Scary and confusing stories have always attracted children, so they rarely satisfied with the stories already available, but they also composed their own "horror stories." According to psychologists, such stories are a need for the child's mind, as they allow you to learn the separation of good and evil, as well as make you think and look for solutions to various intricate puzzles. This allows in later life to make correct and deliberate decisions. The main thing is to choose the really best detective stories for children.
Content
- 1 Why are children's detectives useful?
- 2 How to choose a child detective for a child
- 3 Top best detective stories for kids
- 3.1 Sweetness on a Pie Crust by Alan Bradley
- 3.2 Five Young Investigators and a Faithful Dog by Enid Blyton
- 3.3 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- 3.4 "The Secret of the Red Cat", Sergey Task
- 3.5 "The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist", Astrid Lindgren
- 3.6 Detective Club by Fiona Kelly
- 3.7 "The Last Black Cat", Evgenios Trivizas
- 3.8 Country Tales of Beatrix Potter by Susan Whittig Albert
- 3.9 "The investigation is being conducted by Fu-Fu and Kis-Key" Katya Matyushkina and Katya Okovitaya
Why are children's detectives useful?
Reading children's detective stories can be of immense benefit. Scientists from the University of Oxford have carried out relevant studies using MRI. The results showed that when children read, the same parts of the brain are activated, as when observing the events described in the book live. This suggests that the reader, together with the main character of the novel, will be able to live the life of this character. Reading various books, you can thus live thousands of lives.
In addition, reading detective novels can help get rid of obesity, since studies conducted on girls 9-13 years old with this disease have fully confirmed this theory.
When a child reads a text, the intensity of the work of the visual cortex of the brain increases. Along the way, with this, the areas responsible for processing information received in sound form begin to activate, and some other areas of the brain are also included in the work.
How to choose a child detective for a child
Each parent has their own selection criteria. Some seek to acquire works only by domestic writers, others are guided by the advice of friends or Internet users, and still others buy the latest brand books.
First of all, the work should be interesting for the child, so you should pay attention to the recommended age. The quality of the book's production will be no less important, because the child can re-read it several times. Detective stories for young children are better read with their parents, since in this case the kid will be able to ask questions of interest to him directly while reading the book.
Top best detective stories for kids
Many parents are wondering which book to buy for their child. The most popular are books by some contemporary authors and writers of the last century.
Sweetness on a Pie Crust by Alan Bradley
The book was published in 2010. It tells the story of an old English family who had to face unusual life circumstances. The eccentric Colonel de Luce was accused of murdering a stranger. Two of his daughters are in distress, crying for days on end, and the third has decided to conduct her own investigation. Flavin devoted all her time to various chemical experiments, as this helped to brighten up her leisure time and make fun of her sisters.It is she who finds the corpse of an unknown man in the garden of the estate.
After the death of his wife, the father was not at all interested in the life of his daughters, but this did not prevent the youngest of them from following the path of a detective after his arrest. The police cannot find the necessary evidence and evidence, but the colonel was still arrested. An 11-year-old girl decides that there is nothing to expect from the law enforcement agencies and courageously embarks on an investigation. In some chapters, she appears to the reader rather brave and courageous, in others - pompous and self-confident, but her image is attractive and attractive to many teenagers.
The cost of the book "Sweetness on the crust of the pie" varies within 293 rubles. It can be purchased in paper, electronic version or audiobook.
Advantages of the book:
- A fascinating story about an 11-year-old girl;
- Exciting plot;
- Beautiful cover;
- The book evokes various emotions in the reader, from deep joy to sadness or regret;
- Such literature can make a child think about many life issues, putting him in the place of the main character;
- The plot in the book is fully consistent with the style of purely English murder;
- It is not difficult to find a criminal if desired, but the author's enormous educational activity, which includes an excursion into the history and legends of English postage stamps, as well as interesting details about the life of the ruling persons, is striking;
- The book tells the child that all difficulties in life and unpleasant situations can be understood and experienced, and overcoming difficulties will make them courageous and fearless.
