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bookishnekoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booksandbosox's review against another edition
3.0
A coworker let me borrow the ARC she received at BEA. It's a pretty cute mystery and felt realistic enough. I think the homage to Sherlock in Shelby seems spot-on, though I've never actually read a Sherlock Holmes story. However, I did start to get irritated at this being narrated by the sidekick/assistant/partner - I can think of three other recent youth mystery series that feature this same sort of narration. I don't have a problem with the narrator being the sidekick; I do get annoyed when they focus heavily on how amazing/quirky/inspiring the detective is. Seems like this is open to become a series.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
3.0
I like both Holmes and Watson in this story--they are sufficiently modernized and their friendship grows organically through an age appropriate case.
thearomaofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This was a fine story, but because Shelby was just so rude to everyone, including every adult with whom she interacted, I just couldn't get behind her as a character. It honestly was so bad that I'm not even sure I want to recommend this book to any of the younger readers in my life, because I don't want them looking at someone as completely rude and arrogant as Shelby as a role model. And I realize that the original Sherlock is also rather brusque and dismissive, but he's also an adult, not a 9-year-old.
In my mind, I kept thinking about how I grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown, another child-genius who solves mysteries by his incredible powers of observation and logical deduction - except he managed to do it in a way that was friendly and helpful, instead of sarcastic and superior.
I get that Watson is supposed to become this softening person in Shelby's life who helps her understand the concept of friendship and cooperation, but there is a difference between being socially awkward and just being flat-out obnoxious. Shelby is a spoiled, whiny child who belittles her parents and everyone else around her. Not acceptable.
There were a lot of fun and cute moments in this book, and I was sad that the entire thing was spoiled with such a bratty, unlikable main character. It also of course set her parents up as weak, fluttering sort of people who are clueless and kind pointless and who don't even know how to teach their child basic manners. (Or, apparently, remember her name?? What was with the moment where her dad calls her 'Shelly' and she corrects him?? That was super weird.)
Overall a 2.5/5. I wanted to like this book, but just couldn't get past Shelby as the worst role model ever.
In my mind, I kept thinking about how I grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown, another child-genius who solves mysteries by his incredible powers of observation and logical deduction - except he managed to do it in a way that was friendly and helpful, instead of sarcastic and superior.
I get that Watson is supposed to become this softening person in Shelby's life who helps her understand the concept of friendship and cooperation, but there is a difference between being socially awkward and just being flat-out obnoxious. Shelby is a spoiled, whiny child who belittles her parents and everyone else around her. Not acceptable.
There were a lot of fun and cute moments in this book, and I was sad that the entire thing was spoiled with such a bratty, unlikable main character. It also of course set her parents up as weak, fluttering sort of people who are clueless and kind pointless and who don't even know how to teach their child basic manners. (Or, apparently, remember her name?? What was with the moment where her dad calls her 'Shelly' and she corrects him?? That was super weird.)
Overall a 2.5/5. I wanted to like this book, but just couldn't get past Shelby as the worst role model ever.
capeltheartist's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this is fun for any Holmes fan. I enjoyed the idea that it's Holmes for a younger audience and I'm sure my daughter will want to read the next one. The character of Watson was very likable and relatable.
kpeninger's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a super cute take on the Sherlock Holmes mythos. I thoroughly enjoyed the elements from ACD that the author scattered throughout the book, and her willingness to change elements to better match her modern child versions of the characters. The mystery was fairly interesting, if somewhat simple.
I enjoyed watching Watson slowly learn certain tricks and traits of a detective, and I really appreciated the reasoning on why he wouldn't be immediately observant. It's incredibly rare for a book to give a real reason why Watson wouldn't pay attention to things, rather than just have it presumed that he's not as quick as Holmes. I loved that they gave some of the original Watson's traits to his mother, but I thought it was clever to take some of the trauma ACD Watson dealt with (wounded war veteran) and adjusted it to a kid who is still reeling from the recent divorce of his parents. I thought it was a clever way of updating the character. Watson was warm and kind, and I thought he was a pretty good tribute to the original (though I'm hoping that he'll spend more time contributing to the mysteries in future books, since he's now learning to really pay attention to things).
