Generations of kids have grown up reading Nancy Drew — the smart, fearless girl detective whose original mysteries are still in print after nearly a century. But today's tween readers want characters who feel like them: modern voices, modern problems, modern friendships. Browse our full collection of mysteries with female protagonists or start with these series for tweens who love Nancy Drew and want more of the same energy.
Ava & Carol Detective Agency by Thomas Lockhaven
The most direct heir to Nancy Drew's throne. Ava and Carol are twelve-year-old best friends running their own detective agency, and across thirteen books and counting they travel from the Hancock Museum of Archeology (chasing diamond smugglers in The Mystery of the Pharaoh's Diamonds) to the streets of Italy (The Mystery of Solomon's Ring) to a holiday-season haunted house (The Haunted Mansion), all the way through to Mystery at the Softball Nationals. The books explicitly take their inspiration from Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and the Boxcar Children — but update the formula with modern kid-detective skills like coding and deciphering. Pharaoh's Diamonds won a Mom's Choice Award. Best for ages 8–12.
📖 Browse the full Ava & Carol reading order →
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The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
If your tween loved Nancy Drew but wants something a little more puzzle-driven and a little less mystery-of-the-week, MBS is the upgrade. Four gifted kids infiltrate a strange boarding school. Five books in the series. Best for ages 9–13.
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Sammy Keyes by Wendelin Van Draanen
A long-running middle grade series about a scrappy seventh-grade sleuth in California. Sammy lives with her grandmother in a seniors-only building (the first mystery is that she's hiding the fact she lives there at all). Eighteen books total, so committed readers can binge for years. Best for ages 9–12.
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Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer
Sherlock Holmes's much-younger sister becomes a detective in Victorian London. Smart, atmospheric, and now a Netflix movie franchise that pulls new readers back to the books. Best for ages 10–13.
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The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
Two sisters discover they're descendants of the Brothers Grimm and that fairy tale characters are real — and committing crimes. Mystery meets fairy tale meets sister bond. Nine books in the series. Best for ages 9–12.
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Calista Chase Time Sleuth by Thomas Lockhaven
For the Nancy Drew fan who also loves history and adventure. Calista's grandmother Martha is a respected archaeologist in Beaufort, North Carolina — until the town turns on her and accuses her of being a thief. With time travel on her side, Calista has to dig into the past to clear her grandmother's name. The first book, Blackbeard's Treasure, drops her into pirate-era waters chasing the legend of Queen Anne's Revenge. Best for ages 9–12.
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Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Mo LoBeau, a sixth-grader in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, helps solve a murder with her best friend Dale. Southern-flavored mystery with a fantastic voice. Newbery Honor book. Best for ages 9–12.
📖 Browse the Mo & Dale Mysteries →
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The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Lighter on mystery, heavier on family and small adventures — but if your Nancy Drew reader also loved the friendship and home-base feeling of the books, the Penderwicks scratch the same itch. Five books in the series. Best for ages 8–12.
📖 Browse the Penderwicks reading order →
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What today's Nancy Drew readers want
Modern tween mystery readers want what Nancy fans always wanted: a smart girl protagonist, real stakes, a series that lasts long enough to live inside for a while, and chapters short enough to read in one sitting. The best of today's series — Ava & Carol, Mysterious Benedict Society, Sammy Keyes — deliver exactly that, with details that feel like the world the tween actually lives in.
🕵️♀️ Browse every middle grade mystery with a female protagonist, or explore all our reading guides.