Free Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme by Donald J. Sobol

DUTTON CHILDREN’S BOOKS
    A division of Penguin Young Readers Group
    Published by the Penguin Group
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    This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
    Text copyright © 2012 by Lobos Enterprises, LLC
    Illustrations copyright © 2012 by James Bernardin
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.
    The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
    Sobol, Donald J., date.
    Encyclopedia Brown and the case of the soccer scheme / by Donald J.
    Sobol ; illustrated by James Bernardin.—1st ed.
    p. cm.—(Encyclopedia Brown)
    Summary: Idaville’s secret weapon against lawbreakers, ten-year-old Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, helps the police force solve ten new cases, the solutions to which are found in the back of the book.
    eBook ISBN 978-1-101-59167-3 [1. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Bernardin, James, ill. II. Title.
    PZ7.S68524Epao 2012
    [Fic]—dc23 2011049551
    Published in the United States by Dutton Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group,
    345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 • www.penguin.com/youngreaders
    Designed by Jason Henry and Irene Vandervoort

 
    For Rose,
    Who Deserves All the Dedications

The Case of the Friendly Watchdog

    Idaville looked like many seaside towns on the outside. On the inside, however, Idaville was different. Very different.
    No one, grown-up or child, got away with breaking the law in Idaville.
    The center of the war on crime was not police headquarters. It was the redbrick house at 13 Rover Avenue. There lived Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their only child, ten-year-old Encyclopedia.
    Mr. Brown was chief of police. He was brave and smart. Whenever he came up against a case he couldn’t solve, he went home to dinner.
    Encyclopedia solved the case at the table. Usually by asking one question. Usually before dessert.
    Chief Brown would have liked to tell everyone about Encyclopedia. Who would believe him? Who would believe that the mastermind behind Idaville’s crime cleanup was a fifth grader?
    So he kept his son’s detective police work a secret, and so did Mrs. Brown.
    Encyclopedia was content to forego fame. Helping to keep Idaville a safe place to live was the best reward.
    However, he was stuck with his nickname. No one but his parents and