Derrick Belanger's Blog: Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Ramblings of a Sherlockian - Posts Tagged "paula-berinstein"

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! While the holiday shopping season is upon us (though, Americans, please take today for family and leave the shopping to the weekend), I thought I'd share some excellent gift ideas for Sherlock Holmes fans who are kids or Young Adults. As most of you know, one of my missions in life is to get the next generation interested in Holmes, to keep the spark of the great detective alive and well into the future. Below are some wonderful gift ideas to help get kids hooked on Holmes.

Kids/ Upper elementary:

Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls by Elizabeth Varadan is a delightful read. Author Elizabeth Varadan ensures that a number of young readers, particularly upper elementary and middle school aged children, will get to know Sherlock Holmes when they solve a case alongside a plucky ten year old girl in her new novel, Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls.

The book follows the adventure of Imogene, a bored, upper class girl who can't stand her governess nor her bratty cousins. After the loathsome cousins visit, her mother's pearls go missing. Who could have taken them? Sherlock Holmes is hired by Imogene's father and of course, with a world famous detective in her home, Imogene can't help but join the case.

I was particularly impressed with Ms. Varadan's character descriptions. Miss Mullin, the crabby governess, in particular, stands out as she torments poor Imogene and thinks detective work is below the status of the girl. Rusty, a boy who assists Sherlock Holmes, also stands out with his thick Cockney accent. Though he's never called an Irregular, he would fit in perfectly by Wiggins' side.

This is a fun, well written book that will please Holmes fans of all ages.

The MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes is my own series of children's chapter books specifically designed to get elementary age kids interested in Sherlock Holmes. The series involves ten-year-old twin detectives, Jimmy and Emma MacDougall, who live across from Holmes and help him on cases. The series has been compared to The Magic Treehouse series and has received rave reviews from The Sherlock Holmes Society of London, author David Marcum, teachers, and, of course, most kids! So far, there are three books in the series, The Amazing Airship Adventure: The MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes: Book 1, Attack of the Violet Vampire! - The MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes Book #2, and Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur. Below is the latest five star review of Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur:

The MacDougall twins are back with their most exciting adventure yet in the third book of this cute series for young people.

It’s Christmastime, and the MacDougalls have just finished decorating their tree, when they are visited by none other than Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother. Their services are needed by Sherlock, as well as those of Toby, a dog who has helped Sherlock before.

At 221b Baker Street, the twins meet Jonas Bogswell from a farming village in Surrey. He has come to Sherlock for help because a dinosaur – that’s right – is killing sheep on the local farms. Because of an old legend the local fortune teller remembers, the Bogswell family is being shunned for bringing bad luck to the village. The entire MacDougall family accompanies Sherlock and Dr. Watson to the village. They stay with Bogswell family. One by one, events unfold that make the McDougalls believers in this dinosaur.

Several things make this a pleasurable read: The author has a good sense of pacing and suspense. Clues are believable and scattered like breadcrumbs to keep a reader turning the page, and tension heightens all the way through. Despite Mrs. McDougall’s insistence that the twins cannot join the dangerous hunt for the dinosaur, Emma and Jimmy encounter the beast in some really scary scenes that kids will love. The twins are well drawn in ways that demonstrate why they are good detectives and in ways that complement each other, and the climax is a satisfying surprise.

A nice touch Belanger includes in his books is the use of footnotes in the form of “fun facts” at the bottom of pages involved. These really are fun facts, and they don’t interrupt the flow of the story.

At the end of this satisfying adventure, a reader is promised more to come. With Christmas near at hand, this book would make a nice gift under the tree.

