These are some of my childhood favorite books:

The Boxcar children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.

Four orphans run away and live in an old box car. Eventually they are found by their grandfather and move in with him and keep the boxcar in the backyard. They are very independent and can take of themselves and solve mysteries.


Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

Ten-year-old Encyclopedia Brown is the son of the police chief. When his father can't solve the crime, he tells Encyclopedia about it at the dinner table. Encyclopedia asks his father one question, and solves the crime. During the summer, he runs a detective agency from his garage for 25 cents plus expenses. Each book contains 10 mysteries and the solutions are in the back of the book.


The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

Sons of the famous private detective Fenton Hardy, teenage brothers Frank and Joe follow in their father's footsteps solving mysteries.