Twins are popular in children’s literature. Sometimes they have psychic connections, and sometimes they look so much alike that they can switch places and not have it noticed for days during which time they have amazing adventures or hilarity ensues. After reading some of these books when I was a kid, I wanted a twin, too. Pity these things are decided at birth, not at reading age. Of course, not all twins are identical, and psychic abilities are unlikely, so even if I had one, I still wouldn’t turn into one of these characters. Too bad.
General Fiction
Just twins doing stuff.
A large family spends their summer at an island vacation home meeting movie stars and investigating the creepy house next door. It’s a collection of short stories, one for each child in the family. There is a set of twins among the children, and each of the twins has her own story. By Ann M. Martin.
A book of short stories about the adventures of some neighborhood children on Halloween. A couple of the stories have twins in them.
Twins Switching Places
A set of twins who were separated by their divorced parents and haven’t seen each other since they were babies meet again at a summer camp. This was the basis for the Disney movie The Parent Trap. Originally written in German. By Erich Kastner.
Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (1985)
Everyone is disappointed in the school’s football team. The team itself seems to think that there’s no point in even practicing because they’re doomed to lose, and the coach is mentally cracking from the strain. Can Viola Swamp whip them into shape and lead them to victory?
Series
The antics of a pair of twins who have a tendency to switch places. By Michael J. Pellowski.
Mysteries Involving Twins
They can be involved in different ways, although admitting this is a spoiler for some of them.
When a new girl named Sara Beth joins their class, Becky and her friends go out of their way to make her feel welcome. However, Sara Beth barely acknowledges their attempts to make friends with her.
Mystery of the Green Cat (1957)
As four children try to adjust to their new blended family, they become involved with the secrets of the mysterious people living in the house next door. By Phyllis Whitney.
An orphan boy with a mysterious past searches for his long-lost twin and the secret to his true identity. By Barbara Brooks Wallace.
Series
The Stanleys are a blended family, and the children solve mysteries, sometimes with a spooky theme. By Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
Mystery-Solving Twins
A pair of twins star in a silent movie serial during World War I and learn that their father’s death was due to war-related sabotage, not an accident.
Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? (1981)
When a rare book is stolen from the local library and Becky falls under suspicion, she and her twin brother Toby investigate to learn the truth. By Avi.
Series
A family with four children, two sets of fraternal twins, solves mysteries together. A Stratemeyer Syndicate series. 1904-1992.
About three siblings who solve mysteries together. (Two of them are twins.) Many of them are treasure hunts. By Peggy Parish. 1966-1986.
Sam and Dave Bean are a pair of twin boys who solve mysteries with their friends. Most of their mysteries center around people they know from school.
Ryan and Chris Taylor are a pair of thirteen-year-old fraternal twins who solve mysteries. They can sense each other’s thoughts. By Adam Mills. 1988-1989.
Fantasy
The basis for the movie of the same name but different in plot. A magical car takes an inventor and his family on a trip to France where they find themselves battling a gang of smugglers. By Ian Fleming.
Twin Spell (1968)
A pair of twins buy an antique doll that gives them visions of the past, unlocking a family tragedy and setting a ghost at rest. Also printed under the title Double Spell. By Janet Lunn.
Picture Books
This is a cute picture book/puzzle book. A pair of twins, Ella and Emily, are invited to a friend’s costume party, but they come dressed as witches in identical (or nearly identical) costumes. Using provided clues, readers are invited to figure out which twin is which. By Pat Hutchins.
Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories 