A Little More Holmes...

There have been a number of authors (both adult and childrens) who have written books that feature Sherlock Holmes as a character. The size of his role varies but authors love to use him because he's such a well-loved character in literature. Nancy Springer created a younger sister for Sherlock and Sherlock himself does appear in the Enola Holmes stories. Here are a couple of other books that include Sherlock Holmes:

The Case of the Baker Street Irregular: a Sherlock Holmes Story by Robert Newman (1978)

Brought to London under mysterious circumstances by his tutor, a young boy seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes when his tutor is kidnapped and he himself is threatened with the same fate.

The 100-Year-Old Secret by Tracy Barrett (2008) - Sherlock Files #1

Xena and Xander Holmes, an American brother and sister living in London for a year, discover that Sherlock Holmes was their great-great-great grandfather when they are inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Famous Detectives and given his unsolved casebook, from which they attempt to solve the case of a famous missing painting.

Sherlock Holmes

As you know, Nancy Springer created the character of Enola Holmes to be the younger sister of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Do you know Sherlock Holmes? Sherlock Holmes was created by Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930) and first appeared in 1887. He starred in four novels and fifty-six short stories.

The Children's Department has a couple of adaptations of Holmes stories that you may want to check out:

• The Hound of the Baskervilles adapted by Murray Shaw (1993) - j Shaw


• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes adapted by Kathy Wilmore (2002) - j Wilmore

We also have an audio CD called Sherlock Holmes for Children. It's a storyteller's version of Sherlock Holmes and contains four stories. It can be found in our audiobook collection under jCD Weiss.

If you are interested in learning more about the man behind Sherlock Holmes, check out The Man Who Hated Sherlock Holmes; A Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Richard Powers located in our biography collection under j920 Doyle.

Historical Mysteries

Historical mysteries are mysteries that are set during a period of time prior to when it was written. The Case of the Missing Marquess is a historical mystery because it is a true mystery (Enola must solve the mystery of her missing mother), it is set in Victorian London and was written in 2006. Historical mysteries are very popular because they combine two very popular fiction genres: historical fiction and mystery.

Here are some other historical mysteries you might like:

Assassin by Patricia Finney - Lady Grace Mystery, Book 1

Thirteen-year-old Lady Grace Cavendish, favorite maid of honor of Elizabeth I, must solve a murder mystery and clear the name of her betrothed.

The Smuggler's Treasure by Sarah Masters Buckey - American Girl History Mysteries, Book 1

Sent to live with relatives in New Orleans during the War of 1812, eleven-year-old Elisabet determines to find a smuggler's treasure to ransom her imprisoned father.

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.

The Many Cases of Enola Holmes

As you may know, The Case of the Missing Marquess is only the first in a series of books starring Enola Holmes. To date, there are three sequels and a fourth is due out this year:

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady: An Enola Homes Mystery

Pursued by her much older brother, famed detective Sherlock Holmes, fourteen-year-old Enola, disguised and using false names, attempts to solve the kidnapping of a baronet's sixteen-year-old daughter in nineteenth-century London.

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: An Enola Holmes Mystery

Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes, disguised as a beautiful woman, finds clues in floral bouquets as she searches for the missing Doctor Watson, a companion of her famous older brother, Sherlock.

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan: An Enola Holmes Mystery

While fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes endeavors to save her friend Lady Cecily Alistair from an unwelcome arranged marriage, she meets with some assistance from her older brother, Sherlock, and interference by the eldest, Mycroft.

And coming in May 2009:

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline: An Enola Holmes Mystery

Nancy Springer Interview

Well 2009 is getting off to a great start for the Book Buddies. I contacted Nancy Springer and she has agreed to do a telephone interview with us at our meeting on January 26th!!!! I am so excited about this because I loved The Case of the Missing Marquess and it will be a thrill to speak with her about it. We are so fortunate that so many authors have been willing to participate in our book club. It just goes to show what wonderful and supportive people they are!

So it's time to get thinking. What questions do you have about Enola Holmes and The Case of the Missing Marquess? What have you always wanted to ask an author about their life and work? Start thinking of some great questions and feel free to post them here. We'll need to have about 10 questions ready for the 26th. I'll be thinking as well and we'll put the final list together at our meeting. Can't wait to see you then!

Author Nancy Springer

Nancy Springer is the wonderful author of The Case of the Missing Marquess. She lives in Florida and says, "my space is shared by tree frogs, toads, lizards, giant silk moths, snakes and at least one alligator who came for dinner -- the others have been good enough to stay in the swamps." She has written many books for children including three other series:

Tales of Rowan Hood

Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest (2001)

Lionclaw (2002)

Outlaw Princess of Sherwood (2003)

Wild Boy (2004)

Rowan Hood Returns (2005)

Tales of Camelot

I am Mordred (1998)

I am Morgan le Fay (2001)

The Books of Isle

The White Hart (1979)

The Silver Sun (1980)

The Sable Moon (1981)

The Black Beast (1982)

The Golden Swan (1983)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009! I hope you all are enjoying the last few days of vacation before schools starts. If you are looking for things to do, come into the library. We have board games out as well as coloring sheets and a penguin craft that you can make.

I am very excited about the Book Buddies Book Club in 2009! I think it's going to be a great year for us filled with fantastic books and many more author interviews.

It's not too late to join the book club. We are always excited to have new members. If you are interested, please call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email me at cantonio@newportlibraryri.org.