Book 1: Amari and the Night Brothers

If you want to dive into a magical world that’s wild and exciting (and just a tad scary), you’ve got to start with the Supernatural Investigations series. Its heroine is Amari Peters, who investigates her brother Quinton’s disappearance for herself when police refuse to help.

As she follows her brother’s trail, she discovers an invitation to something called the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. If she wants to find out where Quinton went, she’ll have to pass summer tryouts (and stop an evil magician from destroying the supernatural realm she’s just discovered).

Book 1: Murder at the Museum

Everyone thinks Montgomery Bonbon is an eccentric, mustachioed detective who can catch any killer. They’re only half-right. Montgomery Bonbon is a famous detective, but his mustache is just a disguise. He’s actually a clever 10-year-old named Bonnie Montgomery, who can solve crimes quicker and better than detectives twice her size.

Book 1: Kwame Crashes the Underworld

This fantasy series is just as thrilling a read as you’d expect from that cover. Inspired by Akan mythology, it follows Kwame Powell as he falls through a portal into the underworld. As he tries to save humanity from the wrath of the gods, he finds an unlikely friend when he runs into his recently deceased grandmother—who is a kid again!

Book 1: Vanya and the Wild Hunt

Vanya Vallen may have some odd habits (talking to books, for example) that others in her English village don’t understand. But when her family is attacked by a supposedly mythical creature, it appears there’s more to her favorite stories than could be contained within a book. Soon, Vanya is enrolled at a school for young archivists, where she discovers that her quirks are magical gifts, and she can be taught to wield them.

Book 1: The Secret Letters

I grew up with Haddix’s Among the Hidden series, and you can’t go wrong with any of her books when you’re in need of a twisty read that will get your heart pumping. But her latest series is a great place to start.

The Secret Letters follows Colin and Nevaeh, whose parents run competing junk removal businesses. When they discover strange letters around town, they disobey their family’s rivalry and work together in secret to decode and follow the clues.