A King's Ransom (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, #2 1st Chapter)


Jude Watson
    . . and the enemy may be even closer than they think.When seven members of their family were kidnapped by a sinister organization known as the Vespers, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, vowed they'd stop at nothing to bring the hostages home. But then the ransom comes in and the Vespers demand the impossible. Amy and Dan have just days to track down and steal an ancient map. The only catch? No one has seen the map for half a century.Now Amy and Dan are on a desperate search that will lead them to the Nazis, spies, a mad king and some of history's dirtiest secrets. It's the race of their lives . . . and one misstep will mean certain death for the hostages.

Shadow Grove


Lacey Edward - 2015
    She does well in school and mostly keeps to herself. She lives with her father and wonders why they have never visited her grandfather, even though they speak to him every week on the phone.When her grandfather suddenly dies, Ariel and her father must travel to Shadow Grove to settle his affairs. Shadow Grove holds many, many secrets, not the least of which is what really happened to Ariel's mother and why her grandfather left her a powerful amulet before he died. When she finds out she is a witch, Ariel has some decisions to make. But first, who can she trust...the mysterious man who appears in her dreams or the recluse whom her father clearly despises? Scroll up to download and take a trip to Shadow Grove today...

In the Hall with the Knife


Diana Peterfreund - 2019
    Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls.

Love Among the Walnuts


Jean Ferris - 1998
    Luckily, those conniving uncles prove yet again that they can't do anything right. Instead of bumping off the whole family, they put Sandy's mom and dad and their pet chicken into mysterious comas. Sandy joins forces with his loyal butler and a wise and wacky nurse to save his parents and squelch his uncles' felonious high jinks.

The Lost Children


Carolyn Cohagan - 2010
    She's given a new pair every week by her father, a sullen man known best for his insistence that the citizens in town wear gloves at all times. A world away, the children of Gulm have been taken. No one knows where they might be, except the mysterious and terrifying leader of the land: The Master. He rules with an iron fist, using two grotesque creatures to enforce his terrible reign. When a peculiar boy named Fargus shows up on Josephine's property and then disappears soon afterward, she follows him without a second thought and finds herself magically transported to Gulm. After Fargus introduces her to his tough-as-nails friend Ida, the three of them set off on an adventure that will test everything Josephine has ever thought about the rules of the universe, leading to a revelation about the truth of the land of Gulm, and of Josephine's own life back home.

To Catch a Killer


Sheryl Scarborough - 2017
    A name that, like Natalee Holloway or Elizabeth Smart, is inextricably linked to a grisly crime. As a toddler, Erin survived for three days alongside the corpse of her murdered mother, and the case—which remains unsolved—fascinated a nation. Her father's identity unknown, Erin was taken in by her mother's best friend and has become a relatively normal teen in spite of the looming questions about her past.Fourteen years later, Erin is once again at the center of a brutal homicide when she finds the body of her biology teacher. When questioned by the police, Erin tells almost the whole truth, but never voices her suspicions that her mother's killer has struck again in order to protect the casework she's secretly doing on her own.Inspired by her uncle, an FBI agent, Erin has ramped up her forensic hobby into a full-blown cold-case investigation. This new murder makes her certain she's close to the truth, but when all the evidence starts to point the authorities straight to Erin, she turns to her longtime crush (and fellow suspect) Journey Michaels to help her crack the case before it's too late.

My Life with the Liars


Caela Carter - 2016
    Follow the rules, "live in the light," and all would be well. Zylynn was excited to turn thirteen and begin the work of bringing others into the light, to save them from the liars and the darkness of the outside world. But when she is taken away by a man who claims to be her father, she is confused and desperate to return home.Zylynn resists her new life—until she finds small comforts, like shampoo, the color pink, and strawberries. But as her thirteenth birthday approaches, Zylynn must make a difficult decision—to stay here with the enemy, or find her way back to the light. And neither may be what they seem.

Travel Far, Pay No Fare


Anne Lindbergh - 1992
    When twelve-year-old Owen finds that his nine-year-old cousin has a magic bookmark, he joins her when she enters different stories in hopes of finding a way to prevent their parents' upcoming marriage.

