Children's qualified librarian Katie reveals why crime books are for all ages

May 9th 2023

Katie | Children's Librarian Katie has several years’ experience in public libraries, running toddler rhyme time and teenage reading groups, and has also worked as a secondary school librarian. An avid reader of anything and everything, she particularly enjoys historical teen fiction, junior fiction about ponies, and picture books about dogs! MEET OUR EXPERT TEAM

In bestseller lists for fiction and non-fiction, crime books are a guarantee. With its taboo themes and twisty plots, the genre can entice reluctant readers and simultaneously challenge confident children and teens. From high school murder mysteries to super-heroic graphic novels to fresh perspectives on true crime, there's something for readers of all abilities and ages to dig into. Our children's qualified librarian Katie has put on her detective hat and investigated the top recommended books for teachers, primary, secondary, and adult readers.

Booing bad guys in picture books and junior fiction

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It might be surprising that the theme of crime and criminals appears as soon as early years picture books, such as Penguin In Peril and What The Ladybird Heard At The Seaside. “The classic goodies vs baddies trope is still very popular,” Katie explains, “Children enjoy cheering on heroes and booing criminals!”.

Popular junior crime fiction include M G Leonard’s well-received bird-watching, crime-fighting Twitchers series, as well as sought-after younger graphic novels like Dav Pilkey's Dog Man: Grime And Punishment. The range of junior crime fiction shows there is something for everyone, with a place for laughs and happy endings as well as tense action. “Crime stories can be comforting for this age group as they (usually) feature the baddies getting their comeuppance, and everything turning out okay.”

In the upper age range of junior fiction, Katie had in mind that crime and mystery are popular genres in teen fiction, which may tempt the more able readers to jump into content not quite age-appropriate. To solve this, Katie introduced some ‘safer’ crime stories for this age group that should still satisfy their curiosity, such as Katherine Rundell's The Good Thieves, with its thread of moral ambiguity and serious tone. 

Exploring dangerous subjects through safe means in books for teenagers

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For teen readers, Katie has selected a mix of fiction and non-fiction crime books: “this reflects the fact that older teens in particular can enjoy gruesome real-life crime and hopefully not get nightmares!”.

Crime is a massively popular genre in books for teenagers and many bestsellers feature crime in some way. Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide To Murder and its sequels, and Karen M McManus' One Of Us Is Lying are consistent returners to the Top 20 Children and Young Adult Fiction Bestsellers. With this popularity, debut teen crime novels are sure to issue, such as A Game Of Life Or Death and its virtual reality spin, or The Court Of Miracles, a re-imagining of Les Miserables.

Katie understands that teachers and librarians may have reservations about teens reading about horrific crime. “However,” she explains, “I think especially in fiction, it’s a way to explore dangerous and taboo subjects in a safe way”. With reading non-fiction titles, like The Crime Book, it may spark an interest in criminology, forensics, or even criminal law.

Investigating victims and overcoming misogyny in adult crime fiction

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Crimes stories and true crime are hugely popular subjects in adult reading, again with many featuring on bestseller lists and mirroring the appetite for true crime documentaries and podcasts. Brother-author duo Andrew and Lee Child, a prominent name in the thriller genre, stayed at the top of the bestseller chart for three weeks after the release of No Plan B, a new Jack Reacher novel. Crime sub-genres like “cosy crime” widen the genre's appeal, with witty hits such as Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series and Reverend Richard Coles’ Murder Before Evensong.

For this book list, Katie went for an ‘investigating victims’ angle. Titles include The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, exploring the lives of the five women murdered by Jack the Ripper; and Girl A by Abigail Dean, which follows sibling victims of an abusive household. “Sometimes true crime in particular is accused of being misogynist and ignoring victims, in favour of glorifying violent men. I thought this approach would be an interesting counterpoint to that,” Katie says. They are brilliant books too!

Hear from Helen, adult librarian Want to know more about adult reading trends in 2023? Learn about fiction trends such as Witch Lit and the influence of BookTok, as well as how we support public libraries, in our conversation with Helen. READ our latest adult LIBRARIAN BLOG

Catch these criminally good reads in our Investigating Crime book lists

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