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Brains Benton Mystery #1
The Case of the Missing Message
The kangaroos have escaped! This secret code message spells trouble for Brains Benton and Jimmy Carson and leads them down a trail that involves a circus clown, a real live performing elephant, a fortune-teller, a tightrope walker, and a very pesky parrot. All clues seem to point toward a secret message which could bring the boys' new friend Skeets Fenton into his proper inheritance, and unmask the villains as well!
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
1 person is currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
George Wyatt
24 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
pseudonym for Charles Spain Verral
pseudonym for Charles Spain Verral
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 1, 2011
I loved this book as a kid. Colourful characters and fast-paced story! Wish I could get hold of a copy to see if it is as good as I remember, but it seems to be out of print. Could some publisher please resurrect it?
February 6, 2019
A nostalgic reread, I first read this book as a 5th grader and recalled liking it very much. I stumbled across the title recently here on the site which triggered my interest to revisit a favorite from my childhood. The main characters (Barclay 'Brains' Benton and Jimmy Carson, 12-year old boys who together form the Benton & Carson International Detective Agency) are believable enough and the story is told in the first person, which is actually very rare in this genre series for kids.
To quickly encapsulate the plot: when Jimmy knocks on the door of an isolated and reputedly haunted house to sell a newspaper subscription to the new residents, he plunges himself & Brains into a mystery concerning a child who has been cheated out of his inheritance - becoming the owner of a carnival. The circumstances here allow for a pageant of colorful characters, ranging from a former circus clown and a fortune teller to a temperamental parrot and a stampeding elephant.
As you would expect from a mystery series aimed at young readers, there's the requisite bits of corny dialogue, surrealistic situations, unmistakably crooked villains and the like. That said, the book turned into a pleasant surprise for me as I found it to be well written and quite engaging, the mystery and action moving along briskly. Unlikely to be enjoyed by young readers today due to it being dated badly (the book was written in 1959), adult fans who remember Jimmy and Brains from their own childhood may find it a nostalgic treat.
To quickly encapsulate the plot: when Jimmy knocks on the door of an isolated and reputedly haunted house to sell a newspaper subscription to the new residents, he plunges himself & Brains into a mystery concerning a child who has been cheated out of his inheritance - becoming the owner of a carnival. The circumstances here allow for a pageant of colorful characters, ranging from a former circus clown and a fortune teller to a temperamental parrot and a stampeding elephant.
As you would expect from a mystery series aimed at young readers, there's the requisite bits of corny dialogue, surrealistic situations, unmistakably crooked villains and the like. That said, the book turned into a pleasant surprise for me as I found it to be well written and quite engaging, the mystery and action moving along briskly. Unlikely to be enjoyed by young readers today due to it being dated badly (the book was written in 1959), adult fans who remember Jimmy and Brains from their own childhood may find it a nostalgic treat.
August 2, 2012
A fun read!!
July 13, 2020
Jimmy Carson (Operative 3) and Barclay (Brains) Benton, also known as “X” together form the Benton and Carson International Detective Agency. Both are adolescent boys and as his name implies, Brains is very smart. Using spare parts and scavenged junk, Brains has turned part of his parents’ garage into a true secret agent lair. There is an electronic alarm, secret doors and hideaways and Brains has made things to battle the bad ones. For example, he has a flashlight that will shoot out itching powder.
Given the age of the boys and the gadgets at their disposal, this is a story that fills the fantasy sections of boys of their age. There were many times when my friends and I would put things together and call them gadgets that did cool things. Of course, none of them worked beyond the limits of our imagination. Here they do.
This story involves a former clown and fortune teller that used to work at a circus. The son of the deceased former owners is known as Skeets and the man that now owns the circus is looking for him. There are documents that will show that the current owner is a very bad sort, which is the missing message of the title.
With a talking parrot, a small elephant, and evil men with foreign accents, this is a story to liven the imagination of the adolescent boy. Although the context is now dated, the action is still that of boys with vivid imaginations and a desire to solve crimes.
Given the age of the boys and the gadgets at their disposal, this is a story that fills the fantasy sections of boys of their age. There were many times when my friends and I would put things together and call them gadgets that did cool things. Of course, none of them worked beyond the limits of our imagination. Here they do.
This story involves a former clown and fortune teller that used to work at a circus. The son of the deceased former owners is known as Skeets and the man that now owns the circus is looking for him. There are documents that will show that the current owner is a very bad sort, which is the missing message of the title.
