly, they can remind us what’s fun about writing in this genre!
Here are three of my recent middle grade reads that are both instructive and fun, for mystery fans of all ages!
SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES: SHORT STORIES FOR YOUNG SLEUTHS FROM MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA, edited by Chris Grabenstein. This collection, published by Mystery Writers of America, features 20 short stories by established children's mystery writers such as Stuart Gibbs, Lamar Giles, Fleur Bradley, Kate Milford, and James Ponti. Because the stories are short, you get the satisfaction of solving a little puzzle in just one sitting. The stories all break off at the midpoint. You get a chance to see if you can figure out the mystery before the sleuth. Then you can go to the back of the book to read the rest of the story and see if you were right. For adult mystery writers, these are excellent simplified reminders of basic mystery elements. I'm also fascinated by the short form mystery and thinking I might give it a try!
A PERFECT MISTAKE, by Melanie Conklin. This novel features a compelling sixth-grade sleuth named Max, who happens to have ADHD; his neurodiversity gives him some unique advantages in the way he puzzles through this mystery, the events he recalls — or doesn’t — and the things he pays attention to. In some ways, this is a dark mystery for kids. It's scary to think of having a friend in a medically-induced coma after an unexplained accident in the woods at night. The memories Max pieces together of a night that went terribly wrong might be a lot for some younger readers. However, the light in the book comes from flashes of humor throughout, the positive and nuanced adult characters, and a big dose of empathy and heart. This novel reminds us how character development is so important in mysteries and can drive the plot. I also love how this book handles the law, which middle grade mystery writers (myself included) sometimes like to avoid writing about! Max is an investigator, along with his aspiring journalist friend Samantha, but he's also at times questioned by the police who want to know what happened to Max's friend Will. This tension creates even more incentive for Max to solve this mystery. The stakes are high! Child sleuths are amateur sleuths, and all amateur sleuths need a reason to get involved in a mystery, and a sense of what might happen if they fail.
WHEN SEA BECOMES SKY, by Gillian McDunn. This is one of those perfect summer reads: well-paced, immersive, emotionally satisfying. While it’s not explicitly marketed as a mystery, I believe it is one. I'm also going to call it an eco-mystery because the kids in this novel are concerned with the impending development of a salt marsh and how that will impact the ecosystem in their area. They're also in the middle of a long drought, which feels unfortunately more familiar than strange in our era of climate change. The story offers a lot of food for thought about conservation concerns and the impact of nature (or its disappearance) on children. Bex and her younger brother Davey discover a mysterious statue in their special area of the marsh, which the lowering water level gradually reveals. A search for the artist and attempts to save the statue tie in to the quest to save the marsh. A major plot twist took my breath away, and the book has the kind of ending where you just walk around clutching the book for hours. What’s also instructive about this book is the reminder that mysteries need not always be about a heinous crime, or the disappearance of someone or something. Yes, the salt marsh is disappearing, that’s a tough mystery for kids, or anyone, to single-handedly solve, and a loss that is grieved. But the sudden appearance of something — in this case, an art object — is a more solvable problem, offering up plenty of intrigue and investigative paths!
Do you have any favorite middle grade reads, even from your own childhood? What can they teach or remind us about the craft of mystery writing?