Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Violence: Two boys are attacked by a man. One of the boys hits him in the head with a hook and the man dies. Sherlock inadvertently becomes a contestant in a boxing match. Punches are exchanged and Sherlock is knocked unconscious. Sherlock is interrogated and whipped in the face when he lies. Sherlock and Matty fight men in order to escape and preserve their lives. A man trying to protect Sherlock is stabbed and dies. Sherlock kicks a man in the face, breaking his jaw. He breaks another man’s nose. Although he does not actively kill him, Sherlock’s actions lead directly to a man’s death.

Sexual Content: Sherlock notices Virginia’s body beneath her riding clothes.

Adult Themes: Sherlock is sent to live with unknown relatives because his father is in India with the military and his mother is unable to care for him. Matty is an orphan and sometimes steals food to survive. Sherlock is caught in a burning building and must think his way out of the dire situation. Sherlock and his friends are often in peril and must fight to preserve their lives.

Synopsis

Boarding school is out for fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes, but instead of going home for summer vacation, he is shuttled off to his uncle and aunt, neither of whom he has ever met.  Missing his family, and especially his older brother Mycroft, Sherlock is prepared for a perfectly dull and perhaps uncomfortable summer, but when he meets a resourceful orphan, Matty, his hopes begin to rise. Then Sherlock and his American tutor, Amyus Crowe, discover a dead body in the woods and another mysterious death occurs in the area. Sherlock must quickly learn to focus his deductive reasoning skills in order to solve the suspicious deaths that appear to be caused by the plague. Sherlock sets out alone to solve the mystery, but eventually needs the help of his friends to stop a diabolical plan aimed at bringing the entire British Empire to her knees.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series. I think it will be a hit with the two teenage readers at my house. Sherlock is young and inexperienced, but manages to get himself out of quite a few serious scrapes. Quick thinking and observation are his greatest assets, but he is also kind and thoughtful. Although there is a fair amount of violence and Sherlock finds himself in more than one life threatening situation, I never thought the violence was graphic or overdone. I did listen to it on audio though, so reading it may be a slightly different experience. I can recommend this book for readers 6th grade and older.