Cozies for Children

[Vanessa]

Ok here's one... My 10-year-old son wants to start reading cozies. He is a very advanced reader. He has seen me get into cozies recently, and he has really enjoyed listening to some Hercule Poirot and Hamish MacBeth audio books with me. The caveat is, he wants a grown-up book... Not Boxcar Children, Hardy Boys or the like. Can anyone make any recommendations? Thanks so much for any help!

[Beth]

I'm trying to think of the first cozies that I read and came up with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who... #1) by Lilian Jackson Braun. Your son may enjoy reading about Jim Qwilleran and his cats. I thought the Mrs. Jeffries series by Emily Brightwell very entertaining.

[jaxnsmom]

What interests does your son have? Knowing some themes would help narrow it down. I may be wrong, but I imagine a 10 year old. wouldn't be that interested in series that spend a lot of time describing fashions :)

[L J]

In addition to the Cat Who books, if he likes cats, you might try Sofie Kelly, Sofie Ryan, and Laurie Cass.
Since my mother read mysteries so did I. At 10, in addition to Agatha Christie, I was reading Perry Mason books by Earl Stanley Gardner, Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout, the Mr. and Mrs. North books and the Heimrich books by Frances Lockridge and Richard Lockridge, plus Ellery Queen, Manning Coles, and a bunch of others that may not be available.
What I am getting at is if Mother read it so did I. Take a look at cozy Listopia lists on Goodreads or check http://stopyourekillingme.com/ and find something you might both enjoy.
ETA: Mother and I would go to the local library to look for mysteries with each of us checking a set of shelves. Check out limit was low so each of us picked one book and the others were ones we agreed we both wanted to read.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review)]

Hmm how about the Miranda James books - Murder Past Due has a male main character which might be nice for your son.

[Debbie]

For upper elementary he might like the John Bellairs books. I need my library to jog my memory, but am retired now. You can look into YA books, but some might have too mature themes. You know your child best.

[Vanessa]

Beth wrote: The Cat Who ...

Oh yes! The Cat Who books would be great!

Thanks all for the terrific suggestions!

[Vanessa]

LJ, this is a great list! Definitely gives me a starting point. And yes, I have asked him what he wants to read, and he says, "Agatha Raisin!" So yes, he definitely wants to read what I am reading. Not sure the love triangle, single-gal stuff in many of my cozies would interest him, though :) And every now and then I come across a scene that gives me pause, so I have been thinking back to what I started with, too.

[Vanessa]

Oh and I totally forgot about John Bellairs!

[AngryGreyCat]

Elizabeth Peters. When my kids were that age they loved everything Egyptian, Amelia Peabody series. She was an Egyptologist so there is also a lot of interesting information as well as the mystery.

[C.]

I think he might have fun with the paranormal ~ Family Skeleton series~

or The Cats That-series~

or~ Pet-Sitter Cozies~

[Barbara]

Another one to consider is the Mrs. Pollifax series, starting with The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. It was the first cozy series I read as a child, and, despite Mrs. P being an older woman, there is a lot of adventure in the books.

[Beth]

Mrs Pollifax is great also helped me learn geography.
All the John Bellaire books, at least 3 series one will be out as a movie soon. The House with a Clock in it's Walls. They are supernatural mysteries.
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators series is really good too.
Also Phillis A Whitney worte great kid mysteries. I still own The Crimson Ghost,and The Secret Pool.

[L J]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Sherlock Holmes. I started reading those when about 10 and never stopped.
Beth mentioned Hitchcock and Whitney. Some other authors sometimes marketed to certain ages but readable and enjoyable by all include
Ellery Queen aka Ellery Queen, Jr. - though not just a single author and some are out of print
Carl Hiaasen - his adult books may be too adult but all are funny
Manning Coles - may be out of print
James Patterson - I liked his flying children teen books better than his other books.
Authors who cross or blend genres such as Mercedes Lackey, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Tamora Pierce, and Diane Duane might be fun to try. Along those lines No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey. Maybe more adventure than mystery but still a good read.

[L J]

Vanessa,
Would you let us know what he thinks as he tries different books?
I think that could be helpful. It could help with making additional suggestions. It could help others who are looking for books for advanced readers about his age.
Cozy mystery is a varied, wonder filled, intriguing genre and a great way to move children into reading adult books so I'd like to see this discussion continue.

[C.]

Totally agree, L J ! :D

[L J]

I was happy to discover one of my libraries now has some of the Lockridge North series as ebooks. There is a waiting list of up to 6 people on some so maybe they will add more. If they stay popular maybe some Heimrich books available from Overdrive will be added.
Older mystery books are ones we often recommended to young readers who wanted something other than children's book.

[Gary]

L J wrote: "I don't think anyone has mentioned Sherlock Holmes. I started reading those when about 10 and never stopped.
Beth mentioned Hitchcock and Whitney. Some other authors sometimes marketed to certain a..."

The entire Ellery Queen Jr series is available through Open Road Media/Mysterious Press in Ebook format. The whole series boxed set was on sale yesterday. I picked it up in a prior sale a while ago. The classics are always a good place to start, and the Hardy Boys books are classics and worth reading

[L J]

Gary wrote: "...Ellery Queen Jr series is available through Open Road Media/Mysterious Press in Ebook format....The classics are always a good place to start, and the Hardy Boys books are classics and worth reading "

Ellery Queen Jr and EQ mysteries were very good. My favorite thing about the Hardy Boys, they actually detected unlike some other characters who depended more on serendipity to solve mysteries.