Between Seasons of SHERLOCK...

Let Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman lead you to the library and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!  

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“Life, my dear Watson, is infinitely stranger than fiction; stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We could not conceive the things that are merely commonplace to existence. If we could hover over this great city, remove the roofs, and peep in at the things going on, it would make all fiction, with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions flat, stale and unprofitable.” 

 ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

If  (like I did) you loved Season 3 of "Sherlock", I hope you'll re-visit Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works between seasons.  If you have not yet read his novels or short stories, you'll be pleasantly surprised (like I was) by how hard the writers and creators of the clever "Sherlock" series worked to keep the modernized series and characters true to Doyle's original stories! 

As I'm reading the books, I can't help but picture Cumberbatch as the violin-loving Holmes and Freeman as long-suffering Watson.  They really bring out the humor and genius that was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes, literature's most famous detective, was first introduced to the world at Christmas time in 1887 - when Arthur Conan Doyle's novel A Study in Scarlet was published in "Beeton's Christmas Annual".

Here is how Sherlock Holmes is described by Watson:

His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments.

...Sherlock Holmes had not finished breakfast.  I picked up a magazine from the table...One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading.  I began to run my eye through it...'The Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study,' said the writer.  'Let the inquirer begin by mastering elementary problems...By a man's fingernails, by his boots, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression -- by each of these things a man's calling is revealed.'

"What ineffable twaddle!"  I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table.  "I never read such rubbish in my life...I see, Holmes, that you have read this article since you have marked it.  It is evidently the theory of some armchair lounger who evolves all these neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study.  It is not practical.  I should like to see him clapped down in a third-class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow travelers.  I would lay a thousand to one against him."

"You would lose your money," Holmes remarked calmly.  "As for the article, I wrote it myself."

Kids love mysteries and detective stories (they're important for critical thinking), but after they get past the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys stage, they'll want more!

I found an excellent Reader's Digest "Best Loved Books For Young Readers" Great Cases of Sherlock Holmes, that is very nicely condensed, without sacrificing Doyle's original text in the eight short stories that are presented.

Another excellent Sherlock Holmes option for kids ages 8 and up is storyteller Jim Weiss' riveting Greathall Productions recording, Sherlock Holmes for Children, which includes four stories (available here) - my husband and I enjoyed them as much as our children did!  Jim's also done a recording of The Hound of the Baskervilles - not to be missed! (available here).

By the way, have you seen the cute cameo Benedict C. had on Sesame Street?

Want more mysteries?  Check out my past post, Who-Dunnits for Pre-Teens, here.  Do you have any to recommend that I missed?

FOR KIDS WHO LOVE A CHALLENGE...

Recently, two really great kids (thank you Tati and John) independently recommended a book series to me.  So I took their advice and started reading!   This series involves four smart kids who've been enlisted by a kind genius (Mr. Benedict) to go on a mission and outsmart an evil mastermind (Mr. Curtain) who wants to take over the world.

Let me introduce you to The Mysterious Benedict Society, and a world full of adventures, mysteries and puzzles. Parents will be happy that these books are as much about friendship and family as they are about adventure.

Calling all kids, ages 11-14:  If you're intelligent, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, the Society could probably use your help (but don't worry - if you don't know Morse Code, you'll learn it in this book!)

What would you do if you saw this peculiar ad in your local newspaper...

"ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD looking for special opportunities?"

In Trenton Lee Stewart's book, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests.  But in the end only four very special children — two boys and two girls —  succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish this they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (otherwise known as L.I.V.E. - EVIL, spelled backwards!), where the only rule is that "THERE ARE NO RULES".

But what the children - Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance - find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than paper, books and pencils. As the four brave heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to look to each other for support -- and answers.

Visit The Mysterious Benedict Society website here.
The Mysterious Benedict Society, first published in 2007, is the first in a series that also includes The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma, The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas and Curious Conundrums and the recently published The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Last year I Spent My New Year's Day With Roses (literally, while viewing the Rose Parade floats with my husband.)  This year, I'm also with roses - but they've been cut from my backyard and are in a vase!

We watched the parade on t.v. this morning - since my youngest son was on drumline in his high school  band and was priviledged to perform in the Rose Parade two years ago, we really enjoy watching the marching bands.  Did anyone see the float with the surfing dogs?

If you don't live close to Pasadena or in a climate conducive to roses in January, you can always make a trip with your kids to your library and find the book Bobbsey Twins: The Rose Parade Mystery. The Bobbsey Twins search to find the culprit who is sabotaging the floats for the famous Rose Parade in Pasadena, California (this book is a newer one, published in 1981)

The Bobbsey Twins series was probably the longest-running juvenile book series of all time. The first book was published in 1904 and new volumes were added as late as 1992. Who wrote the Bobbsey Twins books? Click HERE.