For upper elementary and middle school age students, a delightful book series is the Amanda Lester series by Paula Berinstein. The series is a magical blend of Sherlock Holmes, Nancy drew, and Harry Potter. See my 5 star review of the first book in the series, Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy, below:

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy is a smashing Holmesian debut from Paula Berinstein. The book involves a plucky young girl by the name of Amanda Lester who is a descendant of Inspector G. Lestrade, the Scotland Yard friend of Sherlock Holmes. Despite her rich ancestry, Amanda wants nothing to do with Inspector Lestrade nor with the world's first consulting detective. She would rather be a film student than work on solving a mystery. Poor Amanda is out of luck as her parents who don't understand her, send her away to The Secret Detective School, a Hogwarts of sorts for descendents of famous detectives. At the school, Amanda must help her friends solve a mystery involving murdered cooks, sugar powered weapons, and the evil descendents of Professor Moriarty. What I found particularly compelling was how rich and believable the teen characters are in the book. As a middle school teacher, I always look for books to share with my students, and I know my students, especially the girls, will find Amanda Lester a character they can relate to. Facing the dilemmas of parents who don't understand her, crushes which are unrequited, and friends who are not always friendly, Amanda is a character all students can understand. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of mysteries and young adult literature. I look forward to reading the further adventures of Amanda Lester in books two and three, and hopefully more!

So far, there are two additional books in the Amanda Lester series: Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis and Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle. This is a great gateway for modern students to access the world of Sherlock Holmes. Highly recommended.

One of the best ways to get young adults interested in Sherlock Holmes is through graphic novels. Two series which come to mind are those by Luke Benjamen Kuhns and Petr Kopl.

For students who enjoy classic monsters such as Dracula and Frankenstein, I highly recommend Sherlock Holmes And The Horror of Frankenstein. Luke Kuhns does an exceptional job of merging the worlds of Mary Shelley and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in this brief graphic novel which reads like an oversized issue of a lengthy comic book. The year is 1888 and Frankenstein's monster has emerged from his icy grave to rob London's graves. Enter Sherlock holmes and Dr. Watson to take up the case of who exactly is behind these horrible crimes. While the story is brief, it is an excellent introduction to both Holmes and Frankenstein, particularly for young adult readers. The writing is crisp and the artwork is gorgeous. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy graphic novels that mash up literary characters such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series.

Another graphic novel by Luke Benjamen Kuhns is Sherlock Holmes And The Case of the Crystal Blue Bottle. This graphic novel is written in the form of a traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The case involves Holmes and Watson investigating the death of Deseray Underwood who has been found dead, but no one has been able to determine the cause of her death. This is a great traditional story. The only drawback I found with this short graphic novel was the use of multiple artists to draw the artwork. I found it distracting at times and wish Marcie Klinger had drawn the entire piece. She is an exceptional artist, and I look forward to more graphic novels illustrated by her.

For exceptional artwork and a more slapstick version of Holmes, I recommend Petr Kopl's beautifully illustrated Sherlock Holmes series. So far, there are three Holmes related books: A Scandal in Bohemia - A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel, The Hound of The Baskervilles – A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel, and The Final Problem - A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel. Kopl's artwork almost leaps off the page and is so vibrant as to appear animated. I have issues with his use of dates (The Final Problem occurs in 1884!!!) and his mashing up of horror characters in known Holmes stories, but I doubt any teen will care about my purist qualms. Indeed, if I had to recommend a Sherlock Holmes book to a comic book fan who knew little about the character, these would be first on my list.

Those are my reviews for this time. Next up will be Holmes books angled for adult readers.

For those of you who may have missed it, I now have my own small press. Please check out the latest releases from Belanger Books, The Tall Tales of Starman Steve a fun book of Tall Tales for kids of all ages, and the Golden Age science-fiction steampunk novella, The Voyage of the Lunar Schooner. Also, we just released the softcover edition of my bestselling Holmes book Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance. Again, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. More blog postings from me are forthcoming!!

I have a special blog entry today. My friend Paula Berinstein is in the midst of a blog tour for her Amanda Lester series, a series which stars the teenage descendent of Inspector Lestrade who goes to a private school for students related to famous detectives. I had previously interviewed Ms. Berinstein for the blog I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere where she discussed her wonderful young adult series. For today, I am providing an excerpt of her first book Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy, as well as an update on our Sherlock Holmes book for Kids, our latest Kickstarter project. Please give the Amanda Lester series a chance. I have given the first three books in the series five star reviews, and the first book is available on Amazon absolutely free, so what do you have to lose?

