Encyclopedia Brown looked like the usual ten-year-old boy, and Idaville, where he lived, looked like the usual town of its size. But actually both were very unusual. Encyclopedia was a boy who really used his eyes and his ears and his head—and his head was full of facts. As for Idaville, no grownup, no boy or girl ever got away with breaking a single law there. 

This was so because the Chief of Police was Encyclopedia's father, and Chief Brown's most difficult cases were solved by his son at the dinner table. 

The day after he helped his father find the thief who had robbed the Men's Shop, Encyclopedia opened his detective agency. And before the summer was over he had solved nine more baffling cases by his astounding but common-sense methods.

After giving all the clues in each case, the author challenges the reader to solve each of these mysteries for himself. Here is surefire fun for every young would-be detective. 

From the dust jacket