Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog

To a visitor, Idaville looked like an ordinary seaside town.  It had churches, two car washes, and three movie theaters.  It had bike paths, sparkling white beaches, a synagogue, and plenty of good fishing spots.  

But there was something out of the ordinary about Idaville: for more than a year, no child or grown-up had gotten away with breaking a law.

From coast to coast, people wanted to know: How did Idaville do it?

Anyone from my parent's generation who was an avid reader should remember the Encyclopedia Brown series.  Since my mom loved them as a child, she introduced me to them growing up and I enjoyed them just about as much.  Now they are coming out on Kindle, so I will be reviewing a bunch of them over the next couple of weeks to give you an idea about which ones your children might enjoy.  They are still in print, as well, for those of you who don't have a Kindle.

In Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog, Donald J. Sobol gives readers ten new mysteries to solve with the ten-year-old crime-solver of Idaville.  His real name is Leroy, but only his parents and teachers call him that.  Everyone else knows that his brain is more full of fact than a reference book, and they fondly call him Encyclopedia.

The mysteries are short enough (organized by short chapters) to keep a child's attention but present a challenge to them.  The answers are in the back with an explanation of how Encyclopedia came up with the conclusion.  These books are great for children who need practice reading for details; if you don't look for details in these books, you might just miss that necessary clue!

The mysteries in Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog include:
The Case of the Shower Singers
The Case of the Invisible Writing
The Case of the Stolen Fan
The Case of the Sleeping Dog
The Case of the Fig Thieves
The Case of the Mouse Show
The Case of the Tied-up Twins
The Case of the Wilford's Big Deal
The Case of the Fake Soup Can
The Case of the Shoeshine War

I was able to solve seven out of the ten.  How many will you solve?