Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective is the first in a great series of books that have been around for a long time. I remember reading them when I was a child, and they were as great then as they are now. I pulled the first one out of my collection and read it to my boys. They begged me to keep reading.
Encyclopedia Brown is a 12 year old boy who reads lots of books. He, of course, remembers everything he reads. That's why they call him Encyclopedia. He often helps out his father, the town's police chief, solve stumping mysteries, usually with only asking one question. Encyclopedia decides to start his own business to help other people by solving their mysteries. He only charges $.25 per day (wow!). Each chapter in the book is its own mystery with the solution in the back. Each mystery is unique, the clues hidden well within each chapter. If you pay attention to them, you can figure out the mysteries.
These are fantastic books, and like I said, my boys loved them! I received a bunch from a neighbor whose boys were older so my boys have been eating them up in the last week. The books are short, no more than 150 pages, and have all the solutions in the back. These are also great books to work on observation and thinking skills. My boys are getting better at finding the little details that give away the solutions, but some are trickier than others.
This series of books is great for elementary and middle school girls and boys. They are all well written and thought out, with similiar characters in each. They are fun and quick reads that are just fun, especially when you can figure out the mystery!
