On July 11, author Donald J. Sobol, know for the Encyclopedia Brown series, passed away.

Leroy could solve any crime using his vast knowledge, earning his the nickname “Encyclopedia.” For a mere 25 cents, he would help his classmates find missing stuffed animals, save them from bad investments in diamonds, and so much more. Each book had 10 short mysteries, and without fail, Encyclopedia would solve them all.

Like many people, I grew up readying Encyclopedia Brown. As a huge fan of mystery books, this series opened the door to so many others for me, including Cam Janson, The Box Car Children, and Nancy Drew. After hearing about Sobol passing away, I pulled a copy of Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Carnival Crime off my bookshelf and started rereading the mysteries. And I have to say, some of them were pretty hard to solve! It reminded me of the hours I would spend reading (and rereading) each case and trying to crack the cases without reading the answers.

What are your favorite memories reading Encyclopedia Brown?