Encyclopedia Brown Sets The Pace

Encyclopedia Brown #15

by Donald J. Sobol, Ib Ohlsson (Illustrator)

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!

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Short Stories, Chapter Books

96 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Donald J. Sobol was an award-winning writer best known for his children's books, especially the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series. Mr. Sobol passed away in July of 2012.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neo and I enjoy reading these sets of Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, having now completed a whopping fifteen collections. We sped through this group of stories, filled with some wonderful mysteries we can process in a few minutes, connecting with one another as we guess the all but obvious solutions. The kid detective still works his magic in Idaville, USA, keeping the town crime-free and collecting his coins from those who can pay. Encyclopedia helps solve an art theft for his father, tricks Bugs Meany out of another of his schemes, and helps a friend come in dead-last in a marathon. These wonderful five-minute mysteries seek to entertain and exercise the brain of both child and adult, but require some keen sleuthing. Neo and I have used them as a before bedtime activity and we are getting much better at piecing the clues together in a timely manner. Young sleuths in the making may want to sharpen their skills with the massive collection of stories.

Neo really likes the stories that keep him thinking. I remember having these stories read to me when I was young as well, helping me want to pass along the tradition. Neo thoroughly enjoys listening to the stories and making an effort to uncover the clues that will help solve the cases. He mentioned that these are perfect stories for parent-child reading, but would be great for a good reader when they have time or are on a road trip. A note to parents: the stories are dated (1960s and 70s) and some of the terminology or word choices might not be as correct as you would like your young reader to use on a daily basis.

Did you know Neo’s has his own GR account for reviews? Check him out: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...

[Kristen Freiburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 stories and I was fooled with 5. A fun throw back read!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids are really enjoying these. It's fun for me to read them aloud because I remember loving them when I was a kid--in fact, I can still remember the solutions to many of the cases!

[Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad and I enjoy reading these sets of Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, having now completed a whopping fifteen collections. We sped through this group of stories, filled with some wonderful mysteries we can process in a few minutes, connecting with one another as we guess the all but obvious solutions. The kid detective still works his magic in Idaville, USA, keeping the town crime-free and collecting his coins from those who can pay. Encyclopedia helps solve an art theft for his father, tricks Bugs Meany out of another of his schemes, and helps a friend come in dead-last in a marathon. These wonderful five-minute mysteries seek to entertain and exercise the brain of both child and adult, but require some keen sleuthing. I have them read as a before bedtime activity and we are getting much better at piecing the clues together in a timely manner. Young sleuths in the making may want to sharpen their skills with the massive collection of stories.

I like that the stories keep him thinking. My dad had these stories read to him when he was young as well, and now he wants to pass along the tradition. I enjoy listening to the stories and making an effort to uncover the clues that will help solve the cases. These are perfect stories for parent-child reading, but would be great for a good reader when they have time or are on a road trip.

[Joyce T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a typical Encyclopedia Brown book. I found it really interesting, as it points out a lot of typical human behaviors.

Content: Clean. Suitable for ages 8 and up. Younger children may not understand what's going on.

[Craig Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author does a fine job putting Encyclopedia in some pretty tough situations. While he is a really smart kid, he has lot of learning to do when it comes to the feelings of the "villians" he faces. He blatently flaunts his intellect to his classmates by exposing their weaknesses. In "The Case of the Biggest Bubble" a boy attempts to wow his friends with his talent of blowing the biggest bubble gum. This poor boy is grasping for any sort of talent to separate himself from the other kids. Encyclopedia immediately discovers that he is less than genuine with his bubble gum. Sorry, Leroy, we all can't be spectacular. Most of us are just ordinary. Despite the common theme of Encyclopedia's smugness, this was another enjoyable volume in the series. I don't think that I'm alone in thinking that it is time for a re-invention of the Encyclopedia Brown Series, perhaps putting Bugs Meany in a more heroic light. He isn't the devil that they attempt to make him in these books.

[Kevin Hogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the strongest Encyclopedia Brown collections. Maybe the strongest.

Supermarket Shopper - I could see the setup, I read the clues, and I just couldn't pull this one together. Definitely one of the most clever stories in this series, and a very strong start to the book.

Dinosaur Hunter - The title of the story makes it seem like it's going to be a bit more exciting than it turns out to be, but the mystery and the solution are just fine.

Used Firecrackers - A solution in plain sight, but only if you look for it right. A decent setup, but there's just always something that Bugs overlooks.

Ugliest Dog - I misinterpreted something along the way, so I didn't get this one. Looking back, I see what the clue meant, but it just seemed like an insignificant statement based on what I thought it was trying to say. With the new understanding in mind, it's an interesting premise and a solid story.

Hilbert's Song - The solution is just fine, but the story itself stands out. I really like the idea of a hollering champion trying to make it big.

Crowing Rooster - It's good to see Wilford back. The solution was a bit too simple, so this is a bit of a dip in the midst of a solid book.

Bubble Gum Shootout - Again, the premise is strong. Although the solution stood out, this was well written and should be challenging enough for some readers.

Boy Juggler - A fine but unspectacular story. The best part is the detail included at the end of the solution.

Practical Jokers - The author was on a role with good setups in this book. Every story has something interesting to catch the reader's attention. I didn't get the solution, but I like how it came together.

