Literary themes

Heroes and Villians

Blyton pioneered this theme for young readers with a familiar formula in which the goodies (the kids) face the baddies (criminal adults) and win. Child heroes have the advantage of working undetected as they are often dismissed by the adults as unimportant and unable to solve crimes without adult help (Routledge 2001). Their ability to remain anonymous helps them solve the crime, as we see time and again with the Famous Five. The smugglers are not particularly concerned about a bunch of kids on their trail. This appeals to children, who like the idea of "getting one over" on the adults. Typically good triumphs over evil; this is also very appealing to children. The heroes defeat the criminals, but also gain admiration from their parents, who underestimate their abilities.

Coming of age

Routledge (2001) points out that children's mysteries rarely only deal with the mystery at hand. A common theme is the fact that child detectives and adventurers are often walking the line between childhood and adulthood. In Who Stole New Year's Eve ?, Alex struggles to understand the jealousy that is felt by his female friend when he forms an attachment to  another girl.

Amateurs sleuths who are dealing with adult criminals "combine childish playfulness and adult rational method to solve the mystery" (Routledge 2001, p. 65). Horowitz's child characters act like adults, using guns and facing criminals who want to kill him. The Famous Five are often ignored by their parents and overcome danger with only their fellow Five to help them. In Five on a Treasure Island, George's claims of gold thieves are initially disbelieved by her father, only to be vindicated at the end of the book (Routledge 2001). The Five successfully navigate the perils of the adult criminal world and gain respect from the "good" adults. We are often reassured at the end of such stories, however, that the characters are still children. The Five inevitably show childish desires right at the end, such as those dreaded marmalade sandwiches.


Friendship/ Cooperation

Crimes and mysteries are most often solved with the help of friends and we see the value of cooperation. This is a very popular theme in children's books and is seen as an effective way to  help children learn how to be a good friend (DeGeorge 1998) . Trust and honesty feature heavily. Mouse detective Geronimo trusts and is trusted by a series of friends and family members. He always comes to a friend's aid and gets satisfaction from working with others who in turn help him overcome his fears. Family connections is also a prominent theme, as seen with the tightly bonded orphans in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Overcoming adversity is another related theme, and this only usually happens with the help of others.





Humour

Kids enjoy humour and often it is used to amuse parents who are reading books aloud, too. Kids' crime often satirises the adult genre, as in Grandad's Teeth. In the Eleventh Hour, the rhyming verse adds lightness and humour that adults will enjoy reading aloud. Lemony Snicket uses humour to great effect, also.