Ten brief cases allow the reader to match wits with ten-year-old crime-buster Encyclopedia Brown as he locates stolen jewels, retrieves a stuffed tiger, and more.

A collection of 10 short mysteries that encyclopedia Brown solves. The clever part of this book is that at the end of each mystery, you the reader are supposed to put together the clues and draw a conclusion. The solution each mystery is in the back of the book so you can check to see if you were right. ( )

Leroy ‘Encyclopedia’ Brown, boy detective, is here to solve the mysteries of Idaville. No case is too big or problem too small for Encyclopedia Brown. Encyclopedia helps his father, Idaville’s police chief, solve his toughest cases over dinner. He also runs a small detective agency out of his family’s garage to help the neighborhood children with their problems. This book includes ten short cases ranging from a trying to catch a jewel thief to being hired to stop neighborhood bullies from cheating kids. Each mystery’s solution is in the back of the book separate from the story so kids can see how clever they are by trying to solve the case alongside Encyclopedia Brown. The short length of each case, the generally common vocabulary, occasional sketch type illustration, and the exciting mysteries to be solved make this a suitable book for kids ages 6 to 10 who are transitioning to reading chapter books. ( )

I read this one aloud to my first-grade son (although my fourth-grade son listened too). Encyclopedia Brown is still as entertaining as when I was a kid. I like these books because each chapter presents a mystery that stands alone, and the who-dun-it is presented in a separate section at the end of the book so that we could help Encyclopedia crack each case. ( )