I love taking trips down Memory Lane to recall the books I enjoyed as a child. Today’s middle grade books aren’t quite as innocent as they used to be, and it’s refreshing to go back in time and remember books that were just simple, light stories. One of my favorites was Encyclopedia Brown. Published in the 1960s, they weren’t fresh from the press when I came along (I was born a decade later) but the appeal is timeless.
Encyclopedia’s father is the chief of police, and every so often he gets a case he can’t solve. When this happens, he brings it home to the dinner table and tells his ten-year-old son about it. As I’m sure you guessed, “Encyclopedia” is just a nickname; his parents put “Leroy” on his birth certificate, but with a brain like he’s got, you’ve just got to call him something else. Chief Brown simply lays the details of the case out at dinner, and by dessert, Encyclopedia has come up with another brilliant solution.
Although there are several volumes in this series, my favorite is “Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down.” With the help of his junior detective partner Sally Kimball, our young sleuth tackles such cases as the Champion Skier, Smelly Nellie, the Flying Submarine, and more. I particularly liked the Case of the Flower Can. The thief is apprehended when he is caught looking in the wrong flower can (one being a flour can, the other being a flower can.) A brilliant observation on Sally’s part set that one in motion.
Also in that volume is the Case of the Two Dollar Bill. Encyclopedia is asked whether or not someone is being cheated, and without batting an eye, he knows they are. You see, this kid had promised to leave some money between pages 1 and 2 of a certain book, and the recipient didn’t know if that was a real promise or not. But pages 1 and 2 in any book are back to back, not opposite each other, so Encyclopedia knew right away that it was a hoax.
The very best part of this series is the fact that the reader is given clues throughout, and they have a chance to solve the mystery themselves. The answers are given in the back of the book, along with an explanation of Encyclopedia’s thought process to arrive at the answer. Not only is the reader entertained, they are taught to think things through for themselves. But watch out for Bugs Meany — that arch enemy of Encyclopedia’s is always trying to mess things up.
And, as if that wasn’t cool enough, now you can to go KidsReads and take this cool Encyclopedia Brown trivia test!
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