A good mystery book is like a work of art. They deserve to be housed in a museum. Reading mystery books inspires me to write. It’s probably the way artists feel after walking through a museum. Below are some of my favorite Middle Grade Mystery Books that have inspired my writing.

*Nancy Drew books- I don’t think a mystery book list would be complete without mentioning Nancy Drew. She is a strong female character that was great read when I was a child (and still as an adult).

*Encyclopedia Brown books- Before going to bed I’d read one of the short mystery stories. They were all pretty tame, no murder, which was fine when I didn’t want to be up too late reading.

*The Boxcar Children series-  This series was old even back when I was a kid. And while some of my friends would religiously read all of the Babysitter’s Club books (I read a lot of those too) I had a collection of all the Boxcar Children books. There are now in shoeboxes at my parents’ house.

*The Westing Game– This book inspired me to start writing. I read it as part of my English class in sixth grade. I spent the entire time reading the book discussing the clues with my classmates.

*Spy and Liar– I read this book as part of my “research” with editing My Not So Normal Life: Spy Recruit. The book has good character development and a nice (although, slightly predictable) twists.

*From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler– As a child, I could relate to Claudia Kincaid and would dream of what I would do if I lived at the Met. I would also think about what I would do if I ran away to my favorite museum, The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.

*Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets– This book may be considered a fantasy book, first and foremost, but to me, this is a classic who done it, akin to Agatha Christie’s books.

*The Murder of Roger Ackroyd- This is hands down, my favorite mystery book. I cannot say much about the book without giving the plot away, I can’t even say why I love the book without giving the ending away. But trust me, it is a must read.

*Holes– I can remember seeing the cover of this book and thinking “what the heck is this book about?” It wasn’t until my sister recommended it that I read it and really loved it. I admire the creativity of Louis Sachar with the character’s names.

*The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I mean Noel)- I had a similar experience with this book as I did with Holes. I remember looking at the cover and trying to decide what the book was about. My sister recommended the book, though she may have initially retold the entire book to me excitedly after she read it and then handed me the book to read. It is a really creative book, with creativity that I’d aspire to have one day.