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saraleoni's review
2.0
first off, the scary looking figure on the cover is the hero of the story; the artistic style of the illustrator makes everyone look sinister. inside, the story about the founding of the baker street irregulars was fair but ignores the fact that, in the canon, they were formed without watson's knowledge, quite probably before he even knew holmes. my main issue with the story is that the telling of it was uneven, verging on erratic. the first half went smoothly enough but elements were just thrown in in the second half willy-nilly. for example, the titular tattoo is barely mentioned in the first part and only seen on one person; later it is mentioned that the guy was a member of the dragon clan (gang would've been a better word choice, among many options) and that must be why he has the tattoo. there was no mystery involved in the tattoo itself, uncovering the meaning of it, or how it ties into the current crime. i know this is a chapter book but the mystery could've been better executed. in fact, the main story isn't a mystery at all but an adventure: the kids who become the first irregulars trying to rescue a kidnapped friend but, since they see her being stashed in a warehouse, it's only a question of how. the secondary storyline, which could be considered a mystery, sees no investigation, is only given occasional lip service, and resolves itself in a twist anyone over the age of twelve could see several chapters prior. i'm not sure i recommend this book even for the target age group.
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