Shelby Holmes herself was pretty sweet, though I'm somewhat disappointed that she's a white girl, especially since this book did a great job of highlighting the fact that NYC, despite what TV shows and movies and other media show us, is NOT a largely white city. Nonetheless, I liked her pretentious way of speaking (have you all met kids like that? Because I have, and Shelby SO reminded me of those kids) and her rocky attempts at friendship. I'm hoping to see her grow on that front in the future, especially since she seemed grudgingly willing to follow Watson's lead on that front.
I am currently a little baffled about the inclusion of Lestrade, since she didn't do anything for the narrative, and as always, I'm dismayed at her portrayal. The illustrations depict her as a Black woman, and I'm rather sick of Black women cops being portrayed as useless and as an impediment to our heroes. It's a Lestrade problem- Lestrades are so rarely done well- but the author/illustrators decision to also depict her as a Black woman left a bad taste in my mouth. I am hoping that in future books, we'll get some more depth to Lestrade and she won't just show up to sneer at Shelby. (All that being said, I DID appreciate the author mentioning that Watson was uncomfortable around police officers, and that his dad had talked to him about how to behave around them- a smart detail, and one white authors often miss.)
I enjoyed the book on the whole, though, and I'm really hoping the author will write more in this series. It has such a promising beginning.
I enjoyed watching Watson slowly learn certain tricks and traits of a detective, and I really appreciated the reasoning on why he wouldn't be immediately observant. It's incredibly rare for a book to give a real reason why Watson wouldn't pay attention to things, rather than just have it presumed that he's not as quick as Holmes. I loved that they gave some of the original Watson's traits to his mother, but I thought it was clever to take some of the trauma ACD Watson dealt with (wounded war veteran) and adjusted it to a kid who is still reeling from the recent divorce of his parents. I thought it was a clever way of updating the character. Watson was warm and kind, and I thought he was a pretty good tribute to the original (though I'm hoping that he'll spend more time contributing to the mysteries in future books, since he's now learning to really pay attention to things).
Shelby Holmes herself was pretty sweet, though I'm somewhat disappointed that she's a white girl, especially since this book did a great job of highlighting the fact that NYC, despite what TV shows and movies and other media show us, is NOT a largely white city. Nonetheless, I liked her pretentious way of speaking (have you all met kids like that? Because I have, and Shelby SO reminded me of those kids) and her rocky attempts at friendship. I'm hoping to see her grow on that front in the future, especially since she seemed grudgingly willing to follow Watson's lead on that front.
I am currently a little baffled about the inclusion of Lestrade, since she didn't do anything for the narrative, and as always, I'm dismayed at her portrayal. The illustrations depict her as a Black woman, and I'm rather sick of Black women cops being portrayed as useless and as an impediment to our heroes. It's a Lestrade problem- Lestrades are so rarely done well- but the author/illustrators decision to also depict her as a Black woman left a bad taste in my mouth. I am hoping that in future books, we'll get some more depth to Lestrade and she won't just show up to sneer at Shelby. (All that being said, I DID appreciate the author mentioning that Watson was uncomfortable around police officers, and that his dad had talked to him about how to behave around them- a smart detail, and one white authors often miss.)
I enjoyed the book on the whole, though, and I'm really hoping the author will write more in this series. It has such a promising beginning.
beautyandthebeanboots's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on Beauty and the Bean Boots
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Sherlock Holmes goes elementary in Elizabeth Eulberg’s first middle grade novel.
The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg follows sixth grader John Watson, a military brat, who moves to New York City with his mother after his parents split. Watson soon meets Shelby Holmes, an extremely intelligent nine-year-old who loves using her exceptional observation skills to solve cases in the neighborhood. When a family’s prize pooch goes missing, Shelby and Watson are soon on the case and everyone is a suspect.
When I first read the description, I assumed The Great Shelby Holmes would be written from Shelby’s perspective, but the story is actually written from Watson’s perspective. I really appreciate that the author chose to write from Watson’s point of view because he is much more relatable than Shelby. I also really enjoyed that Watson’s background–his military upbringing and diabetes–influenced many aspects of his life and how he treated others, especially Shelby.