With a talking parrot, a small elephant, and evil men with foreign accents, this is a story to liven the imagination of the adolescent boy. Although the context is now dated, the action is still that of boys with vivid imaginations and a desire to solve crimes.
March 7, 2025
Well, this was a delightful short read, and I laughed aloud several times. I can see that boys of an age about 8-11 would love this. I have the entire series but have never read one before.
The book is written in the first person through the eyes of Jimmy Carson (Operative 3). His best friend is Brains Benton (X), who is the smartest boy in the world. He has a lab set up and has everything working by electronics that he made by himself. The boys fancy themselves a detective agency. When an old house, known to be haunted, gets new tenants, Jimmy bikes out there to get them to subscribe to the newspaper. He's a news carrier and there is a competition going on to get new subscribers. But the people there are totally weird and Jimmy hears "Cut his throat!" coming from the house. Of course, Brains wants to investigate and they do find themselves in a mystery involving the circus.
The book is written in the first person through the eyes of Jimmy Carson (Operative 3). His best friend is Brains Benton (X), who is the smartest boy in the world. He has a lab set up and has everything working by electronics that he made by himself. The boys fancy themselves a detective agency. When an old house, known to be haunted, gets new tenants, Jimmy bikes out there to get them to subscribe to the newspaper. He's a news carrier and there is a competition going on to get new subscribers. But the people there are totally weird and Jimmy hears "Cut his throat!" coming from the house. Of course, Brains wants to investigate and they do find themselves in a mystery involving the circus.
August 21, 2017
Found this book while cleaning out the bookcases at 109. A skinny book with large print. Of course, I grew up liking all the female mystery books so I sat down later and quickly got caught up in this little book. The author was very good with his writing and humor. The book was a "Brains Benton Mystery" book. The author used his real name for this book but after that he used another name, which I cannot recall at this moment. Then another person started to write for him but he didn't like the way the guy was writing so he re-wrote. The book was fun and I liked it.
March 1, 2022
This book is an absolute delight.
The story and character's are familiar to the Young Detective Genre, nothing too out of the box, just out of the box enough to be fun (circus).
It's really the voice in this that sets it apart. It's so delightfully funny that I was laughing out loud and even reading out passages to share with my partner (who also thought they were funny!)
If you find it give is a try it's funny and easier to read than most older books of it's kind.
The story and character's are familiar to the Young Detective Genre, nothing too out of the box, just out of the box enough to be fun (circus).
It's really the voice in this that sets it apart. It's so delightfully funny that I was laughing out loud and even reading out passages to share with my partner (who also thought they were funny!)
If you find it give is a try it's funny and easier to read than most older books of it's kind.
January 28, 2024
Read this book to see if it would be appropriate for an 8 y.o. It has illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, which is a plus at that age. The story has 2 main characters, Brains Benton, who is very clever, and the narrator, a more average boy, Jimmy Carson. The 2 work together to solve a mystery associated with a traveling circus. The actions moves along rapidly to a satisfying conclusion.
October 8, 2019
3 1/2 stars. This reminds me of the Three Investigators: a brainy kid with some hidden rooms and tech and then the more regular kid. It's written pretty well, particularly for series like these. It is also a lot of fun. Kidnapping, a elephant, a circus clown and a talking parrot; how could this not be an action packed story for both adults and kids.
March 3, 2021
A fun return to childhood memories, when books could have elephants appear out of nowhere.
August 28, 2022
Read with Evan.
August 27, 2025
9/10 ?m
July 7, 2023
The first of a very short series of mid-century teenage sleuth "YA" novels. I believe these are all superior to Hardy Boys and the other such series.
November 4, 2009
The Brains Benton series is for kids. I read all six in the series when I was a young boy. Loved them! It's a mystery series intended for boys. If you have an eight year old boy in your life that likes to read or likes to be read to, I recommend these.
August 20, 2013
Not great literature, but wonderful for a summer day. I saw this series compared to The Mad Scientists' Club books, and while they don't seem to be quite that good, they have a similar feel. Plus, this one has an elephant, a trapeze artist, and a secret hidden message.
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April 18, 2014These were my favorite books of all times when I was a boy. I got the Stolen Dummy for Christmas when I was about 14 and read it in one night. Loved this series both by Verral and George Wyatt!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews