How kind of you, gratified3, thank you. You all have been so generous and welcoming here, and I have so enjoyed the feeling of community; I sadly have nothing at all to contribute when it comes to more important issues like dealing with schools or testing, but I thought maybe I could make a small contribution over here instead. Books have been my good friends for a long time!

OHG, I wonder if your grandson would like Ellis Peters? I love the Brother Cadfael ones, and Harpo has started reading some of them, too (in his case, sparked more by his interest in history than by an interest in mystery, per se). She also had a series with a teenage boy (Dominic Felse) and his police detective father that might well be appropriate.

Another group of mysteries where the sex and violence are not much in evidence are the Josephine Tey books--period pieces, very well-written, with a Scotland Yard inspector (Alan Grant) for her detective. There are about six of them, I think: The Daughter of Time (a great historical mystery), A Shilling for Candles, The Franchise Affair, To Love and Be Wise, The Man in the Queue, Miss Pym Disposes--those are all I can remember right now; Miss Pym Disposes is set in a girls' school, and thus may not be of too much interest for him, but some of the others might appeal.

I like Eric Wright's Inspector Charlie Salter mysteries, too, though there is a certain amount of wry musing about middle age that might strike a ten year-old a little oddly, perhaps. They are quite good books, though, with interesting characters and situations; Salter has two teenage sons, so spends a certain amount of time in their world in some of the books, which might make those books interesting to a young boy.

peace
minnie