Knows it All from A-Z (Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective - Donald J. Sobol)

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Product:	Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective - Donald J. Sobol
Date:	08/07/08 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: positvie role models, appealing to boys as well as girls, reinforces logic,

Disadvantages: none

Without meaning to offend and be perceived as sexist, as a child and then later, as a parent, I noticed something about reading habits. This was the fact that no matter where in the US, or abroad, that we lived, girls were more likely to read books with girls as main characters, as well as boy main characters. Boys, however, seemed to prefer books with male protagonists. So while boys in my class, and later on, my sons, were happy to read the Bobbsey Twins and later the Hardy Boys, they were usually not even remotely tempted by Nancy Drew. As a parent with three sons, this observation of my youth was reinforced when it came to personal reading choices with my son. Luckily, I was the read pretty well much anything kind of kid, so along with Ballet Shoes and Nancy Drew, I also had the Hardy Boys to pass along. But before they were proficient enough and mature enough to read these teen aged mysteries, there was Encyclopedia Brown.

Beginning in 1963, and with its most recent book in the series being published in 2007, Donald Sobol saw a niche in the children's book market and filled it. While mystery series abounded for the older child, few catered to the middle part of the market. Nor were the stories interactive in any way. Encyclopedia Brown changed all that. Geared at children aged 6-12, 11 year old Encyclopedia Brown is the boy detective who uses logic and reasoning to solve mysteries. The son of the police chief in the fictional town of Idaville, Encyclopedia runs a detective agency for kids much like Lucy in Peanuts ran her psychiatry stand: behind a table at 25 cents a day, plus expenses. His "office" is located in the family's garage.

This first book in the series sets the tone of all the others that were to follow. We meet Encyclopedia, so nicknamed by the local children as he seems to know nearly every trivial fact there is. His name is actually Leroy, which he detests, but which his parents call him anyway.We also meet Bugs Meany, the town bully, who tries to trick people with his mean pranks, but who is always foiled in the end, as well as the bad apple, teenaged con artist Wilford Wiggins. Wilford is the previous incumbent of town bully, now grown up enough to not threaten, but rather to try to con children out of their pocket and dinner money. Young Brown takes cases involving Wilford for free.

Using logical reasoning and deduction, Brown is a childhood spin on a local school boy Sherlock Holmes. And like Holmes, he has his sidekick. Tomboy Sally Kimball is the only kid in town Bugs Meany respects, and is well read. She is also quite big on manners, which occasionally comes into play during a mystery. This time around, as the book opens, Brown and Sally are presented with some very peculiar mysteries indeed. Over the course of 128 pages, they are confronted with no less than ten puzzles involving a stabbed watermelon, a stolen sword, a blind witness, roller skates, and a trapeze artist. Nor are these super easy to solve, as many adults reading the books have found these challenging enough that Sobol received a special Edgar award for the series in 1975. Solvable they are though, and children can solve the mystery along with Brown and Sally as the solution to the interwoven mysteries is presented in the back in a final chapter.

It's a great way to engage children into using their thinking skills and picking up valuable information they may not have known along the way. Also, the main hero of the series being a boy is an excellent way to get your young fellow hooked into reading, while tomboy Sally more than appeals to the female reader as well, while not putting off young fellows who are at that "girls stink" stage. The book also positively reinforces the notion that using your mind to solve problems is a cool thing, as is reading and studying hard, because without these two things, Brown and Sally would not have the wherewithal to solve their cases.

The shorter length may seem a con to some parents, but remember this is aimed at ages 6 and up, so its a perfect beginning chapter book that introduces the mystery genre. When your previous reading consisted of Biff and Chip, 128 pages is a long book! Likewise, children who have been slow to read for pleasure will find the short chapters and relatively brief overall length an inducement to sit down and give it a try. The vocabulary is likewise matched to this reading age level, but Sobol manages to not talk down to his audience. The overall result is a beginning chapter book that engages the reader, gets them thinking, and most of all, enjoying reading.

The book is available new from bookshops, including Amazon, for just under £3, but best value is to buy a 4 volume beginning set for just under £6 from the Amazon Marketplace. It's a book that will have the boys as well as the girls reaching for the next volume, ready to be challenged with the next mystery that comes Brown's way.

Summary: Young Bown and sidekick buddy Sally solve puzzles and tackle bullies for the local children