# 5th grade books about mystery

**23** books commonly assigned to 5th grade students in US schools that explore mystery. Every title's grade range covers 5th grade, so each is grade-appropriate by curriculum placement. Sourced from Common Core exemplars, AP, IB, Cambridge, and 50 state ELA curricula.

**Reading difficulty:** the typical 5th grade band is 740–1010L (Common Core Appendix A). Of the 4 titles here with a Lexile score, 3 are grade-level, 1 more accessible, and 0 a stretch.

**Grade:** 5th grade  ·  **Theme:** mystery
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/grade/5/mystery
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — Common Core ELA exemplars:** https://achievethecore.org/page/2699

## 5th grade mystery reading list

- [A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall](https://readinglist.school/book/a-strange-thing-happened-in-cherry-hall) by Jasmine Warga _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2025)_
- [All the Lovely Bad Ones](https://readinglist.school/book/all-the-lovely-bad-ones) by Mary Downing Hahn _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2009)_
- [Cryptid Hunters](https://readinglist.school/book/cryptid-hunters) by Roland Smith _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2005)_
- [Down the Rabbit Hole](https://readinglist.school/book/down-the-rabbit-hole) by Peter Abrahams _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2005)_
- [Final Word (The Winterton Deception #1)](https://readinglist.school/book/final-word) by Janet Sumner Johnson _(Grades 3–7 · pub 2023)_
- [Fowl Play](https://readinglist.school/book/fowl-play) by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler](https://readinglist.school/book/from-the-mixed-up-files-of-mrs-basil-e-frankweiler) by E.L. Konigsburg _(700L · Grades 4–6 · pub 1967)_
- [Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House](https://readinglist.school/book/goosebumps-welcome-to-dead-house) by R.L. Stine _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1992)_
- [Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective](https://readinglist.school/book/hannah-sharpe-cartoon-detective) by Janet Tashjian _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_
- [Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All](https://readinglist.school/book/magnolia-wu-unfolds-it-all) by Chanel Miller _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Puzzleheart](https://readinglist.school/book/puzzleheart) by Jenn Reese _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2024)_
- [Skeleton Key](https://readinglist.school/book/skeleton-key) by Anthony Horowitz _(Grades 3–5 · pub 1999)_
- [The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bad-beginning) by Lemony Snicket _(1010L · Grades 4–7 · pub 1999)_
- [The Dollhouse Murders](https://readinglist.school/book/the-dollhouse-murders) by Betty Ren Wright _(Grades 4–7 · pub 1983)_
- [The Firefly Summer](https://readinglist.school/book/the-firefly-summer) by Morgan Matson _(Grades 3–7 · pub 2024)_
- [The Ghost of Graylock](https://readinglist.school/book/the-ghost-of-graylock) by Dan Poblocki _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2014)_
- [The Liars Society](https://readinglist.school/book/the-liars-society) by Alyson Gerber _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [The Lost Library](https://readinglist.school/book/the-lost-library) by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2023)_
- [The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines](https://readinglist.school/book/the-lumbering-giants-of-windy-pines) by Mo Netz _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [The Night Train](https://readinglist.school/book/the-night-train) by Lorelei Savaryn _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2024)_
- [The Sherlock Society](https://readinglist.school/book/the-sherlock-society) by James Ponti _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2025)_
- [The Westing Game](https://readinglist.school/book/the-westing-game) by Ellen Raskin _(750L · Grades 5–7 · pub 1978)_
- [When You Reach Me](https://readinglist.school/book/when-you-reach-me) by Rebecca Stead _(750L · Grades 4–8 · pub 2009)_

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. HTML view: https://readinglist.school/grade/5/mystery._