The first Brixton Brothers book: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

Back when our theme was mystery books, my favorite kid detective was Encyclopedia Brown. But now there’s a new school-aged private eye in town — meet Steve Brixton, of the Brixton Brothers series by Mac Barnett.

Steve loves reading an old series about two kid detectives, kind of like the Hardy Boys. As he reads the books, Steve dreams about one day solving crimes himself. And then one day, he does end up in the middle of a mystery — as the prime suspect!

To clear his name and uncover the truth, Steve has to dodge the police, infiltrate a criminal hotspot, escape a kidnapping by a bad guy, and escape a kidnapping by the good guys — which is WAY more than Encyclopedia Brown ever did.

Author Mac Barnett -- Isn't he a cutie? Shh, don't tell him I said that...

I just finished the first Brixton Brothers book, and I’m really looking forward to the next one. Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about when it’s coming out! So for now, I’ve just been reading this hilarious Q&A with the author, Mac Barnett.

For example:

Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A. Walking my little brother’s poodle

and:

Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
A. Walking my little brother’s golden retriever

Intrigued? You can get a sneak preview of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 online! Check ‘em out and leave me a comment with your thoughts.

— Karen