Excerpt from Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy

He leaned forward. “I think there’s something weird going on here.”
“At the school?” said Amanda.
“Yes.”
“What kind of weird thing?” said Ivy.
“I’m not sure, but I think something is wrong,” said Simon.
“Something like what?” said Amanda, half dismissing the idea. Who knew if he was credible?
“I don’t like to be melodramatic, but I think I’ve been hearing things,” he said.
“Things?” said Amphora.
“Odd noises behind walls,” said Simon, motioning toward the right-hand hall wall with his head, then circling toward the left-hand one. The motion made him appear slightly spastic.
“You mean like mice?” said Amphora. “I don’t like mice.” She shuddered.
“No, he’s right,” said Ivy. “Not mice. People.”
“Yes, people,” said Simon, doing that heel-toe rocking thing again.
“Is that what it was?” said Amanda.
“What what was?” said Amphora.
“Ivy heard it. In the bathroom.” She jerked her head in the direction of the offending restroom, then caught herself. She hoped she didn’t look as dumb as Simon doing that.
“Like a scraping?” said Simon.
“Yes,” said Ivy. “And some thumping. No, Nigel. Not you.” The dog was wagging his tail excitedly for some reason only he knew.
“I didn’t hear any thumping,” said Amanda.
“Definitely thumping,” said Ivy, rubbing Nigel’s head.
“It’s probably nothing,” said Amphora. “We’re not used to the school. I’m sure there are all kinds of things they have to do that we don’t know anything about. Maintenance and stuff. Maybe those décor guys.”
“I don’t think so,” said Ivy.
“No, I don’t either,” said Simon. “I think it might be something we’re not supposed to know about, and I want to find out what it is.”
“But why do you think that?” said Amphora. “I think you’re overreacting.”
“I don’t think so,” said Simon.
“Why not?” said Amphora.
“Because I saw blood outside the east door.”

Get your free copy of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy here.

New Sherlock Holmes Book for Kids Available on Kickstarter for a Limited Time!



Our latest Kickstarter project is off to a great start. The book Scones and Bones on Baker Street is a delightful tale of Digby a stray dog hoping to be adopted by Sherlock Holmes. One of the thrills of the book is seeing Digby's involvement in the classic sherlock Holmes tale "The Red Headed League." Here are some advanced statements of praise for the book:

“What a delightful, delectable cream bun of a book, perfect for budding Sherlock Holmes fans and young dog lovers alike. But readers beware: a dog that can steal the heart of Sherlock Holmes can very well steal yours.” - Claudia Mills, author of Cody Harmon, King of Pets

"Kids will love this dog's eye view of Victorian London! Brenda Seabrooke truly has a canine soul." - Paula Berinstein, author of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy

“‘Undaunted and unfazed’, Digby provides a fresh view of detective work with Sherlock Holmes. The story is a fast, delightful read; sure to please younger fans of mystery and imaginative fiction”. - Tracy Johnson, NerdSociety reviewer

“This is a fun mystery for young readers with an adorable dog who has a real nose for excitement and clues. The numerous illustrations liven up the pages, while sprinkles of historical information make it a real treat. Teamed up with Sherlock Holmes, Digby is a dog criminals and evil doers need to watch out for.” - Tonja Drecker - prized children's book reviewer at Bookworm for Kids

Scones and Bones is written by award winning author Brenda Seabrooke and illustrated by MX Publishing cover artist Brian Belanger. Some of the awards feature original artwork from the book, your own commissioned piece, and your name included in the books Scones and Bones as well as the Macdougall Twins book Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur. For more on the Kickstarter and to back the project, please check out the link here.

Derrick Belanger is the author of the #1 bestselling book Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance which was in the top 200 bestselling books on Amazon. He also is the author of the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes books, the latest of which is Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur and edited the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle horror anthology A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural. His latest novella Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure Of The Primal Man is currently available as an ebook from Endeavour Press.