In this first of its kind middle school/young adult mystery novel using the "detect/reflect/expect" approach to thinking, both the title character, 15-year-old Julio Mendez, and the middle-school-age reader "play detective" as they go on an interactive adventure in observing, thinking, and problem-solving using close to 100 "Were You Wondering?" reading and reasoning prompts especially created for this original, and quite suspenseful, contemporary novel -- the kinds of thought-provoking questions good readers generally wonder about when they meaningfully engage in what they are reading. (And what Binder Books / Books With a Built-In Teacher specializes in.)

In JULIO: A BROOKLYN BOY PLAYS DETECTIVE TO FIND HIS MISSING FATHER, readers twelve to fourteen in age (particularly those who are reluctant or insecure) read, think, discover patterns, make predictions and have a fun learning experience as they go about "playing detective."