If your kids are anything like mine, they can’t pass up a good mystery – especially one solved by an eager underage gumshoe (or two!). The Enola Holmes mysteries are our faves, so we set out to find a few more plucky heroines to add to our library – check them out below!
Books Like Enola Holmes for Kids
Enola Holmes
If you loved the Netflix movie but haven’t read the books yet, these are a great place to start! Some of the themes are slightly mature (occasional mentions of “ladies of the night” and the obligatory attempted murder or kidnapping here and there), and the British English might be a tad tricky for younger readers.
However, the books do a much better job of presenting 14-year-old Enola’s story without the disjointed liberties taken by filmmakers. Also available as a graphic novel.
Books in Series: 8
Reading Level: Grades 5-8
Age of Heroine: 14
Wollstonecraft Detective Agency
It’s impossible to oversell this one – set in 1826, Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein,) and Ada Lovelace (the world’s first computer programmer) meet as children and use math, science, and critical thinking to solves crimes – with a little help from other historical figures.
Books in Series: 4
Reading Level: Grades 3-7
Ages of Heroines: 11 & 14
Myrtle Hardcastle
With her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope in hand, Myrtle Hardcastle is always in-the-know when it comes to crime scene analysis, toxicology, and criminal science. Like Enola Holmes, this book contains period-specific British words and phrases that young readers may not be familiar with. Unlike Enola Holmes, Myrtle includes footnotes to explain them!
Books in Series: 3 (so far)
Reading Level: Grades 5-8
Age of Heroine: 12
Theodosia Throckmorton
Theodosia Throckmorton’s parents are an archaeologist and museum curator in London – and she has the special ability to see the magic, spells, and curses that still cling to artifacts they discover and display. Chaos ensues as 11-year-old Theodosia repeatedly saves the world from destruction.
Books in Series: 4
Reading Level: Grades 4-7
Age of Heroine: 11
Sisters Grimm
Daphne and Sabrina Grimm are two orphaned sisters who are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother Grandmother Grimm lives in a strange town in New York State, known for its extraordinary number of unexplained and unusual crimes. As soon as the sisters arrive, they begin to unravel a mystery that leads to their ancestors’ magical beginnings. Sabrina and Daphne learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who were actually detectives!
Books in Series: 9
Reading Level: Grades 4-8
Ages of Heroines: 8-ish and 11-ish at the beginning of the series
Mysterious Benedict Society
“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” reads a strange ad in the newspaper. Dozens of children (including the reader) respond and are challenged to complete a series of tests. The 4 who pass the tests embark on a secret mission & take your child along for the ride!
Books in Series: 4
Reading Level: Grades 4-8
Ages of Protagonists: 11 & 12
Book Scavengers
Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles) is the all the rage, and young Emily is its biggest fan! Tragedy strikes, and the game’s creator is in a coma, leaving no one who knows his plans for the next big launch. Racing against the clock (and some bad guys, of course), Emily and her new friend James must unlock the codes and ciphers before all is lost…
Books in Series: 3
Reading Level: Grades 5-9
Age of Heroine: 12
