Brixton Bros. #1 - Discussion Questions

When a novel pokes fun of a certain style or genre of writing, we often say it is a satire. A satire will often use exaggeration to make jokes and to make a supposed serious work look silly. Is “The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity” a satire?

When you read a book and believe that what happens in it could really happen in real life, then that book could be said to have verisimilitude. Verisimilitude is a fancy word people use to mean “believable”. Did anything happen in this book you found too unlikely - or even downright impossible? Is verisimilitude even important in a book like this?

“Cliffhangers” are plot devices that make a reader want to keep going to find out what happens next. A thriller or detective story will often have a cliffhanger at the end of one chapter so that the reader will not stop but read the next chapter right away. Can you give an example of a cliffhanger in “The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity”?

Even in a satire, it is necessary that the reader cares about the main character. Did you care about Steve? What did the author do to make you care about Steve?

All characters, both good guys and bad guys, need motivation - a reason to act they way they do. A motivation can be something simple (greed) or something complex (the need to be taken seriously) What is Steve’s motivation? What is the bad guys motivation? What is Rick’s motivation?

“The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity” is the first book in a series. What did the author do to set up the idea that more adventures would come?

Do the illustrations make the story better? Do they match the comic tone of novel? Do you ever flip ahead to an illustration and then find yourself wanting to know what is going on?

Brixton Bros. #1 Soundtrack

There is not a lot of music mentioned in The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity, but Steve is forced to listen to smooth jazz while being held in the librarian's limousine. What is "smooth jazz?", well  it's the kind of easy listening music you might have heard while waiting in the dentist's office. Here are a couple of examples:

Larry Carlton Plays Smooth Jazz
The King of Smooth Jazz - Kenny G!

Do you think Steve is right to not like smooth jazz? Do you like smooth jazz? It's okay if you do. We won't judge you.

Brixton Bros.#1: The Book, The Author

The Brixton Brothers books are written by Mac Burnett and illustrated by Adam Rex.

You can link to stuff related to the Brixton Brothers at brixtonbrothers.com.

The following interview was copied from http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Mac-Barnett/45720819/author_revealed

Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?

A. I spend all day looking for my keys

Q. What is your motto or maxim?

A. "Where are my keys?"

Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?

A. Walking my little brother's poodle

Q. What’s your fantasy profession?

A. Walking my little brother's golden retriever

Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?

A. Cadbury Mini Eggs. (VERY IMPORTANT: I'm not talking about the larger eggs, sometimes called Cadbury Maxi Eggs, with the gross fake yolk and too-sweet-cream egg white.) Why are these available only at Easter time? I have to stock up every spring with enough tiny chocolate eggs to last me the whole year, and then I end up eating that year's supply in three days. It's insane

Q. Who are your favorite authors?

A. James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Jon Scieszka, David Foster Wallace, Judith Viorst, Arnold Lobel, Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Tomi Ungerer, James Marshall, Ellen Raskin, Nicholas Mosley, Ernest Hemingway, Flann O'Brien, Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Edward Lear, Mother Goose, Chris Ware, and on and on and on

Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?

A. The Stinky Cheese Man, Infinite Jest, The Stupids Step Out, Ulysses, A Moveable Feast

Q. How did you come to write Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity?

A. After it became clear I was never going to make it as an actual private detective (I am allergic to fingerprint powder), writing this book seemed like the next best thing.

Brixton Bros, #1: Influences

The Bailey Brothers - those fictional crime solving brothers that Steve Brixton emulates - are based upon The Hardy Boys series of books. Originally written in the Twenties and Thirties, they were revised and republished starting in 1959. Although Franklin W. Dixon is the name attributed to the author on the books, they were originally written by Leslie McFarlane who was a Canadian journalist. There have been 190 Hardy boys books written from 1929 to 2005, but many people feel only the first 58 books are really the "true" hardy boys books. There really is a Hardy Boys Detective Handbook - I had one when I was ten!

Steve Brixton solves the case of the blackbird robber while eating dinner just from the clues rick tells him. This scene calls to mind the Encyclopedia Brown stories by Donald J. Sobol. In these stories Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown often solves the mysteries his Chief of Police father tells him about while the family is having dinner.