What do you get when you combine an extremely intelligent fifth-grade boy and a strong and savvy fifth-grade girl with a gang of mean boys, a police detective, and a neighborhood full of kids?
You get the sleuthing adventures of the Encyclopedia Brown series!
Who Is Encyclopedia Brown?
Leroy Brown is a boy with above-average deduction skills who is just smart enough to have been given the nickname Encyclopedia by his friends and family.
Encyclopedia is not afraid to stand up to bullies and he likes helping others. He discusses cases with his police detective dad and then he helps solve them. And Encyclopedia solves his own cases, too. Lots of them.
But he doesn’t always work alone. Sally is Encyclopedia’s sidekick. In addition to solving cases together, Sally and Encyclopedia stand up to the meanest boys in town—Bugs Meany and his gang, the Tigers.
Take our free Encyclopedia Brown Checklist to your local library!
About the Author and Series
Award-winning author Donald Sobol (1924-2012) included themes in his Encyclopedia Brown stories that every kid can relate to—wanting to outwit a competitor: finding ways to earn extra money, and hanging out with friends, to name a few. Of course, your kids will be satisfied when Encyclopedia catches the bad guy, but along the way they’ll also discover that they’re strengthening their own sleuthing skills, too. And with more than twenty-five books in the series, your mystery-loving kids will not lack for reading material.
The Encyclopedia Brown series may not be as eloquently written as The Chronicles of Narnia or The Hobbit, but Donald Sobol’s clever writing has earned his books a place among the most loved of all children’s literature. Sobol sprinkled the pages of his stories with loads of picture-perfect imagery, which is great for young language arts detectives, too! And Sobol’s expert character development weaves a thread of comfort and consistency through the series that keeps kids coming back to Encyclopedia Brown time and again.
About the Books
Each book in the series is a collection of ten solvable mysteries that provide great independent reading for kids in third grade and up. Reluctant readers won’t be overwhelmed by the length of these short page-turners, and they’ll love that each chapter presents its own open and shut case in just 5-7 pages!
Your younger kids will enjoy listening to the cases during read-aloud time. Encyclopedia Brown audio books are a great way for your family to pass time together on a road trip. But be sure to put your own sleuthing skills to the test before you listen to Encyclopedia’s solution!
If you’re looking for some enjoyable, easy-to-digest chapter books to entice your children into the world of reading, Encyclopedia Brown is a great choice.
Encyclopedia Brown at a Glance
Author: Donald Sobol
Genre: children’s fiction, mystery
Interests: problem solving, mysteries, suspense
Suggested age range: ages 8-12
Gender preference: boy or girl
In the series: 28 books, 80-100 pages each
Encyclopedia Brown Library Checklist
Do your kids need a little extra encouragement to read? Take our Encyclopedia Brown checklist to your local library and have your child check off books as he reads them!
Looking for more great chapter books? We’ve got you covered!
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