This book never should have been reprinted in the 21st century, especially not for children. One of the questions is about phone systems in the "older part of town", systems that were obsolete when this book was written in the 1970s. More generally, I started playing spot the error or bad assumption towards the end of this book; the answers were frequently based on stuff that's generally but not necessarily true (mules can get pregnant, Americans can use English spelling) or careful readings of conversation that simply doesn't support that close a reading. And there's quite a bit of overlap with the Encyclopedia Brown stories, to boot. Go ahead and read Encyclopedia Brown, if you're looking for this; at least there's story to go along with the puzzle. ( )

First, my main problem with this book: The specific knowledge you are required to have in order to "get" the answer. I love these type of books, these short-story mystery collections, but most of the ones I'm used to reading can be solved with logic and common sense, and details that can be found *in the story*. Not so with many of the mysteries in this book. There are stories in here that require specific knowledge of athlete's bodies, the stereotypical cab rider, a seagull's flight pattern, what foods are poisonous to mice... Who the heck knows that stuff? It's frustrating when you can't figure out a mystery, not because you just didn't spot the clue or whatever, but because the answer requires very specific knowledge in a very specific field.

However! Overall, I love this book. I really do. It's not the greatest, because of what I've mentioned above, but it has so *many* mysteries that it's easy to find some to get excited about. When I was reading this I would try to limit myself to 3-4 mysteries at a time, because otherwise I would've just sat there for hours reading the entire book. This is definitely a keeper. ( )