Down the Rabbit Hole


Peter Abrahams - 2005
    Or at least her shoes are. And getting them back will mean getting tangled up in a murder investigation as complicated as the mysteries solved by her idol, Sherlock Holmes. With soccer practice, schoolwork, and the lead role in her town's production of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid is swamped. But as things in Echo Falls keep getting curiouser and curiouser, Ingrid realizes she must solve the murder on her own -- before it's too late!

Dead Man's Cove


Lauren St. John - 2010
    When she is sent to live with an uncle in St Ives, Cornwall, she's convinced that a life of adventure is hers at last. But everywhere she turns she's confronted with mysteries. Nothing is what it seems.Is Tariq, the shopkeeper's silent son, a friend or an enemy? Why does her uncle seem so intent on erasing his own past? And why is everyone so afraid of Dead Man's Cove?When Laura finds a message in a bottle, she embarks on a deadly quest, one that will test her detective skills to the limit and set her on a collision course with a gang of criminal masterminds who will stop at nothing to get their own way.

School of Fear


Gitty Daneshvari - 1999
    Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water. With very few options left, the parents of these four twelve year-olds send them to the highly elusive and exclusive School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But when their peculiar teacher, Mrs. Wellington, and her unconventional teaching methods turn out to be more frightening than even their fears, the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives.

Code Name Komiko


Naomi Paul - 2014
    But Lian has a secret identity. She is part of 04/06a band of cyber-investigators who work to expose injustice and corruption. In this virtual world, Lian goes by the code name, Komiko.

Bad Kitty


Michele Jaffe - 2006
    5 One second she's trying to enjoy her Vegas Vacation, 6 the next she's tangled up in an outrageous adventure and has to outwit a crazed killer before he ends ten lives, one of them her own. 1 Hi! That's me!2 I. Wish.3 Emphasis on aspiring. Current status: failing.4 If friend means "unsuspecting victim" and animals means "one very bad kitty."5 And meet the cute guy at the Snack Hut. I have priorities.6 Meep! But I guess it winds up okay since Kirkus Reviews says: "Inventive, witty, and laugh-out-loud funny, with an enjoyably twisty ending." They wouldn't say that if everyone died, right? Right?

Missing


Cathy MacPhail - 2000
    A gritty novel, both suspenseful and stylishly written, it tells how a school bully's actions force a troubled teenager to run away, leaving his younger sister to cope with grieving parents in a house devoid of love or hope for the future. She is misunderstood and alone--despite all of the voices around her claiming they understand and that they want to help. Maxine Moody's world was turned upside down when her older brother Derek went missing. Ten months later he is presumed dead--but that has not stopped Maxine's parents from hoping that he will be found alive. While they investigate possible sightings of their missing son, Maxine is packed off to stay with relatives. She feels unwanted and unloved. She harbours guilty feelings of resentment for Derek's disappearence and plays truant from school--a place where she has few friends and several enemies. There seems no way out for Maxine until a body is discovered in London, dressed in the clothes Derek was wearing when he was last sighted. Can Maxine's pain and confusion be finally over? Missing, however, is never that simple and underneath the bleak subjects at its core lies a compelling examination of what it means to love somebody--and what it might feel like to be unloved. Many lives are affected by Derek's actions. All are laid bare and examined. It's a highly readable, honest and mature novel that should be a part of growing up for everybody. (Age 12 and over) --John McLay

Dovey Coe


Frances O'Roark Dowell - 2000
    I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it, too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him. Dovey Coe says what's on her mind, so it's no secret that she can't stand Parnell Caraway. Parnell may be the son of the richest man in town, but he's mean and snobby, and Dovey can't stand the fact that he's courting her sister, Caroline, or the way he treats her brother, Amos, as if he were stupid just because he can't hear. So when Parnell turns up dead, and Dovey's in the room where his body is discovered, she soon finds herself on trial for murder. Can the outspoken Dovey sit still and trust a city slicker lawyer who's still wet behind the ears to get her out of the biggest mess of her life?