Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down (1971) - Plot & Excerpts
I loved these as a kid, and was never patient enough to sit and think about the answer. I'd just flip to the end and read it. I remember not understanding all the solutions, and I remember the text being a little dated. Reading them again with my 8 yr old has been fun, but a little disappointing. I can see the clues pretty clearly the first time, but I enjoy pushing her to think through it. They are definitely dated in a 'Leave it to Beaver' kind of way, and some of the solutions rely on information not widely known (which I think is cheating), but, for the most part, they are as fun and engaging as I remember them.
I loved Encyclopedia Brown books when I was a kid. He was the Sherlock Holmes of the neighborhood. The premise was not the only thing that made these books great. They were written in a very readable format for a kid with a relatively short attention span. Each chapter was a different case. Also the reader was always given the chance to try to solve the crime with the main character. This is probably where I picked up the habit of paying attention to little details in movies to try and figure out the ending before every one else.
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