Teen-Focused Tuesday: Detectives

Happy Tuesday! If you love young adult (YA) books, you have come to the right post! Every Tuesday I feature a new YA theme that features five books that you should check out! Explore different YA genres including Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Non-Fiction, and more.

This week’s Teen Focused Feature Theme is Detectives! Who doesn’t love a good teenage detective stories?! Nancy Drew maybe the first teenage detective, but she is definitely not the last! Check out this whole new generation of teenage sleuths!

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Summary: On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them

My Thoughts: Such a juicy read! This kept me on the edge of my seat! Didn’t see the ending coming! Plus this book has an amazing sequel! Check out One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus that continues the story with new characters and a devious game of truth or dare!

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Summary: Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder. 

My Thoughts: This is a must read for any mystery lovers! If you love historical mysteries, it flashes back to the past when the old mystery happened. If you like current mysteries, a majority of it is set in the present! If you like mystery series this book has two sequels that are already out! Check out The Vanishing Stair and The Hand on the Wall to continue the tales of mystery!

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

Summary: In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.

Freshman year Jill’s best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.

Now, it’s Jill’s senior year and she’s determined to make it her best yet. After all, she’s a senior and a Player–a member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill’s year. She’s sure of it.

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham’s innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn’t kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

My Thoughts: This book gives me Pretty Little Liars vibes! If you loved that series you need to check this one out! If you haven’t read Pretty Little Liars, check it out as soon as possible! Both the TV series and the book are amazing!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Summary: The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

My Thoughts: Can teachers assign more projects where you get to uncover a unsolved mystery? I would have loved doing that homework for sure! Check out to see if Pippa is on the right track or if her project is just proving what everyone knows is true.

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany Jackson

Summary: Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

My Thoughts: Warning! This book does dive into some serious topics such as domestic abuse. If such topics trigger you I would avoid this book! Monday’s Not Coming is a powerful story of friendship. It also dives into the racism in when a black girl is missing, how people are so quick to dismiss it as she just ran away. Read this powerful story to find out what happened to Monday.

Let me know in the comments below which books interested you, what books should be on this list, and what themes I should do next!

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