Encyclopedia Brown
29 Books
Donald J. Sobol
1963-2012
The longest running 'solve it yourself' format book series, by Donald J Sobol, following the main title character as he solves various mysteries in his home town.
Encyclopedia Brown
Encyclopedia Brown is a series of books featuring the adventures of boy detective Leroy Brown, nicknamed "Encyclopedia" for his intelligence and range of knowledge. The series of 29 children's novels was written (one co-written) by Donald J. Sobol, with the first book published in 1963 and the last novel published posthumously in 2012. The Encyclopedia Brown series has spawned a comic strip, a TV series, and compilation books of puzzles and games.
Each book in the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series is self-contained in that the reader is not required to have read earlier books in order to understand the stories. The major characters, settings, etc. are usually introduced (or reintroduced) in each book.
Books featuring Brown are subdivided into a number—usually ten or more—of (possibly interlinked) short stories, each of which presents a mystery. The mysteries are intended to be solved by the reader, thanks to the placement of a logical or factual inconsistency somewhere within the text.[2] This is very similar to the layout of Donald Sobol's other book series, Two-Minute Mysteries. Brown, his father, or Sally Kimball invariably solves the case by exposing this inconsistency, in the "Answers" section in the back of the book.
The Encyclopedia Brown books experienced some enduring popularity. In 1976, the Mystery Writers of America honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a special Edgar Award. Educators have used Encyclopedia Brown in classrooms to instruct students in skills such as writing reports. In 1986, the Society for Visual Education, Inc. published a filmstrip series, produced and written by Lynne V. Gibbs, with accompanying audio cassette tapes and workbooks for elementary and middle schools' use. The following four Encyclopedia Brown stories were utilized: The Case of the Missing Statue, The Case of the Happy Nephew, The Case of the Kidnapped Pigs, and The Case of the Marble Shooter. According to WorldCat's library catalog listing, "As super-sleuth Encyclopedia Brown solves four mysteries, he shows students how he fills out his reports, including selecting a topic, gathering information, taking notes, making an outline, and revising and editing."
[Various excerpts from Wikipedia]
A fascinating interview with Sobol in the early 2000s (10 years before his passing) can be read here:
Books in this series
1
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
Lois Lenski (Illustrator)
1963
A Civil War sword...A watermelon stabbing...
Missing roller skates...
A trapeze artist's inheritance...
And an eyewitness who's legally blind!
Theses are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him - the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0525672001
2
Encyclopedia Brown Strikes Again
Roy McKie (Illustrator)
1965
A cross-eyed baseball pitch...
A missing penknife named Excalibur...
Poems that pack a punch...
A kid-lover turned kidnapper...
And some tall tales that come up short!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0525672028
3
Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues
Tomie DePaola (Illustrator)
1966
Encyclopedia Brown is confronted with ten new cases. Solutions are given in the back of the book.
Goodreads
ISBN 0525672048
4
Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man
Dick Bruna (Illustrator)
1967
A book for young readers about a boy sleuth.
5
Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All
Anita Lobel (Illustrator)
1968
A clown accused of robbery... A mutt maimed by an armed gardener... A pig-shaped teapot... A Cupid who shoots expensive arrows... And a muscle-building tonic that shrinks your pockets!
These are just some of the ten brian-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him - you'll find the answers to all the mysteries of the back of the book!
6
Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace
Martha Alexander (Illustrator)
1969
Leroy Brown is back in the next six books in the Encyclopedia Brown series. As Idaville's ten-year-old star detective, Encyclopedia has an uncanny knack for trivia. With his unconventional knowledge, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve some of the most baffling crimes. With ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but readers are given all the clues as well and can chime in with their own solutions. Interactive and fun—it's classic Encyclopedia Brown!
Goodreads
ISBN 0525672087
7
Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day
James Stevenson (Illustrator)
1970
A camper who's been bound and gagged...
A stolen bike wheel...
Two kidnapped pigs...
A boy with wings...
