HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW
Book: Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Exploding Plumbing and Other Mysteries
Author: Donald J. Sobol
Illustrator: Leonard Shortall
Publisher: Puffin Books, republished 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0590405317 Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0590405314 Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0590014120 Paperback
ISBN-10: 0590014129 Paperback
Language level: 2
(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)
Recommended reading level: Ages 8 – 12
Rating: ***** 5 stars
(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker
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Sobol, Donald J. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Exploding Plumbing and Other Mysteries (Published in 1974 by Thomas Nelson Inc.; republished in 1975 by Scholastic Book Services, a division of Scholastic Magazines Inc.). Ten year old fifth grader Leroy Brown, nicknamed “Encyclopedia” by his friends, lives in Idaville, a lovely seaside town, with his father, who is the Chief of Police, and his mother. Encyclopedia helps his father solve crimes. In addition, he and his classmate Sally Kimball run a detective agency out of his garage during the summer to help the children of the neighborhood. “No case too small. 25₵ per day plus expenses.” Many of his cases put him in conflict with Bugs Meany, the leader of a tough gang of older boys called the Tigers.
The Case of the Exploding Plumbing is listed as “Encyclopedia Brown #11” of 28 in the Encyclopedia Brown Series. It was previously published as Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand. The cases involve a stolen newspaper clipping that could be valuable, a huge footprint in the soft earth, counterfeit money in a bird’s nest, a missing silver dollar, a threatening letter, and an exploding toilet. The solutions to these short cases are in the back of the book, which has more recently been republished under its original title. Also I have read and reviewed Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective; Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs; Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (#10); and the Encyclopedia Brown Mystery Collection.
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