Dr. Broth & Ollie's Brain-Boggling Search for the Lost Luggage
by Michael Abrams & Jeffrey Winters
Grade: A

Date reviewed: 8/13/04

Dr. Broth is a professor emeritus of non-Euclidean paleolinguistic astro-historiography. Ollie is a gardener. McGuffin is an alpaca with the ability to travel through space and time. Together the three search through Revolutionary France, Postapocalyptic Chicago, the planet Mercury, and other odd places for Dr. Broth's titular missing luggage.

Along the way, they encounter a diverse selection of truly brain-boggling puzzles. Some puzzles are logical: in New York, Ollie has to help the Yankees figure out their batting order based on various limitations. Some puzzles are verbal: while held prisoner with other time-travelers, our explorers work on a cryptic crossword to stay busy.

Most of the puzzles, however, are visual. How can 18 oddly-shaped pieces of stone form a wall in Ancient Peru? How can McGuffin jump from rooftop to rooftop through the Bronx? How can Dr. Broth get through an old Soviet maze to an urgently needed bathroom?

Dr. Broth is well-written, funny and entertaining. Puns abound, and parodies of classic films can be found if you look carefully. This book is a great mix of plot and puzzle, and is sure to keep you entertained.