And a foot-warmer inventor who accidentally puts his own foot right in his mouth!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computer-like brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0525672109
8
Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down
1971
Leroy Brown is back in the next six books in the Encyclopedia Brown series. As Idaville's ten-year-old star detective, Encyclopedia has an uncanny knack for trivia. With his unconventional knowledge, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department.
Leroy Brown is back in the next six books in the Encyclopedia Brown series. As Idaville's ten-year-old star detective, Encyclopedia has an uncanny knack for trivia. With his unconventional knowledge, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve some of the most baffling crimes. With ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but readers are given all the clues as well and can chime in with their own solutions. Interactive and fun—it's classic Encyclopedia Brown!
Goodreads
ISBN 0553157213
9
Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way
1972
A ripped-off rattlesnake...
A guard dog that has a nervous breakdown...
A pickpocket with a pet kangaroo...
And a red-haired red herring!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 055315737X
10
Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case
1973
Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, and his computerlike brain are on the case! No case is too small or too big for the boy detective. He'll solve every mystery in Idaville. Readers are on the case, too, with answers in the back! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Chapter Books is an imprint of Spotlight, a division of ABDO.
Goodreads
ISBN 055315723X
11
Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand
1974
A huge footprint in the soft earth . . . counterfeit money in a bird's nest . . . threatening letter . . . an exploding toilet . . . a missing silver dollar . . . and a stolen newspaper clipping that could be valuable! These are the only traces left at the scene of ten brain-twisting crimes. But it's that Encyclopedia Brown, boy super sleuth, needs to solve them.
Answers are in the back, but can you solve the mysteries first?
Goodreads
ISBN 0533481339
12
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles
1975
The solutions to ten mysteries solved by Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown are given in a separate section challenging the reader to match wits with the ten-year-old mastermind of Idaville's war on crime.
Goodreads
ISBN 0590433431
13
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor
1977
An unexpected midnight quest...
A holdup at the First City Bank...
A stolen tennis racket...
Gerbils who paint in pairs...
and fifty mosquitoes netted at the Oddball Olympics!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0553155865
14
Encyclopedia Brown Carries On
1980
Once again America's 10-year-old Sherlock Holmes in sneakers is called upon to help his police-chief father and the neighborhood children solve 10 mysteries.
15
Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace
1981
America's Sherlock Holmes in sneakers is back! 10 favorite mysteries with a bold new cover look.
Match wits with Encyclopedia Brown and see if you can solve these mysteries before he does!
- A valuable painting is stolen, and almost everyone in the neighborhood is a suspect. How will Encyclopedia discover the real thief?
- Who really won the bubblegum-blowing contest, and who cheated?
- Someone in town claims that they invented a machine that can make roosters crow. Is this story just a lot of cock-a-doodle-doo?
. . . and more!
Goodreads
ISBN 0027862003
16
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints
1985
A stolen watermelon...
Dueling kites...
A blond wig left at the scene of the crime...
And a smashed wristwatch whose time has run out!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0553157396
17
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt
1988
Suspects who are identical twins...
A leaking tent...
Magical worm pills...
A zebra's portrait...
And a sheet of toilet paper from Spain that's been swiped!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computer-like brain. Try crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0553156500
18
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers
1990
A stolen teacup...
An extra set of footprints...
Four very strange words...
A pirate's treasure...
And a race to find a cheater in Idaville's annual disgusting sneaker contest!
These are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back!
Goodreads
ISBN 0688090125
19
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies
1995
The young sneaker-clad super sleuth saves the day again in a collection of ten short mysteries that invite readers to puzzle out the solutions before consulting the answers in the back of the book. No mystery is too huge for Encyclopedia Brown, and there's no lengths that he won't go to crack the case!
