Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond

February 1, 2018

Gr 2-4-Perfect for young graphic novel fans and mystery aficionados alike, this first installment in the series is sure to grab readers' attention from the first action-packed pages. Characters from Arthur Conan Doyle's famous stories appear as students at Baker Street Academy, a primary school in contemporary London. Brand-new to the school after traveling the Continent with his Army-doctor parents, John Watson quickly befriends cheerful Martha Hudson and brilliant Sherlock Holmes. He documents their friendship (including their "near residence" at Martha's home, 221B Baker Street) in his journals. When the students take a field trip to an art museum, they end up witnesses to a jewel heist-and, of course, only Sherlock Holmes can deduce the thief's identity. The story is told through a mixture of John's journal entries and comic panels, local news clippings, and blog posts. While the text includes some high-level vocabulary, particularly in Sherlock's dialogue, Hearn's illustrations and other visual aids make the story accessible. Teachers and other adults familiar with Doyle's work will find plenty of clever references to enjoy. VERDICT Retellings of "Sherlock Holmes" for young readers abound, but Hearn's take stands out for its approachability, mixed-media format, fast pace, and devotion to the spirit of its source material.-Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
Sherlock Holmes and friends are recast as modern kids at the Baker Street Academy.New student John Watson quickly befriends fellow students assertive Martha Hudson and enigmatic Sherlock Holmes. While the main characters are white, there are secondary characters of color. Once John settles in, he starts a blog in which he writes and illustrates his stories about life at the school. The plot starts in earnest when a museum field trip is interrupted by a flash mob and an unsuccessful robbery--but when the diamond recovered from the would-be thief is revealed to be a fake, it has both authorities and kids wondering where the real Alpine Star is. Thoughtful formatting balances prose with illustrations, comic-book panels, and snippets of newspapers or online news websites, enhancing the energy and pace. It also plants the occasional red herring and helps to obscure the villain for readers who aren't familiar with the name Moriarty and are just learning the conventions of comic-book villains. The cartoon illustrations evoke personality effectively, most noticeably in interludes with adorable Baskerville the hound and presenting Sherlock and James Moriarty with contrasting visual codes: Sherlock is rounded, whereas Moriarty and his dark trench (to counter the light one Sherlock wears) are spiky to denote foul intent. With such engaging art, it's a shame that the visual clues that lead Sherlock to his deductions are not present for keen-eyed readers to make their own inferences; they must wait for Sherlock's explanations along with the rest of the cast. A lively, inviting introduction sure to win fans. (Graphic/mystery hybrid. 7-11)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2018
Grades 4-6 Freely borrowing both names and characters from the classic Holmes canon, Hearn kicks off a new series with an introductory caper featuring a gaggle of modern London middle-schoolers, diamonds both real and fake, and a hybrid narrative that blends short passages of text with sequential panels, letters, (fictional) news items, and other visuals. Having met neighbor Martha; the school's flop-eared dog, Baskerville; sneering bully James Moriarty; and budding sleuth Sherlock on his first day at Baker Street Academy, young journalist John Watson records a museum field trip highlighted by the disappearance of a renowned Swiss gem. The game's afoot! In an opening yearbook spread, the author insists on telling readers exactly what to think about his characters, but this Sherlock repeatedly proves himself to be as arrogant and deliciously unlikable a force of nature as his literary antecedent. The author tucks in lots of Holmesian references, plus, topically, a class presentation on the shifty ethics of stocking museums with looted foreign treasures. A serviceable addition to the shelves of like pastiches.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)