Reviews

Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way by Donald J. Sobol

meghan_solo's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

servemethesky's review against another edition

4.0

Read this all in one evening with my boyfriend, passing the book back and forth and reading the stories out loud to each other. The best part by far was laughing at how poorly some of it holds up in 2016. Clearly there was no such thing as PC in 1972! It's pretty funny to hear Encyclopedia talking about midgets, fat kids, and girls like it's nothing.

The stories are entertaining; while the solutions are a little far-fetched and overly focused on small details, they're usually pretty clever. Definitely a fun read, ever for adults in 2016!

kstericker's review

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

caleb_m's review against another edition

4.0

i liked it

manwithanagenda's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

At this point, all I remember from 'Shows the Way' is cover-star Wilford Wiggins. The teen high school drop-out was my favorite of Encyclopedia Brown's recurring villains. He was always peddling some hot garbage to the neighborhood kids and was clearly the personification of Donald J. Sobol's angry feelings towards Youth of Today. I'm pretty sure even Bugs Meany wanted nothing to do with him. I'll do a close reading of all of Wiggins' appearances the next time I need a good laugh.

Encyclopedia Brown

Next: 'Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case'

Previous: 'Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down'

thaidyedmissy's review against another edition

3.0

It was fun to relive a part of my childhood!

canada_matt's review against another edition

4.0

Neo and I finished another set of Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, proving that this series is one worth our time. The kid detective is still in Idaville, USA, keeping the town crime-free. Encyclopedia crosses paths with Bugs Meany, debunks the tales of a bragging traveller, and even encounters a ghost-like apparition. These wonderful five-minute mysteries entertain and exercise the brain of child and adult alike. 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/108030884-neo-pechey