Young detectives, and young readers, play an important part in the history of detective fiction.

Many thanks to my guest, Maureen Johnson. Her newest YA mystery, The Box in the Woods, is out now. Find out more at her website www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com and follow her on Twitter @maureenjohnson.

There are no major plot spoilers in this episode, but we do talk about the general set up of Maureen's four Stevie Bell novels: Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair, The Hand on the Wall and The Box in the Woods.

Books and sources mentioned:

— The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

— Harriet The Spy by Lousie Fitzhugh

— Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner

— The Secret Island by Enid Blyton

— Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

— The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage by Enid Blyton

— The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton

— Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

— Holiday River by Gladys Mitchell

— The Seven Stones Mystery by Gladys Mitchell

— The Malory Secret by Gladys Mitchell

— Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

— The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

— Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan

— Mystery in Children's Literature: From the Rational to the Supernatural edited by Adrienne Gavin and Christopher Routledge

Thanks to today’s sponsors. You can get $5 off mail based Victorian mystery game Dear Holmes at dearholmes.com/shedunnit using code “shedunnit” at checkout.

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Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/youngsleuthstranscript

Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details.

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