When I was about ten years old, my parents, with their six daughters ages two to eleven, spent the summer driving a Dodge van from Panama to Oregon, then over to Michigan. Cars in those days did not have media centers, and if ours had a working radio or air conditioner, it was a well-guarded secret. But what we did have were several large tote bags of puzzle books. It was on this trip that I was first introduced to this absorbing type of puzzle. Mind Benders are deductive thinking puzzles that develop vital logic, reading comprehension, and mental organization skills necessary for solving real-life problems.

Levels spiral in difficulty within grade ranges. Mind Benders Beginning Book 1 and Mind Benders Beginning Book 2 are intended for children as young as four years old. With your assistance, your child will think about each story and its clues; Mind Benders; and then deduce how it all fits together. A child that can master these skills at four or five years of age will almost certainly find that the twin academic challenges of reading comprehension and mathematical story problems will be nonissues in the years to come.