Pre-order

Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave

Name: Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave
Brand: Penguin Random House NZ
SKU: 9780593896945
Price: 33.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Ally Russell

0.0 (0 reviews)

Brief Description

Abandoned in a cemetery and raised in a funeral home, a girl who can see and smell the supernatural must solve the mystery of a priceless heirloom stolen from her family's business. Perfect for fans of Netflix's Wednesday and Beetlejuice! "A new middle grade heroine you're... Read More

Format: Paperback / softback

$33⁰⁰

Pre-order

Releases 1^st December 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order "Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave

$33⁰⁰

THE BOOK BRIEFING 2 Oct 2026

The Book Briefing: 2nd October

Get stuck in with all the latest from the literary world including book announcements, controversies...

FICTION 1 Oct 2026

The Book Hero Team's September Reads

September was an especially busy month for the Book Hero team as we did the...

Come Celebrate New Zealand Bookshop Day with Us!

Next Saturday, New Zealand celebrates Bookshop Day - a day to celebrate the special place...

Rating All Our Julia Donaldson Picture Books

With Gruffalo Granny coming out recently I couldn't not do a post celebrating the collection...

FICTION 30 Sep 2026

New Releases to add to your TBR this week (29th September)

From celebrity memoirs to a brand new follow up to The Whale Rider, here is...

Description

"A new middle grade heroine you're going to love." - BookRiot

An Edgar Award Nominee. A Bram Stoker Award Nominee.

13-year-old Mystery—who was abandoned in a cemetery and raised in a funeral home—is plagued by sleep paralysis and the smell of ghosts, but she's used to that. Even though her life might seem "strange" on the outside, she loves it.

That is until a priceless heirloom goes missing and her family's funeral home is in danger of being shut down. To clear her Tia's good name, Mystery embarks on an adventure to figure out what really happened to the misplaced necklace.

But to do so, she must contend with the angry patriarch of the town's wealthiest family, a sleep paralysis demon, a graverobber, and the ghastly half-vampire, half-ghost that's lurking in the Olde Ellis Town Cemetery.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780593896945

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 September 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Random House Inc

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 194.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 320

Collections

Ally Russell Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Kids & YA Pre-orders Penguin Books Pre-order Books Pre-Order Children's Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

Ally is the author of It Came from the Trees. She grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children's publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh-ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her two black cats, Nox and Fury. She's afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights.

Also by Ally Russell

View all

It Came from the Trees

When her best friend is taken by a creature in the woods, Jenna is determined to save her in this scary story perfect for fans of Daka Hermon and Claribel A. Ortega! The wilderness is in Jenna’s blood. Her Pap was the first Black park ranger at Sturbridge Reservation, and she practically knows the Owlet Survival Handbook by heart. But...

By Ally Russell

Paperback

$21⁰⁰

Available
Ships in 4-6 weeks
It Came from the Trees

The legend of Bigfoot gets a bone-chilling update in this scary story about a young girl and her scout troop who are willing to brave the woods to find her missing friend when no one else will. Perfect for fans of Daka Hermon and Claribel A. Ortega! The wilderness is in Jenna's blood. Her Pap was the first Black park...

By Ally Russell

Hardback

$50⁰⁰

Available
Ships in 2-3 weeks
Down Came the Spiders

Arachnophobia meets Five Nights at Freddy's in this middle grade horror novel perfect for fans of K.R. Alexander and Mary Downing Hahn. Can you outrun eight legs? Twelve-year-old Andi loves everything about spiders — they're endlessly fascinating creatures. So when she finds a species she's never seen before at a classmate's Halloween party, she's over the moon. Until the spiders...

By Ally Russell

Paperback

$34⁰⁰

Available
Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Children's Books

View all

New Release

Gruffalo Granny

The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...

By Julia Donaldson

Hardback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$30⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

Wahine

From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....

By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

Hardback

$31⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$39⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

The Sweet As Looky Book

Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...

By Donovan Bixley

Hardback

$22⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster

Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...

By Sam Smith

Paperback

$14⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$14⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

The Neverfear

A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...

By Katherine Rundell

Paperback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

Mari the Unwonderful Witch

A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...

By Asako Yuzuki

Paperback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

Animalia 40th Anniversary Edition

A beautiful, foiled collector's edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graeme Base's classic and bestselling Australian picture book, Animalia. Embark on a fantastical alphabetic adventure where each turn of the page unveils a rich tapestry of intricate illustrations tied to a unique letter of the alphabet. More than 5 million copies sold worldwide Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)...

By Graeme Base

Hardback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$35⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

The Comeback Kid

Charlie Boy might be just an ordinary kid, but he's about to get into some EXTRA-ordinary trouble... Get ready for this funny, fast-paced, friendship adventure with lots of kick. Meet Charlie Boy: skinny, small, looks like a strand of spaghetti. He and his best friend, Rocky the Lower Hutt Chief, are good at getting into trouble together. But when Charlie...

By Airana Ngarewa

Paperback

$17⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$19⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

Millie from Milford

Based on the true story of Ruth Shaw and her husband Lance looking after a baby seal that had been shot between the eyes. Millie from Milford lives in Milford Sound, the number one tourist destination in Aotearoa New Zealand. After Millie was checked by a vet, she was taken to Ruth and Lance's home to be looked after until...

By Ruth Shaw

Paperback

$22⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4

But disaster strikes when guitarist Jack breaks his wrist and can no longer play. On top of that, all their hard work fundraising has fallen short! When help comes from unexpected channels, the Velvets make it to the Big Apple just in time to compete against the best kid bands in the whole world, including their new rivals the Blazer...

By Rachael King

Paperback

$16⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$18⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

Pocket Observology

Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...

By Giselle Clarkson

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday
New Release

Minecraft Annual 2027

The official Minecraft Annual 2027, full of updates, builds, activities, and more! Discover all there is to know about the past year of Minecraft in this exciting annual. Stuffed to the brim with updates, activities, step-by-step builds, and tips and tricks for the game, this book is a must-have for any minecrafter. This year’s annual includes: Mob guides on happy...

By Mojang AB

Hardback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.