Marathon Runner - A similar premise to one of Sobol's Two Minute Mysteries stories, but there was the right amount of detail to make this story interesting and potentially challenging.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Put your thinking caps on kids, because the cases that Encyclopedia Brown solves are not ordinary cases. They don't require long hours of investigation and stake-outs, instead Encyclopedia wisely listens while the thieves give themselves away. If you are paying attention, you too will have a chance to solve the case. Each case is presented as a story, and at the end you are directed to the solutions at the back of the book. Think about it before you flip there and you have a chance to be Encyclopedia yourself. Then find out if your answer matches his!

Encyclopedia Brown books are fun and challenging for their age group. Honestly, some of the answers require common sense so it's challenging for adults to land on the right one too. It's a great book for boys and girls alike; I read these in middle school and thought they were great. I like the main character and his sidekick, and I think it's a fun premise. I like how the cases are presented separately from their solutions, so everyone has a chance to be the detective.

[Mconne5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reid won this book from the Champaign public library’s summer reading program while staying with grandma and read it aloud to me. It had been like 30 years since I read an EB book and I could see the appeal, he LOVED flipping to the back to find the answers. However, I wish these books had a common thread or set of characters. It was tough for a Reid to pronounce 10 new first/last name combos each story. Some of the puzzles were easy for me to solve others I doubt anyone would get, so it’s a good mix. I then promptly made him watch the 1990’s EB movie and I found I still knew the scenes by heart (Reid loved it too and watch it 3 times in a row 😂)

[Nicole Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throwback! This was so fun to read these again. I'm not sure if I had ever read this particular one before. I read it to my kids, ages 5 and 2, and they had a hard time following along. I enjoyed it though. I wish the solutions had been solvable from the case story alone. Sometimes they weren't. The ones that were seemed more fun since we could try to figure them out.

[Angie Helgeson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally forgot about these first time mysteries, used to love them growing up!
I didnt know encyclopedia's name was Leroy, but it tracks and they have aged a bit. Mysteries to solve in the front with solutions in the back.

I would be interested if actual detectives were able to solve these - that would hake for fun content.

[Eric Fisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encyclopedia Brown are great quick reads either with your kid at story time or for your kid to read on their own. Figuring out each case can be fun for a parent and a child. I recommend these books for bedtime reading or reading on a quick trip to grandma's house.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Idaville's top detective, Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is on the case again. In these ten short stories, he outwits art thieves, scam artists, con men, and various other criminals as he once again proves that crime doesn't pay. Especially in a small town where everybody knows your name.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encyclopedia Brown and assistant, Sally, continue to solve crime in Idaville. I have enjoyed reading these books with my little family at night. My son is learning to figure out the crimes, who did it and how it was done.

[Johni · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good mystery book

[Connor M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very intresting mystry book and a must-read if you are into mystryies

[Scott Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace" (#15) is one of my favorite books in Donald J. Sobol's fictional, young-detective series.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun puzzle book for an easy read. Definitely looking forward to reading more of these short stories to try and keep my brain firing on all cylinders!

[raamat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book and an easy read! I’d like to read more in this series if I get a chance!

[A-drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew and I read this book together - after we read one Encyclopedia Brown story in our BJU reading textbook - we found this book, so we had fun reading this together

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this aloud to Andrew (3rd grade). We had fun reading this book after reading one case in his BJU reading textbook in class this year. Fun!! Love reading to him each night.

[aem · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and fun.

[Jun R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book when I was a kid.

[Amanda Catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides ten mysteries to solve through the eyes of famous boy detective Encyclopedia Brown. The first tale follows him trying to solve a bubbly blowing contest and how one of the contests won unexpectedly. It ends with the winner being revealed as a cheater because of the peanut butter she ate earlier which was against the rules. These short stories help children to be observant, problem solve and learn interesting and wild facts. By reading these stories children can get an excellent introduction to the genre of mystery and become interested in harder texts later in life.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend Encyclopedia Brown. I was 8 when I first encountered this series. I loved it. It was recommended by a boy that I liked. What I liked about these books is that it taught me how to think before making wild guesses. Each book had several cases which were easy to read and follow for a child. I recommend this to any parent looking for helping their child to use logic and deductive reasoning. Great on how to look at relevant facts at a child's level.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4.5 STARS

I loved this mystery series as a kid, but have not read them since so this review is based on my memories. My love of mystery started pretty early and Encyclopedia Brown was among my first series. Each book has several mysteries that you can solve along with Encyclopedia, complete with clues. I could not get enough of these books, and didn't realize that this series started in 1963.

These are easy to read chapter books for young kids.

***This is a series Review***

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dad and I used to read these together when I was a kid, and now we are going to re-read several of them "together" from across the country. =)

This was the first re-read, and man... it's almost embarrassing that I used to like these books. You have to laugh at the ridiculous solutions that make no sense, though. That's what EB is all about!

3 stars for nostalgia's sake only.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books were so much fun to read when I was a kid. I never was sharp enough to figure them out before the end, but that didn't matter. It stirred a love of mystery and detective work in me that even to this day makes me ponder what life would be like if I were a private I.

[Andrew Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a ok book abouta relly smart kid named encyclopedia brown.

[Taylon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book.I was interested and entertained the whole time.I look forward to reading the rest of the set.