Okay, I missed this when it came around the first time last year, but it is simply too good to not post. Sean Gleason writes about The Case of the Misbegotten Memos, an Encyclopedia Brown story. If you grew up (and read books) in the sixties and seventies, you probably ran across the Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective^• series, a whodunit collection that challenged its readers to “solve the case!”

Idaville was a normal American town, except for two odd details which made it different from any other American town. First, it wasn’t located in any particular state. Second, it boasted among its otherwise colorless citizenry The Greatest Boy Detective in the Universe, Encyclopedia Brown.

After school and on weekends, Encyclopedia ran a detective agency out of his dad’s garage with Sally Kimball, the prettiest girl in Idaville, and the toughest too, with firm, toned thighs, and the legs of a gazelle. At least, they said they were running a detective agency.

One Wednesday afternoon, the two sleuths heard a knock. After only a few moments, they opened the door to reveal two old men in navy blue suits. One of them, bald with thick spectacles, asked, “Are you Encyclopedia Brown? We need you to solve The Case of the Misbegotten Memos.”

If you haven’t read the Encyclopedia Brown stories, you probably won’t get many of the jokes. If you have, though, this is a great little satire.