Shelby, the mastermind of the story, was also well-characterized, but sometimes came across as too cartoonish for me. Shelby is incredibly smart with a ton of sass and spunk, which made her an extremely entertaining character. I also liked how the author gave another side of Shelby. Since she does have such an exceptional gift, Shelby does not have many friends her own age and as a result is often awkward and slightly rude when interacting with others. That being said, sometimes I felt like Shelby’s character was too overdone. Obviously, she’s intelligent, but often it came across as unbelievable for her age.
As for the case itself, I had several pros and cons. Even though I think dog mysteries are sometimes overdone for younger readers, I think this story sets itself apart from others. I also appreciate the dog case because it gives a nod to one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
I had some problems, however, with the repetitiveness throughout the middle of the novel. Every time a little clue appeared, it always ended with people pointing fingers and yelling at each other. The same information was rehashed in several different ways throughout the majority of the novel. This repetitiveness also appeared as Watson and Shelby’s relationship developed. It felt like it took forever for the case to progress, which made the middle of the novel drag.
Another problem some readers may have are the clues themselves. With Sherlock Holmes, readers get some clues, but usually remain stumped until his big reveal at the end where he describes little details that the reader either didn’t pick up on or wouldn’t have any background knowledge. This could be frustrating for some readers, but another aspect frustrated me more. One particular conversation at the end of the book basically gives away the ending, even though about thirty pages remain in the book. As a result, the reveal isn’t as big as it could be.
Overall, I enjoyed The Great Shelby Holmes and I think it could end up making a solid middle grade series. Elizabeth Eulberg’s writing flowed nicely and she crafted fun and interesting main characters. The lag in the middle of the novel and slightly frustrating mystery, however, slightly lowers my rating for this book. I rate The Great Shelby Holmes four out of five stars.
*I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Sherlock Holmes goes elementary in Elizabeth Eulberg’s first middle grade novel.
The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg follows sixth grader John Watson, a military brat, who moves to New York City with his mother after his parents split. Watson soon meets Shelby Holmes, an extremely intelligent nine-year-old who loves using her exceptional observation skills to solve cases in the neighborhood. When a family’s prize pooch goes missing, Shelby and Watson are soon on the case and everyone is a suspect.
When I first read the description, I assumed The Great Shelby Holmes would be written from Shelby’s perspective, but the story is actually written from Watson’s perspective. I really appreciate that the author chose to write from Watson’s point of view because he is much more relatable than Shelby. I also really enjoyed that Watson’s background–his military upbringing and diabetes–influenced many aspects of his life and how he treated others, especially Shelby.
Shelby, the mastermind of the story, was also well-characterized, but sometimes came across as too cartoonish for me. Shelby is incredibly smart with a ton of sass and spunk, which made her an extremely entertaining character. I also liked how the author gave another side of Shelby. Since she does have such an exceptional gift, Shelby does not have many friends her own age and as a result is often awkward and slightly rude when interacting with others. That being said, sometimes I felt like Shelby’s character was too overdone. Obviously, she’s intelligent, but often it came across as unbelievable for her age.
As for the case itself, I had several pros and cons. Even though I think dog mysteries are sometimes overdone for younger readers, I think this story sets itself apart from others. I also appreciate the dog case because it gives a nod to one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
I had some problems, however, with the repetitiveness throughout the middle of the novel. Every time a little clue appeared, it always ended with people pointing fingers and yelling at each other. The same information was rehashed in several different ways throughout the majority of the novel. This repetitiveness also appeared as Watson and Shelby’s relationship developed. It felt like it took forever for the case to progress, which made the middle of the novel drag.
Another problem some readers may have are the clues themselves. With Sherlock Holmes, readers get some clues, but usually remain stumped until his big reveal at the end where he describes little details that the reader either didn’t pick up on or wouldn’t have any background knowledge. This could be frustrating for some readers, but another aspect frustrated me more. One particular conversation at the end of the book basically gives away the ending, even though about thirty pages remain in the book. As a result, the reveal isn’t as big as it could be.
Overall, I enjoyed The Great Shelby Holmes and I think it could end up making a solid middle grade series. Elizabeth Eulberg’s writing flowed nicely and she crafted fun and interesting main characters. The lag in the middle of the novel and slightly frustrating mystery, however, slightly lowers my rating for this book. I rate The Great Shelby Holmes four out of five stars.
*I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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