Donald J. Sobol facts for kids

Donald J. Sobol (born October 4, 1924, died July 11, 2012) was an American author. He is most famous for his exciting children's books. His best-known works are the Encyclopedia Brown mystery stories. These books feature a young detective who solves puzzles.

Donald J. Sobol: Mystery Writer

Donald Sobol was a talented writer. He created many popular books for young readers. His stories often involved mysteries and adventures. He wanted to make reading fun and engaging for kids.

Early Life and School

Donald Sobol was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York. His parents were Ira J. and Ida Sobol. His father owned several gas stations. Donald went to the NYC Ethical Culture Fieldston School. He finished school there in 1942.

After high school, he joined the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He served during World War II in the Pacific region. After the war, he went to Oberlin College. There he earned a bachelor's degree. He also studied at the New School of Social Research.

Starting His Writing Career

Sobol began his career working for a newspaper. He started as a copy boy for the New York Sun. He later became a reporter. In 1949, he worked for the Daily News for two years.

After a short time working at Macy's department store, he moved to Florida. There, he started writing books full-time.

The Encyclopedia Brown Series

In 1959, Sobol began writing a series called Two-Minute Mysteries. These short mysteries featured a detective named Dr. Haledjian. The series was very popular and ran for over ten years.

In 1963, he started his most famous series, Encyclopedia Brown. These books are about Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. He is a schoolboy who solves mysteries in his town. The Encyclopedia Brown books are for younger readers. They often deal with things like pranks or taking small items without permission.

Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown books have always been available to buy. They have been translated into twelve different languages. This means kids all over the world can read them! It took many tries for Sobol to get his first Encyclopedia Brown book published. He was turned down two dozen times.

Other Books and Achievements

In 1975, Donald Sobol received a special Edgar Award. This award came from the Mystery Writers of America. It honored him and his Encyclopedia Brown series. The last book in the series that Sobol wrote was Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme. It was published in October 2012. This was three months after he passed away.

Sobol also wrote other children's books. One was Secret Agents Four. It was about teenagers in Miami trying to stop bad guys. He also wrote a non-fiction book called True Sea Adventures in 1975.

Donald Sobol wrote more than 65 books in total. His writings are kept at the University of Minnesota.

His Later Years

Donald Sobol was married to Rose Tiplitz. She was an engineer and also an author. Donald and Rose had three children: John, Eric, and Diane. They also had four grandchildren. Sadly, their fourth child, Glen, died at age 23 in 1983.

Donald Sobol passed away on July 11, 2012. He was 87 years old. He died from a type of cancer called gastric lymphoma.