If Anything Happens to Me by Luann Rice

 

Young teens love murder mysteries and horror books, and it is hard to find age-appropriate titles to satisfy their interests but don't cross into being too gruesome or sexual for readers in the 13-15 year old age range. This mystery about Oli, a 16-year-old whose sister was murdered less than a year ago, is being sold at middle school Scholastic Book Fairs and is appropriate for young teen readers. Oli visits the site of her sister's murder once a month, and in the opening chapter of this book she finds a teenage girl left for dead in the same site. Her name is Iris and she insists on not notifying the police. Iris does not remember much about her situation, but she does know that she has a sister who is being held in captivity, so Iris and Oli set off to find the captor, save Iris's sister, and find the person who killed Oli's beloved sister. This book is not nearly of the same quality as The Good Girl's Guide to Murder or One of Us is Lying or The Agathas, all popular mysteries with middle school and high school students. The teen characters are poorly developed, and the kidnappings and murders are highly implausible, and the characters lack racial diversity. However, I already know an 8th grade reader who devoured this book and loved it, and that is worth a lot. 

Twelfth by Janet Key

 

If ea ever dreamed of going to theatre camp this may be the book for you. Maren is a 12-year-old who is reluctantly sent to a summer camp in the woods that her sister attended for many years. Maren isn't as outgoing or theatrical as her sister, but she becomes involved in a mystery at the camp that has her delving into Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, the history of the camp, and a long-ago story of a woman who longed for a career as a Hollywood director. It's a mystery with a chain of clues that should lead to a valuable ring that might save the camp from bankruptcy. Maren and a couple of new friends are decoding clues from the Shakespeare play they are producing that send them all over the camp (and force them to avoid camp counselors at all costs). As you would expect at theatre camp, there are kids with a variety of gender identities and precocious teenagers who recite Shakespeare. This book's target audience is definitely theatre kids and readers who enjoy intricate puzzle mysteries. The clues and connections to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night sometimes went over my head, but smart theatre kids will likely devour this mystery.  

The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry

If you've ever heard of bog people, you might find this book interesting. The Windeby Child is a 2,000 year old human body that was uncovered in 1952 in a peat bog in Germany. Due to the chemical conditions in a peat bog, ancient bodies are occasionally preserved, including their hair and clothing and skin. When modern people find them, the bodies are studied by scientists and preserved in museums. Some bog people appear to have died violent deaths, or have clearly been murdered, but not the Windeby Child. This particular body at first appeared to be a young woman with half of her head shaved and a blindfold around her eyes. Scientists later determined that the body was a young boy, and his hair had not been shaved. Lois Lowry took the interesting story of the Windeby Child and imagines the life of this child and what could have led to their death at a young age. We know very little about the people who lived in northern Germany at that time, but Lowry found out what she could and in this book she tells two possible stories to explain the puzzle of the Windeby Child. The first story assumes that she was a 13-year-old girl who meets a violent end due to her aspirations of being a warrior. The second story is one of an unloved orphan teenager who shows the curiosity of a scientist before succumbing to disease. Both stories show young teenagers living a harsh life in a society that does not treat children kindly. As a middle school librarian, I appreciate that Lowry is writing for and about young teens--there is mention of human sacrifice and adultery that makes this book more fitting for 6th-8th graders. It is not a long book and with some encouragement, it should appeal to young teens who like history, solving puzzles, and learning new things.