1. 140
   The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (infiniteletters)
2. 90
   The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (allisongryski)

   allisongryski: These books share an imaginative, adventurous quality, with compelling young characters. The plots/settings are very different, but they have some thematic similarities.

3. 70
   Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (infiniteletters)
4. 60
   Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (bell7)
5. 20
   Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers (jfoster_sf)

   jfoster_sf: Another great book that centers around a museum. This one is about Theo, a girl whose parents are curators. Most of the time her parents get so wrapped up in their work that Theo ends up spending the night in the museum. Her favorite spot? An ancient sarcophagus she keeps handy to protect her from all the evil spirits lurking about the museum at night. Most of the Egyptian items are covered with curses, and Theo is working to remove the curses and protect her parents and the other museum workers from evil. Really fun read!… (more)

6. 20
   The Calder Game by Blue Balliett (Anonymous user)
7. 10
   The Law of Gravity by Johanna Hurwitz (muumi)

   muumi: In The Law of Gravity (aka What Goes Up Must Come Down) Margo Green and her friend Bernie visit the MMA and make sure to search out 'the bed that Claudia slept in, in the movie'. It's quite a suitable literary pilgrimage, because What Goes Up is another delightful book set in Manhattan, with another heroine determined to change her own life.… (more)

8. 10
   Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (Ciruelo)
9. 10
   Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken (bookel)
10. 10
    Father's Arcane Daughter by E. L. Konigsburg (raizel)

    raizel: Like many others of her books, this one---my favorite---should be read by adults as well as children.

11. 00
    The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone (kaledrina)
12. 00
    Secrets of the Shopping Mall by Richard Peck (bookel)
13. 00
    Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (BookshelfMonstrosity)

    BookshelfMonstrosity: While intelligent young people in New York City have unusual adventures that revolve around mysteries -- Liar's Georges spies on neighbors; Claudia hides out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art -- their observations, conversations, emotions and experiences are entirely convincing.… (more)

14. 00
    When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (beyondthefourthwall)
15. 11
    The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (jbarry)

    jbarry: clever children abound

16. 00
    Hideaway by Beverly Hollett Renner (bookel)
17. 00
    The Lancelot Closes at Five by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (bookel)
18. 00
    The Hideout by Eve Bunting (bookel)
19. 00
    Mystery in the Flooded Museum by Margaret Goff Clark (bookel)
20. 36
    The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (jbarry)

    jbarry: Smart, witty and clever kids!

(see all 20 recommendations)