Goodreads
ISBN 0385320361
20
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose
1996
Encyclopedia Brown, the secret weapon in Idaville's war on crime, is back--with 10 all-new mysteries to solve. Bugs Meany and his tricky Tigers are back, too. And Wilford Wiggins, lazy as a bedpost, is still dreaming up ways to part little kids from their allowances. But with the help of Sally Kimball, the prettiest (and toughest) girl in the fifth grade, Encyclopedia can solve any case.
Goodreads
ISBN 0385321848
21
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog
1998
Will Wilford Wiggins finally part the kids of Idaville from their hard-earned allowances? Can Encyclopedia stop Sally from belting Bugs Meany into the next millennium? What happens when performance art comes to Idaville? To find the answers—and to solve the mysteries of the sleepy beagle and the shower singers—read the continuing adventures of the world's most famous boy detective!
Goodreads
ISBN 0385325762
22
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander
2000
A new title in the bestselling series about the world's greatest supersleuth in sneakers!
A slippery salamander, a banana burglar, a judge who's run away, and a presidential toothbrush . . . these are just some of the clues that the world's greatest young detective must use to solve 10 all-new mysteries. Young readers can try to solve the cases alongside Encyclopedia--the answers to all the mysteries are in the back of the book.
Goodreads
ISBN 0385325797
23
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs
2003
Can the secret weapon in Idaville's war on crime really be a ten-year-old boy in sneakers? It can if it's Encyclopedia Brown!
Encyclopedia is back with ten all-new mysteries to solve, along with the help of his partner, Sally Kimball, the prettiest and toughest girl in the fifth grade. They'll have to face Bugs Meany, who's up to his old tricks, and Wilford Wiggins, who's still dreaming up new schemes to trick the kids of Idaville out of their money. Plus there's lots of new characters too!
The solutions to all the mysteries are in the back--but can you solve them first?
Goodreads
ISBN 0385729316
24
Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case
2007
Since 1963, when Dutton published the first book in the series, "Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, " the brainy crime-stopper has been a favorite character among middle-grade readers. Now, for the first time in twenty-five years, Dutton is pleased to present a brand-new Encyclopedia Brown mystery. Following the classic formula, the book presents ten separate mysteries, complete with answers that allow the reader to solve the cases along with the Boy Detective. Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case will be a flagship for the backlist titles, which Puffin will reissue in paperback on the same list with new cover art.
Goodreads
ISBN 9780525479246
25
Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth
2009
The boy detective is back in another exciting adventure. Encyclopedia Brown is back, protecting Idaville from swindlers, con men, and thieves in Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth. Since 1963, this brainy crime-stopper has been a favorite character among middle-grade readers.
Follow the boy detective on ten separate mysteries, complete with answers at the end.
Goodreads
ISBN 9780525421009
26
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs
2010
Encyclopedia Brown is back, protecting Idaville from swindlers, con men, and thieves. Since 1963 this brainy crime-stopper has been a favorite character among middle-grade readers. Follow the boy detective on ten new mysteries, including the puzzle of a giant shark tooth and the whodunit of a secret shipwreck. As fans of the series know, solutions can be found in the back so that readers can solve the cases, too.
Goodreads
ISBN 9780525422105
27
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Carnival Crime
2011
Since 1963, when Dutton published Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, the first book in the series, the brainy crime-stopper has been a favorite character among middle-grade readers. Following the classic formula, this new installment presents ten new mysteries, complete with answers at the end of the book that allow the reader to solve the cases along with the boy detective. Join Encyclopedia as he takes on cases of giant diamonds, lazy lions, a country singer, and of course a trip to the carnival.
Goodreads
ISBN 9780525422112
28
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme
James Bernadin (Illustrator)
2012
The boy detective is back with ten new exciting adventures Since 1963, when Dutton published Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, the first book in the series, the brainy crime-stopper has been a favorite character among middle-grade readers. Following the classic formula, this new installment presents ten new mysteries, complete with answers at the end of the book that allow the reader to solve the cases along with the boy detective. Join Encyclopedia as he takes on cases of an African killifish, a library book vandal, and a nail-biting soccer game.
Goodreads
ISBN 9780525425823