"WHO DUNNITS" FOR PRETEENS...

. . . people read mystery stories for a diversity of reasons. Some, for the intellectual challenge of the puzzles they present, others for the vicarious pleasure of the chase. Others believe . . . that the vast popularity of the genre lies in the fact that, in a disorderly world, it represents one of the few fixed points of order and morality, where justice may be counted on to emerge triumphant. -Howard Haycraft ("A Treasure of Great Mysteries")

On this day in 1890 English mystery writer Mary Clarissa Agatha Miller, later known as Agatha Christie, was born in Torquay, England.  (I was privileged to visit this beautiful seaside town in the county of Devon with my family the summer after my high school graduation. Not sure if I was aware at the time that this gifted writer was born there.)

Anyway - I've discovered some interesting trivia about Dame Agatha that I'd like to share with you before I move on to some fun mysteries for kids...


- She was educated at home.
- At sixteen she was sent to school in Paris where she studied singing and piano
-In 1914 she married Colonel Archibald Christie, an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps. The couple had one daughter, Rosalind.
-In 1926, Archibald announced that he had fallen in love with a younger woman, Nancy Neele. That same year, Agatha Christie's beloved mother died and Agatha experienced her own real life mystery: she disappeared for a time and lived in a Harrowgate hotel under the name 'Mrs. Neele'. Agatha and Archibald divorced in 1928.
-Christie worked as a nurse during WWI, which helped her learn about prescriptions and poisons -- something which figured strongly in her writing career.
- Influences: Anna Katherine Green, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton.
- Christie is the Guinness World Record author: her work has been translated into more languages than Shakespeare.
- Agatha Christie never wrote a novel or short story featuring both her sleuths, Poirot and Miss Marple. Christie revealed the reason for this: "Hercule Poirot, a complete egoist, would not like being taught his business or having suggestions made to him by an elderly spinster lady".

I remember reading Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE in high school, but I was first introduced to her popular sleuth, Hercule Poirot, through the PBS Masterpiece MYSTERY! series. I love David Suchet's brilliant portrayal of Christie's Belgian detective.  If you've ever watched any "POIROT" on PBS, I'm sure you've noticed the macabre, yet merry world that illustrator Edward Gorey has created as the backdrop for MYSTERY! (ever since the series began in 1980).

Gorey illustrated the covers for some of my son's favorite "juvenile reader" Gothic mystery novels by John Bellairs, featuring amateur sleuth Johnny Dixon and his elderly friend Professor Roderick Childermass.

The Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs

Which brings me to...KIDS AND MYSTERY STORIES:
According to Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: "The mystery story can be an excellent stimulus for utilizing study skills needed to be a good critical reader, such as cause-and-effect, logical deduction, and assessing vital information and facts. These same skills are also valuable in forming a “budding” writer.... the devices of the mystery story... are the hallmarks of all storytelling: the problem, the characters needed to make the reader care about them, the events that occur in their solving of the problem and, in the end, the reader feeling a satisfaction in being included in the solution."

Most of us remember Trixie Beldon, Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew, and The Hardy Boys; but here are some mystery/detective books for kids you may have missed...

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, by Herge. These are great mysteries for reluctant readers, in comic book format.

THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR, by Virginia Hamilton (A historical mystery) From Amazon: A huge, old house with secret tunnels, a cantankerous caretaker, and buried treasure is a dream-come-true for 13-year-old Thomas. The fact that it's reputedly haunted only adds to its appeal! As soon as his family moves in, Thomas senses something strange about the Civil War era house, which used to be a critical stop on the Underground Railroad. With the help of his father, he learns about the abolitionists and escaping slaves who kept the Underground Railroad running. While on his own, he explores the hidden passageways in and under the house, piecing clues together in an increasingly dangerous quest for the truth about the past. Newbery medalist Virginia Hamilton creates a heart-pounding adventure with this absorbing classic for older readers.

GREAT BRAIN SERIES, by John D. Fitzgerald. Hilarious adventures of an Irish-Catholic family in Mormon Utah in 1896. Tom - a.k.a. The Great Brain - is a 10-year-old genius con man, always interested in making a profit (and always learning a lesson.)

BOY'S BOOK OF GREAT DETECTIVE STORIES (compile by Howard Haycraft) A collection of detective stories by well-know authors emphasizing deduction, not crime.

DETECTIVES IN TOGAS by Henry Winterfield (also: MYSTERY OF THE ROMAN RANSOM).  Read about these in my previous post HERE.

VESPER HOLLY BOOKS by Lloyd Alexander.  Think: Nancy Drew meets Indiana Jones. Vesper Holly never travels alone; her bumbling guardian, Professor Brinton Garrett is by her side, ready to be dragged through jungles and prisons for her sake.