First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery, suspense and thriller books (including series books) scheduled for publication during September 2011, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens.
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The Secret of the Skeleton Key
Penny Warner
The Code Busters Club (1st in series)
When Cody and Quinn notice what could be a code on the window of a nearby house, the one owned by their strange neighbor, the guy they call Skeleton Man, the club gets to work. And it is a cry for help!
Now the Code Busters are on the case—and nothing will stop them from solving the mystery and finding the secret treasure that seems to be the cause of it all!
This exciting interactive mystery offers more than fifteen codes for you to decipher, including the Consonant code, Morse code, and American Sign Language. Test your brain with the Code Busters and solve the mystery along with them.
The Code Busters Club mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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The Case of the Missing Deed
Ellen Schwartz
The Teaspoon Detectives (1st in series)
Five cousins are looking forward to their annual vacation at their grandmother’s cottage. None of them knows that this may be their last such summer. A mining company has set its sights on the land and is determined to seize it. Grandma must produce the deed to prove that the property is really hers, but her memory is not what it used to be, and she can’t find it. The children suspect there may be clues to the deed’s whereabouts somewhere in the family’s cherished trove of recipes. But can they solve the mystery in time?
This Teaspoon Detectives culinary mystery is recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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The Case of the Putrid Poison
Emma Kennedy
A Wilma Tenderfoot Mystery (2nd in series)
Wilma Tenderfoot's dreams have come true. She is now an apprentice detective to the famous Theodore Goodman, and she is one step closer to finding out what happened to her parents. Now a new case has come up for Theodore — actors at the Valiant Vaudeville Theatre are being poisoned one by one and the criminal is at large. Wilma may be small, but she's determined to put her apprenticeship skills to the test. Then, right in the middle of the investigation, Theodore disappears! Wilma is on her own (with her loyal beagle, Pickle, of course) and decides her best bet is to go undercover to solve the case. But will she unmask the poisoner before she is the next target?
The Wilma Tenderfoot mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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Dance Off
Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (30th in series)
Dance fever has hit River Heights! Kids Can Dance, the famous reality tv show, is holding auditions at River Heights Elementary. Nancy and her friends are eager to try out, and meet the famous host, Bryce Brown. But when something goes wrong with every dancer's equipment, music, or routine, could someone be trying to ruin the River Heights try-outs? Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew are on the case!
The Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew adventure stories are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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Big Trouble in the Big Apple
Thea Stilton
A Geronimo Stilton Special Edition (6th in series)
The Thea Sisters are off to New York City for another fabumouse adventure! Nicky has been training to run the Big Apple Marathon, and her friends are there to support her. While in the city, they all visit Pamela's family and have a delicious dinner at the family's pizzeria. But the mouselings discover that someone has been threatening to burn the restaurant down, and Pam's family might have to close it for good to stay safe! Will the Thea Sisters catch the troublemaker before it's too late?
The Geronimo Stilton books are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.
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Movie Misson: Deathstalker Trilogy Book 2
Franklin W. Dixon
The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers
Frank and Joe Hardy have been posing as extras on the set of the upcoming teen movie, Deathstalker. The star, an ingenue named Anya, has already had her trailer burn down, and now someone keeps sending her threatening texts! While the Undercover Brothers manage to keep Anya safe at a comic book convention, the threats just keep coming. Can they figure out who's behind the mayhem surrounding the filming of the hit comic book? Or is this movie going to wrap before filming even begins?
The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.
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You Have to Stop This
Pseudonymous Bosch
The Secret Series (5th in series)
I always feared this day would come. A secret is meant to stay secret, after all. And now we've come to this: the fifth and final (I swear!) book in my saga of secrets.
A class trip to the local natural history museum turns dangerous, or perhaps deadly — and I don't mean in the bored-to-death way — when Cass accidentally breaks a finger off a priceless mummy. Forced to atone for this "crime" of vandalism, Cass and her friends Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji go to work for the mummy exhibit's curator, only to be blamed when tragedy strikes. To clear their names — and, they hope, to discover the Secret — the trio must travel deep into a land of majestic pyramids, dusty tombs, mysterious hieroglyphs, and the walking dead. Egypt? Or somewhere much stranger …
In the midst of it all, the Secret still lurks. You're our there, reading and talking about it, and now my life — and chocolate supply — is in the greatest danger yet. So please, with a cherry on top, I'm begging you: you have to stop this!
This final book in the Secret Series is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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City of Wind
Pierdomenico Baccalario
The Century City Quartet (3rd in series)
When new information turns up about the Star of Stone, the object they found in New York, Mistral, Elettra, Harvey, and Sheng meet again in Paris. Harvey brings the stone to show to his dad's archaeologist friend. And it turns out that the friend knows much more about the kids' quest than they could have imagined. She gives them a clock that once belonged to Napoléon, and she tells them that if they can figure out how it works, it will lead them to another object of power. The clock sends the kids all over Paris, through old churches and forgotten museum exhibits, in search of an artifact linked to the Egyptian goddess Isis. But a woman with a penchant for venomous snakes and carnivorous plants—and her vast network of spies—is watching their every move …
The Century City Quartet books are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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The Aviary
Kathleen O'Dell
Twelve-year-old Clara Dooley has spent her whole life in the Glendoveer mansion, where her mother is a servant to the kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has never known another home. In fact, she's confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition. But it's a comfortable life, and if it weren't for the creepy squawking birds in the aviary out back, a completely peaceful one too.
