Boy Detective, Encyclopedia Brown

My 7yr old daughter loves mysteries and these are cleverly written. I would, however, recommend actually purchasing the book instead of on the kindle. To read the solutions you keep having to skip to the back of the book; doing that on the kindle is annoying.

Thinking that this book was a "collection" of author Sobol's series of Encyclopedia Brown books it was a bit confusing for the children when the book starts off on a different note.
The latter part of the book contains a few but not ALL of this series of books.
Much like purchasing a music artist's "greatest hits" but only to contain half of the hits.

What a fabulous product! I've never used graphite paper before, and this intimidating little bundle sat on my shelf for over three months until today. I had planned to use it to trace the outline of the letters, then paint the letters in. I liked the look of the graphite so much, I decided to color the letters in and skip the paint. used it on a chalk-painted piece of pine. Then I sprayed fixative on it to preserve the precious (traced) lettering. I carefully repackaged it--I'm just waiting for my next inspiration to use it again!

These books tell the story of Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, a young boy with a powerful brain and a photographic memory. This kid genius puts his skills to use as a private detective serving the good people in his town of Idaville. His father works as the local police chief, so Leroy routinely becomes involved with local crimes as well as disputes between his school friends. No case is too big, too small, or too hard for this kid detective!

There are almost thirty books in this series, but each one stands alone so you don’t have to worry about reading them in order. Also, the books themselves are collections of short stories which all feature clues and open endings. The best part about these books is how they let you read each story as you try to figure out the puzzle right alongside Encyclopedia Brown! Of course, if you’re like me and you always get stumped by mysteries, you can always find the solution for each story at the end of the book!

For a small town, it seems like Idaville always has a lot going on. I really appreciated how the setting was completely fictional, so you were free to imagine that mysteries like these could actually be happening in your own town. Have you ever thought that the town where you live might make a good setting for a story? Are there any people you know who have special talents like Encyclopedia Brown’s great brain?

This is the first book about Encyclopedia Brown, a fifth grade genius who catches criminals in the act by noticing their lies. The book is filled with 10 stories, each one around seven pages long. While the first one has the solution as part of the story, the rest invite you to catch the clue that Encyclopedia did and has the solution in the back of the book.

So what kind of cases does Encyclopedia solve? There's a thief who was on a cross country road trip when the crime took place. A bank robbery takes place in town, and Encyclopedia fingers the robbers. And for the kids in the neighborhood, he proves who really owns a tent, determines if a sword is really from the Civil War, and steps in at an egg spinning contest.

I read this book years ago, but I must admit I had forgotten many of these cases. A couple came back to me as I read, but for the rest, I must admit I could often almost guess the solution, but I didn't really know for sure what the clue was.

Since this book is now 50 years old, some of the references are dated, as is the amount of money Encyclopedia charges for his services. The characters are also a little flat, but I didn't mind as a kid, and I doubt today's kids would mind either.

So you still can't go wrong with this detective. Encyclopedia entertains, amazes, and astonishes all while wearing sneakers.

This is the first book about Encyclopedia Brown, a fifth grade genius who catches criminals in the act by noticing their lies. The book is filled with 10 stories, each one around seven pages long. While the first one has the solution as part of the story, the rest invite you to catch the clue that Encyclopedia did and has the solution in the back of the book.

So what kind of cases does Encyclopedia solve? There's a thief who was on a cross country road trip when the crime took place. A bank robbery takes place in town, and Encyclopedia fingers the robbers. And for the kids in the neighborhood, he proves who really owns a tent, determines if a sword is really from the Civil War, and steps in at an egg spinning contest.

I read this book years ago, but I must admit I had forgotten many of these cases. A couple came back to me as I read, but for the rest, I must admit I could often almost guess the solution, but I didn't really know for sure what the clue was.

Since this book is now 50 years old, some of the references are dated, as is the amount of money Encyclopedia charges for his services. The characters are also a little flat, but I didn't mind as a kid, and I doubt today's kids would mind either.

So you still can't go wrong with this detective. Encyclopedia entertains, amazes, and astonishes all while wearing sneakers.

Encyclopedia is far off the best book that I have read, and I recommend it to others my age to read it.Published in 1963, it has a sweet tone also made into a great television show in the 1950's. Leroy Brown also known as Encyclopedia Brown, is mostly known in his family and neighborhood for solving cases. And other mysteries, his father Chief Brown is a chief police at the neighborhood of where the Brown family lives at. When a case gets too difficult for him he goes to his son Leroy for help, and boy does Leroy enjoy doing this, especially at the dinner table . Leroy got his name Encyclopedia because of the reason that he was the first boy who finished reading a whole Encyclopedia and other amazing long books in his whole neighborhood. Since his father is a police officer, Leroy opened his own detective work; he calls it " Brown Boy detective, no case too small. 25 cents per day plus expenses."

