Encyclopedia Brown

Encyclopedia Brown is a ten-year-old boy who lives in Idaville, a town beside the sea. His real name is Leroy, but everyone call him Encyclopedia because he is very smart. 

Idaville is very special because none, children or grown-ups, had gotten away with braking a law for more than a year. The reason is Encyclopedia. He helps his dad, the chief of police, with solving mysteries. But none knows about it, because Chief Brown knows that none would believe in that. 

One day Chief Brown told Encyclopedia about a mystery. A salamander was stolen from the aquarium. Chief Brown knew that Fred (the salamander) had been stolen between ten-thirty and eleven forty-five and that the theft was a volunteer or an employee. There was three people who worked at the aquarium that morning: Mrs. King, a volunteer, Sam Maine, who cleaned and maintained the exhibits and Dr. O’Donnell, An expert on reptiles and amphibians.

Chief Brown told Encyclopedia about what the three people had done between ten-thirty and eleven forty-five. They found out that Mrs. King didn’t steel Fred. Then Encyclopedia asked his dad: Has Sam Maine been working at the aquarium long?

Chief Brown said that Sam was hired two weeks ago, but also that he had a lot of experience. Sam said that he had been taking care of salamanders and other lizards for more than 19 years.

That was all Encyclopedia needed to hear. He explained that anyone who’d been taking care of salamanders for so long would know that salamanders are not lizards. They are amphibians. Lizards are reptiles.