Disadvantages of the book:
- The presence of many errors, not docking, blunders;
- Lack of irony or humorous episodes;
- Not enough zest or spice;
- Prolonged dialogues.
Currently, several sequels of the stories about the main character, the girl Flavia, have already gone on sale. These include;
- “The Weed Wrapping the Executioner's Bag”;
- "Oh, I'm sick of ghosts";
- "Smoked herring without mustard";
- “Here the dead are sleeping under the entrance”;
- "I speak from the tomb."
Five Young Investigators and a Faithful Dog by Enid Blyton
A cheerful company of teenagers living in the small town of Peterwood decides to get ahead of the detectives by starting their own investigation. The actions of children will not always be justified, since they tend to suspect everyone without exception. Some actions, for example, a joke on the young policeman Pippin, make them look completely unattractive, although, in general, they are kind and nice guys. This book was published in 1993. A series of the same name is already on store shelves. It can only be ordered in paper form, as other versions are not yet available. The cost of the book is 280 rubles.
Advantages of the book:
- Fascinating and intricate plot;
- It will be interesting for adults and children, as it is not easy to detect a criminal;
- Intrigue;
- Recommended for children from 9 years old.
Disadvantages of the book:
- Difficult to get.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
A great option for reading children in the detective genre is the book by Arthur Conan Doyle "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". The gift edition, released in 2011, contains all 12 stories about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson. This book will appeal to many lovers of detective stories of different ages and backgrounds. These stories are especially well suited for children of primary and secondary school age. The book can be bought in paper or electronic form. The cost varies up to 795 rubles.
Advantages of the book:
- Fascinating plot;
- There is intrigue;
- Suitable for adults and children.
Disadvantages:
- The deluxe edition has a rather high cost.
"The Secret of the Red Cat", Sergey Task
This book is perfect for children from 10 years old. It is an absurd, surreal, funny piece of the detective genre.It contains many poems that are engraved in memory for a long time. There will be flights on cars, attacks of a flock of cats and the opportunity to solve many riddles and secrets. A mixture of magic, confusing, absurd and funny immerses the reader in an indescribable atmosphere. The cost of the book is 495 rubles. The TriMar publishing house published it in 2010.
Advantages of the book:
- Beautiful cover and page design;
- The presence of convex glossy letters gives the book a special zest;
- There are many characters, actions, movements in the narration, but at some point you can easily get confused and lose the essence of the text you read.
Disadvantages:
- There is not enough lightness and mischief in the work, therefore after a while it becomes tiresome to read it;
- Clumsy and chaotic development of the plot, which not even every adult can understand.
"The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist", Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lingred's book "The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist" is a fascinating children's detective story. It was published by Makhaon Publishing House in 2016. The protagonist of this book is a detective who easily solves any complex crime. In the beginning, the boy was just fooling around, but by chance, having attacked the trail of a dangerous criminal, he could no longer turn off the road. An exciting game becomes unsafe, and a novel becomes even more interesting. Serious dangers begin to lie in wait for the main character, but he comes out with honor as a winner from different situations. The cost of such a children's detective is 762 rubles.
Advantages of the book:
- Interesting content;
- Affordable cost;
- Hard cover;
- Thick white pages;
- Large font.
Disadvantages:
- Poor translation
- Low-quality illustrations;
- A number of illustrations do not correspond to the text.
The story of the brave detective had its continuation in subsequent books, but in fact they have little to do with each other. These include books:
- "Almost detective stories for children";
- "The famous detective Kalle Blumqvist takes risks";
- “The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist plays”;
- Kalle Blumkvist and Rasmus.
Detective Club by Fiona Kelly
The whole story developed after one of the girls arrived in the city. She wanted to find friends and open a detective club. Only two people came to the interview. Three girls decided to create their own "Detective Club". They had no idea that the real case would turn up so quickly. The mystery of the stolen painting stirred the imagination. It will be quite difficult to find the loss, but if such professionals as the heroines of the novel are taken to work, then you can count on success.