Each book in the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series is self contained and that the reader is not required to have read earlier books to understand the stories. The author introduces the major characters, and setting at the beginning of the book so you don't have to memorize anything. For what I have read, it has filled me with greater knowledge of solving mysteries. Thanks to Leroy, every child in the neighborhood gets what belongs to them. And Leroy makes 25 cents per case, plus expenses. It all works out in Brown's family neighborhood. The book is divided into sections, usually about short little story put together to complete the book. The author Donald J. Sobol places the answers on the back of the book, usually starts at page 80. You can look at the answer of every mystery that has happened in the book, to make it more fun, you can try solving it yourself before looking. It always leaves you hanging before you know it.

I repeat what I said before; I recommend this book to others who are looking for good mystery books. Born on October 4th 1924, and at the age of 86. Mr. Sobol has written really amazing and interesting books. A great book to read.

Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective is the first on this series written years ago, but still loved today. Encyclopedia Brown helps his father solve real live mysteries as well as solving cases for family and friends at the low cost of 25 cents per day. The cases in the book are short to read and after you try to solve the puzzle you can read in the back how he came to the conclusions he did. This book includes missing rollerblades, a stolen necklace, a bank robber and even a knife in a watermelon. Curious yet? If so read for yourself to see how the evidence stacks up.

These books are a great read for any young reader. The books are probably set for second grade and up. The stories can each be read at one time and the clues force your reader to think outside the box to try to figure out how he came to the conclusion that he did. I enjoyed these books as a child and again now as an adult!

By Kerri J. Busteed
Author of Will's First Hunt Will's First Hunt

The Encyclopedia Brown books encourage re-reading -- in fact, they are so much better the second time around because, knowing the solutions for the mysteries, your young reader can spot the clues as they are presented.

Our set of Encyclopedia Brown books is older than the one pictured here, with illustrations by Leonard Shortall, and they are excellent. I'm sure the content of the books is the same no matter what the cover looks like.

As a mom, I really like that the detective is a nice, normal kid -- no sass, no gross-out -- and his sidekick is a girl. Encyclopedia Brown gets along with everybody and uses his observations to help his neighbors.

*** update *** after rereading some of these with the boys, I noticed that they are Christian-friendly. Nothing overtly Christian happens, nobody prays, but the settings sometimes are "after church" or "the building beside the old church..." It's nice.

"Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective" is a wonderful book for kids from about six years to about 12 or so. Published in 1963, it has a sweet tone reminiscent of 1950's TV shows. The fun, though, lies in tracing and anticipating young Brown's using logic, a little science, and keen observation to solve minor crimes and mysteries. Sometimes, he's helping his police chief father; other times kids bring the mysteries directly to him.
Your child may successfully solve the mystery on his or her own (each of the 10 cases ends with a question, e.g., "HOW DID ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN KNOW THIS?," or, after trying to find the culprit, they can turn to the back for the brief answers. There's no tricks, though at least one story assumes a little more knowledge than might be expected from the average grade schooler. For example, one hint is that "Bull Run" was the Northern name for the Civil War battle, not the Southern name (although this solution has an easier clue as well).
A wonderful, captivating series of vignettes (ten cases covering 78 pages, not including solutions), I recommend this very highly. It's also a great book for readers from about grades two through about six.

Thanks to my awesome friend Talitha for making me revisit such an amazingly influential childhood book. I know this series inspired me to read many other mystery series, like Cam Jansen, Nancy Drew, and The Boxcar Children. It's probably why I still like suspenseful mystery novels today. I remember being frustrated over not knowing the solution--well, funnily enough, rereading the book, I still rarely ever knew what the solution to the case was until I read it! I love the do-it-yourself element to the mysteries, although all the page turning always got on my nerves. It gives kids this great feeling of, hey, look, Encyclopedia can be a detective and SO CAN I! This is definitely a favorite worth introducing to your kids, so both you and they can have fun trying to solve the mysteries! If you're not a kid, still worth the revisit, see how many of the old cases you can crack now.

