There’s something irresistibly fun about stories that climb up into attics – those dusty treasure troves where creaks, cobwebs, and forgotten boxes hide secrets just waiting for brave kids to uncover.

The Aviary – Kathleen O’Dell

In a crumbling mansion filled with birds and locked rooms, an attic window hides a clue to an old magician’s secret.

The Attic Child – Lola Jaye (upper MG / crossover)

A dual-timeline mystery following two children decades apart who find a shared legacy - and a locked trunk - in the same attic.

The Marvels – Brian Selznick

A boy stumbles into a mysterious house filled with relics, secrets, and an attic that links generations of stories and lives.

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane – Julia Nobel

When her missing father’s clues lead Emmy to a dusty attic filled with cryptic symbols, she’s drawn into a centuries-old secret society.

The Mummy in the Attic – Mitch Mitchell

When Tom McNabb and his best friend Stevie uncover a strange mummy hidden in the attic, they unleash ancient secrets, invisible chaos, and a mystery that turns their suburban life upside down.

The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn – Amber Logan

A haunting attic discovery connects a grieving girl to a family mystery in this lush, ghostly tale set in Japan.

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing – Sheila Turnage

Mo and Dale investigate a haunted inn where the dusty attic hides clues to an old ghost’s story - and their small town’s forgotten history.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick

Though much of the story unfolds in a Paris train station, the hidden attic spaces where Hugo builds his machines hold key emotional and mechanical secrets.

All the Lovely Bad Ones – Mary Downing Hahn

When two siblings spend the summer at their grandmother’s inn, they awaken attic-dwelling ghosts who refuse to stay quiet.