I have created a monster

Anyone in the US who has watched the news recently knows that the Washington DC region has been slammed with historic snows this week. Anyone who has a young child knows that being stuck inside for most of a week leads to Child Bouncing off the Walls Syndrome. Anyone who knows Geek Girl knows that she loves to read, but even she gets tired of reading the same books over and over again for a week.

We had a brief respite from the storms late Tuesday afternoon, and we decided to take advantage of it. Geek Girl and I walked to the library in town and picked up a bunch of books. I suggested to Geek Girl that she might like to try reading some mystery books since she likes figuring things out. Sighing commences, along with the other signs Geek Girl gives off when she's thinking "What-ever, Daddy, you're such a dork."

With a bit of help from the friendly librarian, we picked out a copy of Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog. I should have had some warning of what was to come when she immediately tried to figure out why a sleeping dog should be mysterious: "Daddy, dogs sleep a lot anyway, so what's the big deal? I know, maybe the dog has been sleeping for a long time, and Encyclopedia Brown has to figure out why. Or maybe..." We stopped off for hot drinks and a discussion of what the mystery could be before heading to the local hardware store for a sled and then walking home through the first stages of another snowstorm.

Well, folks, I have created a monster: Geek Girl is hooked. The first night, we read and tried to solve four mysteries together; the next day, we had to read and solve four more. She has since finished that book by herself. Yesterday, Mama Geek and Geek Girl went to the library and picked up four more Encyclopedia Brown books - and Geek Girl has devoured three of them already. "I like them so much I can't wait!"

Last night, she told us that the next book she writes and illustrates will be "about an animal detective that solves mysteries for its friends". She drew sketches of the cover of this new book, featuring Detective Hoppy the Rabbit, whose nemesis (all good detectives need one, apparently) will be a tiger.

I've created a monster, but a good one.