I grew up on shows like Scooby-Doo, Columbo, and Murder She Wrote, and I was obsessed with child detectives in books like Encyclopedia Brown. If I’d been handed a mystery graphic novel with a child detective at that time, my little mind would have exploded with sheer joy. It’s why, to this day, I keep an eye out for kid sleuths in any format, but it feels like a special win when it’s in graphic novel format. Here’s what’s on my radar so far in 2026.
The Case of the Missing Kolo (Korobá) by Àlàbá Ònájìn
Here’s a new series set in a Nigerian fishing village that follows ten-year-old Korobá. The children save coins in their Kolos—wooden piggy banks—for the annual Makoko harvest festival. So when one of Korobá’s best friends, Saidat, has her Kolo stolen, she’s on the case!
Gumshoe by Brenna Thummler
The creator of Sheets has a new middle grade graphic novel following a group of girls. Eleven-year-old Willa has dreams of growing up to be a mail carrier: that’s how much she loves to connect with people via mail, since she’s shy in person. But she can’t be a beloved mail carrier if people mistake her for an actual mail bandit, “the notorious Two Gum Tilly,” who is stealing people’s mail. With the help of a group of runaways, the Gumshoe Gang, Willa gets the chance to clear her name and make IRL friends!
Harper Sharp: Kid Detective by Jarrett Williams (March 3, 2026)
Harper Sharp is a fifth-grade genius who is also a kid detective! The annual Young Inventor’s Fair is a time for kids to be excited and energized with new ideas, but this year, the Starview Elementary gets hit with ominous fliers saying “BEWARE THE FAIR!” Harper needs to find out who is behind this threat so it doesn’t ruin the Inventor’s Fair.
A Case of Bird Problems (Zeb and Bel) by Rachel Elliott
Okay, so I know that animals aren’t kids, but 1. I couldn’t pass up sharing a graphic novel with the tag “The Secret Life of Pets meets Only Murders in the Building” and 2. Are young kids and pets that different? Anyhoo, Bel the cat lives with her dog brother Zeb and their human Josephine in an apartment complex. It’s a good thing that Bel’s a detective, because a parakeet goes missing. But Payton Parakeet is known as a prankster, so Bel has her work cut out for her in solving this mystery!
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Can’t get enough middle grade mysteries? Check out the best new middle grade mystery books of 2025, 2024, and 2023.
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