May 1, 2010
Gr 3-8-Coming off the release of the popular live-action Sherlock Holmes movie, this series hopes to capitalize on children's interest in the intrepid investigator. Readers discover the real stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle behind the Sherlock Holmes in the media. The stories are simplified, and sometimes the twisting plots can be hard to follow in just a few brief lines. By taking out so much text, the books lose some of the subtleties and complexities of the cases. However, the colorful artwork is of average quality, and the layout is clean and uncluttered, so the books might attract kids and lead a few of them to other works."Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT"
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 15, 2010
Grades 3-5 This entry in the Graphic Novel Adventures of Sherlock Holmes opens with a prototypical scene of Holmes obnoxiously displaying how clever he isand how much of a dullard Watson issimply for the sport of it, which will nicely introduce readers to Holmes unbounded ego and Watsons long-suffering resignation to play the sidekick role. The rest of the book revolves around the mystery presented by a series of hieroglyph-like drawings, which becomes a case of murder most foul by the time Holmes susses out the villain. Both Holmes and Watson can at times look a bit like kids playing grown-up, but the artwork, which focuses mainly on tight facial close-ups, lends plenty of personality to the side characters. Goodwins adaptation does a fine job of making the story clear through dialogue rather than resorting to the large chunks of narrative text found in many classics adaptations. A solid choice to introduce young readers to the distinctly flavored pleasures of Holmesian whodunits. Steer older kids to Doyles A Study in Scarlet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2010
These bare-bones adaptations are styled as graphic novels, which may appeal to reluctant readers. Unfortunately, the dialogue is stilted, the plot points aren't always clear, and there's no strong sense of Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson's personalities. Illustrations in muted tones favor wide-eyed female characters ( la manga). Each volume includes a common brief biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Reading list. Glos.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)