But once old Mrs. Glendoveer passes away, Clara comes to learn many dark secrets about the family. The Glendoveers suffered a horrific tragedy: their children were kidnapped, then drowned. And their father George Glendoveer, a famous magician and illusionist, stood accused until his death. As Clara digs deeper and deeper into the terrifying events, the five birds in the aviary seem to be trying to tell her something. And Clara comes to wonder: what is their true identity? Clara sets out to solve a decades-old murder mystery—and in doing so, unlocks a secret in her own life, too.
This suspense thriller is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Monsters and Mischief
Dan Poblocki
The Mysterious Four (3rd in series)
Can you crack the case with six clues or less?
Welcome back to Moon Hollow, where mystery lurks around every corner — and four kids have come together to solve crimes and puzzles big and small.
When a monster is sighted in the woods surrounding Moon Hollow, Viola, Sylvester, Rosie, and Woodrow know they're in for their creepiest case yet. But it's just one of fourteen mysteries competing for their attention. They'll have to uncover the truth in six clues or less — and readers are invited to guess alongside them each step of the way.
Each book comes with an exclusive code so that readers can download a FREE copy of the e-book … which includes an extra mystery unavailable anywhere else!
The Mysterious Four books are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Ghosts of Rockville: Search for the Dominion Glass
Justin Heimberg
When Jay Winnick receives a mysterious blank piece of paper in the mail, he doesn’t think much of it. After all, it’s not such a weird thing to a kid who routinely subdues poltergeists, fends off deadly apparitions, and otherwise meddles in the affairs of the undead.
Plus, there’s nothing even on the paper…
Soon, that “nothing” thrusts Jay into the most perilous quest of his young ghost-hunting life, a paranormal puzzle involving spirit boards, crop circles, an ancient secret order, and just about every ghost type in the Encyclopedia of the Paranormal.
At least he’s not alone. Joining Jay on his quest are his best friends and fellow ghost hunters: Danni, a forensics expert and lover of all things disgusting; Pam, a psychic of dubious ability at best; and Brian, a closet brainiac and nerd who lives a double life disguised as a dumb jock who just happens to be the most popular kid in school.
Together, Jay and his friends must find the key that will unlock a mystical artifact that holds the power to control the spirit world. At stake is nothing less than the balance between life and death.
This paranormal mystery is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Hide and Secret
Kathleen Fuller
The Mysteries of Middlefield (3rd in series)
Anna Mae and her friends are playing in the old tree house in the woods when a floor board suddenly breaks. No one is seriously hurt, but when they take a second look, they see that a metal box of money and a diary are hidden under the floor in the crook of the tree branches. Upon further inspection, they discover that it is a lot of money.
As the three set out to solve the mystery, they learn that Jeremiah and Anna Mae's grandmothers were once great friends, something they would have never guessed since the two women have only been distantly civil to each other in their lifetimes. As they search further, Jeremiah and Anna Mae realize there is a missing third party who must certainly hold the answers to this puzzle. Before they can find out, the money disappears again and threatens the trust of the three friends.
Can Anna Mae solve this mystery before it tears apart more relationships?
The faith-based books in the Mysteries of Middlefield series are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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The Mystery of the Missing Everything
Ben H. Winters
A Bethesda Fielding Mystery (2nd in series)
There has been a shocking crime at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School.
In a glass case in the front hall, a trophy—the trophy, the first trophy ever won in the school’s lackluster competitive history—has been stolen.
Even more horrifying, an outraged Principal Van Vreeland has canceled everything fun until the trophy is back, including the eighth graders’ long-awaited, once-in-a-lifetime field trip to Taproot Valley. Rock climbing, ropes courses, ecology hikes, s’mores … all gone!
Luckily, Bethesda Fielding is on the case. As self-appointed sleuth extraordinaire, Bethesda’s confident she’ll be able to track down the culprit in no time and save her class trip! Except it seems like the more she searches for answers, the more mysteries she reveals. Can Bethesda solve this baffling mystery—or are the eighth graders doomed for a Week of a Thousand Quizzes instead?
The Bethesda Fielding mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Guys Read: Thriller
Jon Scieszka
A Short Story Collection
A body on the tracks … A teenage terrorist … A mysterious wish-granting machine … The world’s worst private detective …
This collection of short stories is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, this book is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.
The Short Story Collection for boys is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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Sally's Bones
MacKenzie Cadenhead
2 Months, 28 Days, 9 Hours, and 12 minutes earlier …
Sally Simplesmith's life changed forever. She came face-to-face with death — a delightful, dearly departed little dog she lovingly calls Bones. But when the cadaverous canine is accused of a crime he didn't commit, Sally decides to solve the case herself!
Does Sally have what it takes to fetch a thief?
This paranormal mystery, which may be the first in a series, is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.
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First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 200 mystery series for children and young adults, where each series is conveniently listed under four different age categories (New Sleuths, ages 4 to 6; Future Sleuths, ages 7 to 9; Sleuths in Training, ages 10 to 12; and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).