good mystery book/series for a nancy drew lover

[meemee]

dd has got her nose buried in the series and reads about one book in a day or two. 

what other similar mystery series could she get into?

she is looking for something in mystery. she has finished the HP, LTR series. not sure if i would call them mystery novels. i havent introduced to adult ones because even sherlock holmes (she read one of his) has too many concepts that are hard for her. 

[LynnS6]

when ds went through what I thought was his mystery phase a couple of years ago, someone pointed me to this website: First Clues: Mysteries for Kids. They've got things listed by age group -- the age groups are largely content-based, I think. We didn't actually make much use of this website because it turns out that ds' mystery phase was actually a "Box Car Children" phase. (They are good, tame mysteries, but probably too easy for your dd.)

[zebra15]

Trixie Belden

[ollyoxenfree]

I hesitate to recommend a series that I have not read, but I've only heard good things about the Enola Holmes (Sherlock's younger sister) books by Nancy Springer. I have been meaning to read them for some time now, but never seem to get to them. 

She may like Eva Ibbotson's books, which often contain a mystery/adventure element. There are several, but I recall DD especially enjoyed The Journey to the River Sea and The Star of Kazan. The reading level might be a little easy for a kid who can manage HP and LOTR, but DD enjoyed reading them into her early teens. 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a good mystery read too. 

The Echo Falls mysteries by Peter Abrahams are really good and have a terrific young heroine, but they start off with a murder and may be a little frightening for a sensitive child. I don't think it's too much compared to nazguls, Sauron, killing curses etc. that are present in LOTR and HP. I find, though, that some children seem to tolerate scary stuff in a fantasy novel but not in books with realistic settings. 

There's always the really old-fashioned stuff - The Famous Five series and the The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton. They are filled with problematic gender and racial stereotyping, but I don't think they are much worse than the Nancy Drew books I read at the same age. Somehow I grew up to be a reasonably tolerant, broad-minded feminist.

[meemee]

aah now that makes sense. i couldnt figure out why dd was freaked out by sherlock holmes after eragon and LOTR. woah i hadnt made that connection.

WOAH!!! i myself have never heard of Enola Holmes. it opens up a huge new world for me.

nah dd doesnt mind easier books as long as the story is good. she is really picky about what she reads.

Zebra dd tried the Belden series but didnt like it. she couldnt tell me exactly why 'I just didnt find it interesting mama.'

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree 

 I find, though, that some children seem to tolerate scary stuff in a fantasy novel but not in books with realistic settings. 

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by meemee 
Zebra dd tried the Belden series but didnt like it. she couldnt tell me exactly why 'I just didnt find it interesting mama.'

I liked Trixie Belden, but it may have been the interaction between the characters. I quite liked it, but it's very different than Nancy Drew.

Has she tried Hardy Boys? I liked them much better than I liked Nancy Drew as a child. (I devoured all three, but Nancy Drew came in third, after Hardy Boys and Trixie.)

[meemee]

storm bride i liked hardy boys better too. nancy drew was too girlie for me. perhaps that's why dd likes it. she is a strange mix of both and i cant predict which side will win when at what occasion. 

no i have not suggested hardy boys for her yet. 

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by meemee 

storm bride i liked hardy boys better too. nancy drew was too girlie for me. perhaps that's why dd likes it. she is a strange mix of both and i cant predict which side will win when at what occasion. 

DD1 is a bit like that, too. Except that I liked wearing dresses, I wasn't "girly" at all (probably partly because I worshipped my older brother and wanted to be him when I grew up). DD1 doesn't really read yet, so I don't know which way she'll fall out.

[annettemarie]

When I was a kid, I loved mysteries. Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldan, Hardy Boys, are some of the series I read. Oh, and Encyclopedia Brown. Some titles I liked were Harriet the Spy, The Castle in the Attic, The Westing Game. My husband liked The Great Brain books. Some books my kids have enjoyed are The Mysterious Benedict Society books, the Lemony Snicket books, The Sisters Grimm, Percy Jackson, and right now we're listening to Chasing Vermeer, which is awesome.

[Pinoikoi]

I liked The Boxcar children. also Three Investigators?.. I will see if I can find some links..

[Pinoikoi]

http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Stuttering-Parrot-Three-Investigators/dp/0679811710/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300500866&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Boxcar-Children-No-Mysteries/dp/0807508527/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300500903&sr=1-1