Mystery Books for Kids

Nomvula is the cleverest tracker in her village, able to read a footprint like a face, so why does she slip a hollow reed and three marula fruits into her marriage bag before following her handsome new husband home? When bones lie at his gate and a lion’s paw print appears beside a man’s, can she outwit him before he catches her? A brave folktale of wits and courage. This Bookbot level practises the /ʃ/ sound with words like ‘attention’, ‘motion’, ‘question’, ‘situation’, and ‘caution’.

Have you ever lost something really special and hunted for it everywhere? When a favourite yellow yo-yo goes missing, one determined kid becomes a detective on a mission - dumping out toy boxes, crawling behind the television, and picking dust bunnies from their hair. But who could have taken it, and where on earth could it be? Get ready for a surprise you won’t see coming! This decodable reader practises 3+ syllable words such as ‘detective,’ ‘suddenly,’ ‘remember,’ and ‘ridiculous.’

Kate’s best socks are GONE! Vanished from their special little box without a trace. Who would take them? And what is that trail of pink scraps leading to Mum’s sewing room? Armed with her looking glass and two mismatched socks, Kate sets off to crack the case of her missing favourites. But when she bangs on Mum’s door, the surprise waiting inside is not at all what she expected! This decodable reader practises the ‘wh’ sound in words like ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘where,’ ‘whew,’ and ‘which.’

Poor Pup just wants a nap in his cosy shrub - but what is that noise? CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! Is it Trunk with his big, silly mouth? Is it Spike, all puffed up and prickly? Could the birds up in the tree be the chirpy culprits? Pup hunts high and low through the mud and bushes, sniffing for clues. Will he ever find the mystery chirper and catch some sleep? This decodable reader practises short u with j, v, y in words like ‘mud,’ ‘pup,’ ‘hunts,’ and ‘yelp.’

High on the ridge where three rivers meet, Chief Mwangi believes no child could ever be cleverer than his own daughter. But when Wambũi falls gravely ill and no elder can name the cause, one quiet farm girl remembers something she saw days ago near the stream. Can she find the courage to prove it, and will the proud chief listen? This Bookbot level practises the soft ‘g’ sound with words like ‘ridge’, ‘village’, ‘courage’, ‘danger’, and ‘imagine’.

In the lake town of Oguta lives Adaeze, a princess who reads the weather in the water and solves every riddle she meets. So when a smooth-voiced suitor glides up to the palace gate, why does she alone feel that something is wrong? What secret hides beneath his sharp dark suit, and can one clever girl and a small disc of ash unmask him before the whole court? This Bookbot Level S9 story practises the /sh/ phonograms in ’tradition’, ‘ancient’, ‘accusation’, ‘attention’, and ‘aberration’.

The fishermen of Kogelo village have not filled a net in twelve nights, and old Oloo whispers that something deep in the lake has frightened even the great fish away. When twelve-year-old Opiyo sees the water ‘bulge’ and ‘surge’ in the dark, he learns the creature below is not hungry but heartbreakingly alone. Can one boy’s shaky voice, and his grandmother’s old fishing song, calm a lonely ‘giant’? This Bookbot level practises the soft ‘g’ sound in ‘gently’, ‘village’, and ‘danger’.

Pip the squirrel has tucked away forty-nine nuts for winter - but when she checks her secret stash, every single nut has vanished! Who could have taken them? The bluebird says no. The bees say no. Even a passing fly won’t help. Can Pip’s friend Liz help her work out what really happened before the first snowfall arrives? This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘armchair,’ ‘beehive,’ ‘snowfall,’ ‘weekday,’ and ‘woodwork.’

On a small island of coconut palms, Siti finds one strange nut that hums instead of rattles, and when it cracks open at last it changes everything. Who is hidden inside, and what would you carry through the dark to bring someone home? A warm tale of courage, kindness, and open hands. This Bookbot level practises the ’ei’ sound with words like ‘weird’, ’neither’, ‘height’, ‘seize’, and ‘receive’.

A growling belly, a village full of traders, and one little green gem that should buy a roasted chicken - easy, right? But why do the villagers panic the moment the gem comes out? Why does a cat freeze solid by your knee, and why has the whole morning vanished in a blink? Something is very wrong with this shiny rock… This decodable reader practises the ‘kn’ sound in words like ‘knee,’ ‘knelt,’ ‘knocked,’ ‘knew,’ and ‘knucklehead.’