Usually children see much more and pay attention to such little things that would be difficult for an adult to notice. A share of luck also played a significant role in solving the case, but the girls had to work hard. They have different characters and outlooks on life, but this does not bother them at all, since they can use the strengths of each of them for a good cause. Even their shortcomings in the book are of great importance, since only thanks to them many crimes were solved.
The book was published by Ekmo-Press in 1998. The cost of the book is 250 rubles.
Advantages:
- Dynamic and unusual plot;
- Easy to read, fun and engaging;
- Excellent portrayal of all characters.
Disadvantages:
- In places the plot is too simple or absurd.
"The Last Black Cat", Evgenios Trivizas
Unpleasant moments can happen in every person's life. Scrambled eggs burn, your favorite team loses the match, pigeons can shit on a hat and many other small or serious troubles can happen to a person. Few people find it pleasant to explain them by a confluence of circumstances or their own inaccuracy, so a culprit is needed. The Brotherhood of Superstitious has decided to shift all the blame on the black cats.When they were able to convince most of the city of this, a merciless hunt began on the poor animals. Can anyone stop the distraught people?
This novel bizarrely intertwines a love story with a ruthless pursuit, as well as a detective. Thanks to this novel, many will be able to reflect on the dangers of prejudice and superstition. The book was published in 2011 by the Samokat publishing house. She quickly gained popularity among children and adults. The cost of such a book is 315 rubles.
Advantages:
- The cover is partially varnished with a black cat, which gives it a beautiful appearance;
- The paper is yellowish, dense, slightly translucent;
- High quality printing;
- Large colorful illustrations;
- High degree of image detail;
- Cognitive and fascinating plot;
- The book is imbued with reflections on social inequality, socialist ideas in a subtle vein.
Disadvantages:
- The varnishing on the cover is easily scratched, so the book must be handled very carefully;
- The narrative is boring and unpretentious, so many adult readers usually don't get past half of the book. Children are much more attentive to reading.
Trivizas's tale is not just an interesting and entertaining detective novel with colorful or original illustrations for young readers. The book vividly and in detail reveals one of the main problems of modern man - the susceptibility of society to superstitions and prejudices, the lack of tolerance and acceptance of certain things in it.
Country Tales of Beatrix Potter by Susan Whittig Albert
The Beatrix Potter Village Stories series includes 2 books published by the 36.6 Book Club in 2007. A detective story for children here turns into an amazing fairy tale. The main character of the work is a writer who bought a house in the countryside. The local population accepted the new resident without enthusiasm. What can a resident of the city understand in the life of the village? But in this area strange and mysterious events begin to take place. Only a writer who recently arrived in the countryside can unravel the mystery of what is happening. Various clever animals and animals will come to her aid. Justice must be restored, so an unusual company has plenty of work to do. The cost of the book is 275 rubles.
Advantages:
- The book is perfect for children of primary school age, as it is naive and simple-minded;
- Animal characters are remembered here much more than people;
- At the end of the book, there are collections of recipes for dishes that the characters used, so the hostesses can easily use it as a collection of recipes.
Disadvantages:
- There are many characters and animals whose names the reader needs to remember. Although at the beginning of the book for those who do not want to bother, there is a complete list of characters;
- Lack of sharpness and "intricacy" of the plot;
- There are 9 books in this series in the original, but only 2 of them have been translated into Russian.
"The investigation is being conducted by Fu-Fu and Kis-Key" Katya Matyushkina and Katya Okovitaya
A series of books by these writers saw the world in 2018. It is designed for children from 6 years old. This work contains puzzles, riddles and various tasks. Pictures of comics will appeal not only to children, but also to adults. The cost of the book is 392 rubles.
Advantages:
- Exciting investigations and adventures;
- There is humor;
- Finding the treasure is a particularly exciting moment;
- Wonderful poems;
- Beautiful illustrations.
Disadvantages:
- The names of the main characters are somewhat difficult to understand;
- According to many readers, the cost is unreasonably high.
The choice of a book for your child must be approached carefully and consciously. The book should encourage the child to think analytically, scrolling through many options in the brain.Reading detective literature not only broadens the horizons of children, but makes them more protected and circumspect.