Reviews

The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg

mturney1010's review against another edition

3.0

I read this for Battle of the Books. It was very cute and it made me want to read some Sherlock Holmes. Or at the very least watch the Benedict Cumberbatch iteration. Very cute. My middle grader has read the entire series.

cam_go_loud's review against another edition

3.0

Literally BBC’s Sherlock but with diverse children and far, far too many dog puns.

book_nut's review against another edition

4.0

Quite fun.

heisereads's review against another edition

4.0

A fun middle grade mystery, with engaging diverse characters in New York City, and an homage to the classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but with a spunky girl taking the lead on being a masterful observer and solver of mysteries. Perfect for 3rd-6th grade classrooms. Elizabeth Eulberg is a favorite author, and I've adored all of her YA books, and am exited she now has a MG for younger readers. Love the character/scene illustrations inside also.

limabean74's review against another edition

5.0

I received this book at BEA and even got to meet the author and have her sign my book. I was so excited about this and couldn’t wait to read it. I love a good story about Holmes and Watson. This book was just amazing. I LOVED the characters and the story was so engrossing that I read the entire book in a day.

John Watson is an army brat, he moves from place to place but his mom is finally on permenant leave and they settled down in NYC. The apartment they live in has an unusual girl that lives upstairs. John doesn’t know what to make of her but winds up hanging out with her while she sort of shows him around town. When Holmes gets a new case to solve regarding a lost dog, it’s up to her and Watson to find out who did it.

I honestly loved Shelby, her sarcastic comments and ability to super sleuth was so fun and amazing. She was just such a fun characters. The story is told in John’s POV but I couldn’t help but love him to. The poor kid was so confused half the time and always trying to figure out who did it which really helped keep the reader confused. I really enjoyed how the mystery was solved and all the clues Shelby had figured out. This really was a fun book to read.

I can’t recommend this book enough, I honestly want a lot more of Shelby and John. They are amazing characters and the story was so involved but so fun. This is a great book for MG, YA and adults. I can’t love this book enough and so very happy I got that chance to read it and to meet the author at BEA. This is what I am, kind of hoping, is the start of a fun series.

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deeznuts69's review against another edition

im just feel like im a little too old. i love middle grade books its just this one didn't do it for me.

yapha's review against another edition

4.0

John Watson has just moved to New York with his mother, after growing up on a variety of military bases. He meets his upstairs neighbor, Shelby Holmes, on move in day as she correctly deduces several things about his family. He becomes involved in her most recent case, trying to find a classmate's show dog who disappeared. This is a fantastic middle grade mystery in classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle style, complete with red herrings and clever deductions. The cast of characters accurately represents what one would find near Columbia University, and the inclusivity is to be commended. Both Shelby and John are quirky and fun. My only quibble with the book (which is super minor) is that Shelby's bulldog Sir Arthur would most likely be neutered and therefore be ineligible to compete as a show dog. This does not detract from the story, which may lead more students to read the originals. A fabulous homage to Sherlock Holmes. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

booksandpops4000's review against another edition

4.0

This was such a cute Sherlock Holmes inspired retelling for the younger set. I loved the characters and the mystery and how diverse the story was. It was such a fun and quick read and hope this becomes a series!

karisjmadison's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition

3.0

This is a solid kids’ mystery. The author does a nice job of turning Sherlock Holmes into a nine year old girl and the book has a diverse set of characters. I do think the book runs a bit long.