Rating: 5/5

I picked up this book because Barry Lyga made mention of it on his blog. I recall knowing the name but had never read an Encyclopedia Brown book until recently. Growing up with a dual form of dyslexia I did not read a lot of books when I was younger. In fact it was high school before I really became a reader. And maybe that is why I read across so many genres and love reading a good children's, middle grade or young adult book. I am very glad I added these books to me to be read list. It is always interesting starting a series of books that is finished and has a number of books. There are 28 books in the Encyclopedia Brown Books, a few have had title changes but 28 books is a long series no matter how you look at it. If they are all as good as this one I have a lot of reading ahead of me.

Encyclopedia Brown, born Leroy Brown is a ten year old detective from Idaville. He has a great gift for seeing through the straw and finding the needle. It all started one night when his father the Chief of Police shared details of a case over dinner and Encyclopedia pieced it together quickly. That summer he decided to open his own business the sign reads:

Brown Detective Agency
13 Rover Avenue
Leroy Brown, president
No case too small
25Cents per day
plus expenses

And with that the adventure begins. The cases in this volume are:
The Case of Natty Nat
The Case of the Scattered Cards
The Case of the Civil War Sword
The Case of Merko's Grandson
The Case of the Bank Robber
The Case of the Happy Nephew
The Case of the Diamond Necklace
The Case of the Knife in the Watermelon
The Case of the Missing Roller Skates
The Case of the Champion Egg Spinner

I had to read the solution for a few but after that I slowed down paid closer attention and figured them out. I am really looking forward to reading these with my son and oldest daughter. They are fin light easy to read mysteries.

My criteria for enjoying a book intended for young reads are 1. did I enjoy it as an adult, 2. do I want to share it with my children or children I know, 3. can I say yeah this was a good read regardless of intended audience? This book hits all three. And as such it was a great read. I have already gone on and read book two in this series and know I will read some more soon.

If you have a reluctant reader, you might want to try this series. Each short chapter consists of a different case giving the reader an opportunity to analyze the plot and figure out the outcome. I purchased this for my third grade grandson and now he is seeking out other books in the series at the library.

In the book Encyclopedia (Leroy) Brown solves many different mysteries. Some of them include the cases of Natty Nat, the Scattered Cards, the Civil War Sword, etc.

Encyclopedia does such a great job in the cases.

I think that Encyclopedia Brown is truly fantastic with being a detective. He is so great that the tiniest clue solves the case. He's just amazing! That's what I think.

In the story Encyclopedia comes upon several events that turn into mysteries. But that's nothing for The Brown Detective agencies. With the help of his father Chief Brown and Sally Kimball.

Encyclopedia often-just uses his inner super sleuth solve the cases. Sometimes it's only the clues that lurk around him. It's very simple

I recommend this book to anybody who happens to like mysteries. Maybe they are just a normal Encyclopedia fan.

I like this book because the stories within it are brain-teasers. Each chapter is a different case, which Encyclopedia Brown solves. The reader is then asked how Encyclopedia knew the correct answer and can turn to the back of the book to read the solution.

I remember listening to a camp counselor read me Encyclopedia Brown mysteries years ago and being captivated by the short, though tricky cases. This summer, I became the counselor, and though my campers were reluctant to have me read to them at first, these books had an incredible impact on them. They quieted down and listened intently for as long as I would read and after each mystery would excitedly participate in a discussion about the solution. It also inspired several of them to start reading their own books or to ask me to borrow some of mine. These are very fun stories, well written, and have tremendous appeal for kids. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to read good books to kids or any kids who would like to provide themselves with hours of entertainment.

This is a book about a young boy, nicknamed Encyclopedia Brown, who runs a "detective service" in the summer. The boy is highly intelligent, honest, and has read LOTS of books. Each chapter in this book is a case he solved, whether it be a case in which someone came to him to solve, or one in which he solved for his father, who is a police. You have to go to the back of the book to find out how/why he figured it out.

This is a "kid's" book, but who cares, as long as it is fun.

As far as I know, this is the first book of this series. There are several books in this wonderful series. Most, if not all, of the books have 10 cases.

I liked all 10 of the cases, but my favorite was "The Case of the Missing Roller Skates".

I read the Encyclopedia Brown series in the early 1970s, when I was in elementary school. I learned about being humble and smart, analytical and tricky (in a good way!).

A lot about life can be learned from observation. The evidence was often in clear view of Leroy, and he noticed this evidence. Your children will learn that before their eyes is where the answer often is.

I still remember how Leroy once solved a mystery by something he didn't see, rather than what he did.

I fully recommend "Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective (Encyclopedia Brown #1)."

Anthony Trendl
TreeFortBooks.com