The Brixton Brothers (Series) by Mac Barnett - 9/10

Follow the adventures of Steve Brixton as he tries to follow in the footsteps of his literary heroes, child detectives, to solve mysteries and uncover conspiracies along with his friend and reluctant partner Dana.

Inspired by classic child detective stories like the Hardy Boys, Barnett's portrayal captures the exaggerated charm of the genre through the eyes of his protagonist and "excerpts" from the books Steve adores while incorporating the reality that actual life doesn't work quite like that, adding an additional layer of humor for the savvy reader. Nevertheless, Steve still has exciting adventures and uses his detective skills to uncover the truth in several schemes and scenarios where things are not quite as they seem.

*This series focuses on the intelligence and agency of children, with all mysteries being complex yet non-violent. There is a variety of portrayals of adults throughout the series, they are not all treated as either clueless or detrimental (as is often the case in this genre), but there are still instances of lying to parents and sneaking out/away - plus one of the reoccurring secondary characters, Steve's mom's boyfriend, is portrayed in an often pejorative light. Some of these elements are wrapped up in the satirical element of these stories, so that readers may see that things are not always as Steve sees them, but he is certainly not a perfect role model.

**Only books 1-3 are available as audiobooks.