There’s wicked fun in stories with strange or suspicious neighbours — the ones who peer through curtains, bury odd boxes at midnight, and make kids wonder whether adventure (or danger) has just moved in next door.

 Old Mr. Wetherbee – The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

The oddball neighbour whose strange stories and unexpected wisdom tie together a group of suburban kids — and a mystery that spans generations.

Mr Benedict – The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

A quirky genius who recruits gifted children to uncover hidden conspiracies — but his eccentricities make everyone wonder whether he’s brilliant, bonkers, or both.

Mr. K. Mumblewood – The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand

The neighbourly headmaster with a perfectly polished smile — hiding something monstrous behind the curtain of suburban perfection.

Miss Nesbitt – Coraline by Neil Gaiman

One of Coraline’s bizarre neighbours who seems to see more than she should — though not nearly as much as the sinister “Other Mother.”

Miss Penelope Lumley – The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood

The governess-neighbour hybrid who seems to know too much about wolves, children, and peculiar howling at tea time.

Professor Kilderkin – The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

The cranky old magician who lives next door — and whose “help” usually comes with a mysterious spell or missing object.

Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood – Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda’s crooked, loud, and completely untrustworthy parents double as suspicious neighbours — breaking the law, ignoring their daughter, and oozing comic villainy.

Miss Clavel – Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Though she appears kind, her watchful midnight rounds and sudden appearances make her a mysterious, almost ghostlike figure in the girls’ old Parisian home.

Mrs Grogan – The Mummy in the Attic by Mitch Mitchell

Tom’s eccentric neighbour, Mrs Grogan, is nosy, nosy, nosy — with her cat-patterned dresses, binoculars, and bottomless teapot — but her gossip and watchful eye might just uncover something older and darker lurking in the attic next door.

Mr. Agee – When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

The strange, mumbling “Laughing Man” who lives on the corner — and turns out to hold the key to one of the book’s deepest mysteries.

Mrs. Slater – The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine

A seemingly harmless neighbour and shopkeeper with far too much interest in the young heroines’ movements — and a secret tied to stolen jewels.