I was never a reluctant reader, but “Encyclopedia Brown” really kept me interested, so it was saddening to hear about the passing of author Donald J. Sobol today.
I was on a mystery kick for a while in late elementary school and devoured “The Hardy Boys” (probably because of the TV series), “The Three Investigators” and, of course, “Encyclopedia Brown.”
It’s because of Leroy Brown and sidekick Sally Kimball I first realized that penguins and polar bears live on opposite poles, and you can’t sit on a car’s hood right after driving it because it would be too hot.
Of course, I was able to solve a fair share myself, but those two stumpers stand out in my memory for some reason. I didn’t realize new books were first published in 1963, and Sobol was still writing new ones up until he died, so I hope a new generation is finding them.
Though someone may have to go back and rewrite that one mystery to specify the car isn’t a Nissan Leaf.
For the full details on his life, see the obituary we posted elsewhere.
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