On the following list we collected some of the best and new mystery books for children. Most of them are chapter books, but there are some illustrated adventures too.

The list is live on Goodreads, feel free to add more books to it.

Spy School Goes East, by Stuart Gibbs (2026)

In the fourteenth book of Stuart Gibbs's New York Times bestselling Spy School series, superspy middle schooler Ben Ripley journeys to China to save the Hale family. The seasoned adult spies of the Hale family have mysteriously disappeared on a mission, so Ben and his fellow spies-in-training head east to find out what happened to them.

They quickly find themselves up against a villainous plot that takes them from the skyscrapers of Shanghai to the ancient ruins of the Great Wall and the remote regions of the Gobi desert. Released in October 2026, it is a fast, funny adventure for readers aged 8 to 12, and a great place for fans of the series to catch up.

Spy Grandma, by Celina Frenn (2026)

The last thing Jamie wants to do with her summer is spend it at Grandma's house, and her mom did not ask for her opinion. The last thing Grandma expected was to be ambushed by escaped criminals she brought to justice during her days as a spy, with her grandkids, who know nothing of her former career, showing up in the middle of the tussle.

When a mysterious master criminal makes a big move against the family, Jamie and Grandma have to put aside their differences and work together. Illustrated by Lucas Elliott, this hilarious middle grade graphic novel from August 2026 is perfect for fans of The Bad Guys and Spy School.

Kat Doggers: Superspy, by Austin Stack

Kat Doggers is the new children's book series about an ordinary house cat… who secretly fights crime as a high-tech superspy!

Kat Doggers is more than an ordinary house cat. She’s also a secret agent of F.U.R., the feline spy team that protects the world from evil genius snails, master criminal fish, and the red dot of doom.

Kat is ready for her first day on the job, but instead of an easy assignment, she chooses to go on a super-important special mission with two of F.U.R.’s best agents.

The Secret Zoo, by Bryan Chick

Noah, his sister Megan, and their best friends, Richie and Ella, live next door to the zoo. Megan is the first to notice the puzzling behavior of some of the animals. One day Megan disappears, and her brother and their friends realize it's up to them to find her. Their only choice is to follow a series of clues and sneak into the zoo. But once inside, they discover there's much more to the Clarksville City Zoo than they could ever have guessed…

Spy School Revolution, by Stuart Gibbs

Ben Ripley is looking forward to his life getting back to normal, or as normal as possible when you’re a superspy in training. For once, everything seems to be right in Ben’s world…until someone bombs the CIA conference room next door.

To Ben’s astonishment, the attacker is none other than Erica Hale, the spy-in-training he respects more than any other. Ben refuses to believe Erica is working for the enemy…even if the rest of the CIA does.

His mission: prove Erica is not a double agent working against the US, locate the fabled colonial-era insurgent group that’s blackmailing her, figure out what their devious plot is, and thwart it.

Holes, by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess, by Nancy Springer

When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers–all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother's strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?