Encyclopedia Brown Super Sleuth

Gr 3—5—Ten-year-old detective Encyclopedia Brown solves ten new cases in this installment (Dutton, 2009) in Donald Sobol's series. In the past year, no crime has gone unsolved in Idaville, thanks to police chief Brown's secret weapon: his son Leroy, better known as Encyclopedia Brown. The boy and his co-detective, Sally Kimball, use their smarts and the culprits' own missteps to solve crimes and thwart neighborhood bully, Bugs Meany. At the end of each chapter, listeners can pause the narration to try to crack the case on their own before the solution is revealed. Greg Steinbruner effortlessly narrates each tale, keeping the reading as simple and unpretentious as the mysteries themselves. A popular choice for school and public libraries, especially for reluctant readers.—April Mazza, Wayland Public Library, MA