Genres
Description
While on summer vacation at the seaside, twelve-year-old Irene Adler meets the young Sherlock Holmes, and his friend Arsène Lupin--and when a dead body floats ashore the three young friends set out to solve the mystery.
Publication
Stone Arch Books (2014), Edition: Illustrated, 240 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member BornBookish
I stumbled across this book when searching through NetGalley's available titles looking for something quite different. I've recently become obsessed with the BBC drama Sherlock and was very interested in this middle-grade mystery about a young Sherlock Holmes.
While this book is just being released
I wasn't impressed by the writing, it felt narrated rather than seen through the eyes of our protagonist, Irene. There was also an extreme over use of exclamation marks. It was as if everything that came out of Irene's mouth was super important! I began imaging that she didn't just speak, but rather yelled everything.
For a book about Sherlock Holmes I felt we hardly got to know him at all. He was quiet and mysterious, which I know are some of his famous character traits. I just wish he wasn't such a stranger to the reader.
Hopefully the target audience enjoys this book better than I did. As for me, I won't be carrying on with the series.
While this book is just being released
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in the US this February, it was originally an Italian title and part of a series that already has four books. The book is told from Irene Adler's point of view as she looks back at her childhood and the time her and Sherlock first met, one summer in the beach-side town of Saint-Malo. Unfortunately, the book lost my interest very early on. The "big" mystery was very slow paced which took away any potential suspense.I wasn't impressed by the writing, it felt narrated rather than seen through the eyes of our protagonist, Irene. There was also an extreme over use of exclamation marks. It was as if everything that came out of Irene's mouth was super important! I began imaging that she didn't just speak, but rather yelled everything.
For a book about Sherlock Holmes I felt we hardly got to know him at all. He was quiet and mysterious, which I know are some of his famous character traits. I just wish he wasn't such a stranger to the reader.
Hopefully the target audience enjoys this book better than I did. As for me, I won't be carrying on with the series.
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LibraryThing member beserene
This middle grade novel, translated from the Italian, has the feel of an author-mill product in many ways -- the pattern of writing and plotting is pat, there are inconsistencies throughout -- yet the book itself has many charms. The combination of Sherlock Holmes, Arsene Lupin, and Irene Adler as
The murder mystery plot has a classic feel and engages with many familiar tropes, including rooftop chases, heroes in disguise, street gangs of raggedy young criminals, etc. There are some seemingly random side plots and personal notes from Irene's first-person perspective that may play out in future books, but in this one feel forced or unnecessary. For parents and other adult readers, such distractions -- along with the inconsistencies and the occasionally simplistic dialogue -- may irritate, but I suspect that the much-younger target audience will be engaged in the mystery from the moment our heroic trio finds the body on the beach all the way through to the oh-so-Victorian drawing room reveal. Not a great book, but a fun read for the middle-grader with a literary eye or a fondness for steampunk-level history/mysteries.
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a teen trio set on solving murders is an engaging premise and this volume, the first of a multi-volume series, introduces the characters with some fun details. Sherlock is just beginning to show his adult personality, Irene is already relatively self-possessed for a 12-year-old, and Lupin remains somewhat of a mystery, but it is a pleasure to see them all interact as young people. The murder mystery plot has a classic feel and engages with many familiar tropes, including rooftop chases, heroes in disguise, street gangs of raggedy young criminals, etc. There are some seemingly random side plots and personal notes from Irene's first-person perspective that may play out in future books, but in this one feel forced or unnecessary. For parents and other adult readers, such distractions -- along with the inconsistencies and the occasionally simplistic dialogue -- may irritate, but I suspect that the much-younger target audience will be engaged in the mystery from the moment our heroic trio finds the body on the beach all the way through to the oh-so-Victorian drawing room reveal. Not a great book, but a fun read for the middle-grader with a literary eye or a fondness for steampunk-level history/mysteries.
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LibraryThing member LibraryGirl11
The childhood of Sherlock Holmes, viewed through the eyes of a young Irene Adler. A fun historical romp, but I'm not sure how I feel about this new backstory.
LibraryThing member jennybeast
Great Sherlock reimagining in a middle-grade way, with Irene Adler as the main storyteller. Weaves all sorts of literary characters into the action in a believable and clever story.
Awards
Children's Favorites Awards (Selection — 2015)
Language
Original language
Italian
Physical description
7.5 inches
ISBN
162370040X / 9781623700409