The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg Series: The Great Shelby Holmes #1
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on September 6, 2016
Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery
Pages: 243
Format: Paperback
Source: BEA - Book Expo
Goodreads
Meet spunky sleuth Shelby and her sports-loving sidekick Watson as they take on a dog-napper in this fresh twist on Sherlock Holmes.Shelby Holmes is not your average sixth grader. She’s nine years old, barely four feet tall, and the best detective her Harlem neighborhood has ever seen—always using logic and a bit of pluck (which yes, some might call “bossiness”) to solve the toughest crimes.
When eleven-year-old John Watson moves downstairs, Shelby finds something that’s eluded her up till now: a friend. Easy-going John isn’t sure of what to make of Shelby, but he soon finds himself her most-trusted (read: only) partner in a dog-napping case that'll take both their talents to crack.
Sherlock Holmes gets a fun, sweet twist with two irresistible young heroes and black & white illustrations throughout in this middle grade debut from internationally bestselling YA author Elizabeth Eulberg.
My top thoughts:
I do not read much middle grade – I tend to be YA and up. But this one was strongly recommended and I got a copy for free so why not, right? It’s short and will be a fast read.
What I liked/didn’t like:
Glad I went for it. The Great Shelby Holmes was seriously cute and I could really see a middle grade reader enjoying it. The characters are relatable and the mystery was fun. Yes, I solved it super fast but I’m an adult reader and the mystery wasn’t meant for my age bracket. I think the right age group would have a tougher time solving it, while still being able to, making it that much more fun for them.
Shelby is definitely Gifted and Talented and I love that she came with so many of the, sometimes annoying, eccentricities that can entail. And I loved that John Watson (who goes by Watson due to Shelby renaming him basically) struggled with finding her interesting but annoying, and realizing they could be friends just the same. He saw through some of her eccentricities and saw a girl who didn’t have friends but could actually be a good friend. But it took him a minute to get there and to see her overtures of friendship. I thought that made this a particularly good book for kids, hopefully they could learn how to approach friendship with some “annoying” or “weird” kids from John.
I will probably eventually read more of the series, when I remember it. I read this book 2018 and am just now getting to posting the review so… who knows when?
I have this book and really need to read it! Glad you enjoyed it!
I also don’t really read middle grade or even a lot of YA but this sounds appealing.