Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong

May 30, 2016
Aspiring 10-year-old detective Samuel Tan Cher Lock, who prefers to go by Sherlock Sam, and his robot sidekick, Watson, prove that the promise of food is a great way to solve a mystery in this series opener from Low, a pseudonym for the husband-and-wife writing team of Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. Auntie Kim Lian’s heirloom recipe book is missing, and it’s up to Sherlock Sam to find it so that Auntie can make her famous ayam buah keluak (a chicken stew). There are banter and jokes aplenty as Sherlock Sam and Watson investigate, and details incorporated throughout the story (as well as a glossary) help contextualize the Singaporean setting (the book was originally published in that country in 2013) and Sam’s family’s Peranakan heritage. If the mystery wraps up a bit too neatly and quickly, the book’s balance of problem-solving and goofy humor (as well as Tan’s chunky black-and-white cartooning) should leave readers looking forward to Sam’s future cases (Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning is available simultaneously). Ages 7–12.

June 15, 2016
A new kid-detective series offers a cross-cultural twist.Samuel Tan Cher Lock is a Chinese boy growing up in Singapore. He prefers to go by Sherlock Sam after his hero, Sherlock Holmes. While ever hungry narrator Sam will be familiar to many food-crazy Singaporeans, American readers may get frustrated at the numerous unfamiliar terms such as kaya toast and Khong Guan biscuits ("biscuits" actually refers to cookies); the lengthy and informative glossary will help. Hopefully Sam's knack for digging up details and smart deductions will keep readers flipping the pages. Regardless, this food-related mystery is a perfect introduction to the series. Auntie Kim Lian has promised to cook Sam's favorite dish, ayam buah keluak (chicken cooked in black nut sauce), but her family cookbook is missing and she can't make it without the recipe! Sam is determined to find the cookbook and have ayam buah keluak for dinner. Together with his crew--wisecracking robot Watson, big sister Wendy, and classmate Jimmy--Sam retraces Auntie Kim Lian's steps all over the Katong neighborhood. After a day of sleuthing, everyone is ready to give up. However, Sherlock Sam has a stroke of genius and solves the mystery--at a restaurant no less! In addition to a smattering of black-and-white line drawings that liven up the story, the glossary in the back explains both the Singapore slang and foods mentioned in the book. The sequel, Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning, publishes simultaneously. A funny, fast-paced mystery with many Singapore-specific details that provide cultural flavor. (list of characters) (Mystery. 7-9)

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July 1, 2016
Grades 2-4 Place and culture assume prominent roles in this series kickoff starring a 10-year-old sleuth in Singapore. Samuel Tan Cher Lock's main interests are food and solving mysteries, so when his Peranakan (i.e., of Chinese descent) auntie Kim Lian's treasured volume of family recipes goes missing, he's immediately on the case. Accompanied by his annoying but useful homemade robot Watson, he gathers clues, makes deductions, and, amid frequent references to Chinese foodsplus fart jokes and snarky reparteezeroes in on a thief who has taken the book in an effort to rescue her mother's failing restaurant. On the side, Sam also deductively tracks down his excitable cousin Jimmy's (supposedly) escaped hamster. Both the clever detective work and the fart jokes continue in the copublished sequel, Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning. Both episodes feature occasional monochrome cartoon vignettes of the chubby gumshoe on the trail, plus glossaries and cast lists at the end. The setting adds rich flavor to these easily digestible capers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)