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A review by r_j_setser
Baker Street Four by Penny Chrimes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It's about the time of year where I start looking for Sherlock Holmes retellings, so when Baker Street Four popped up on my "recommended for you" page on Audible, I was thrilled to start it.
In true Sherlock fashion, The Baker Street Four is a collection of 3 short cases that model after the classic stories and give welcome nods to the originals. The audio production reminded me of the radio theater I used to get up early on Saturday mornings for, so that was a nostalgic experience. It was very fun to have some new characters alongside the beloved old ones, plus having the story narrated by Watson the cat was a delight (I have a dog named Watson haha)!
The target audience is for middle graders, so analyzing this story for kids does make me slightly more critical of the content, which is why I'm rating 4 stars instead of 5. There are heavy themes of fear and some action that might be intense for younger readers, though I found the action topics to be mostly age-appropriate. I do have a few red flags that aren't necessarily "don't read because of this", but parents/guardians/teachers might want to be prepared to generate some conversations to discuss these topics (I'll wrap them in spoiler tags below).
Overall, I think The Baker Street Four is a well-produced audiobook and would make for an interesting episodic car-ride companion with your middle graders!
In true Sherlock fashion, The Baker Street Four is a collection of 3 short cases that model after the classic stories and give welcome nods to the originals. The audio production reminded me of the radio theater I used to get up early on Saturday mornings for, so that was a nostalgic experience. It was very fun to have some new characters alongside the beloved old ones, plus having the story narrated by Watson the cat was a delight (I have a dog named Watson haha)!
The target audience is for middle graders, so analyzing this story for kids does make me slightly more critical of the content, which is why I'm rating 4 stars instead of 5. There are heavy themes of fear and some action that might be intense for younger readers, though I found the action topics to be mostly age-appropriate. I do have a few red flags that aren't necessarily "don't read because of this", but parents/guardians/teachers might want to be prepared to generate some conversations to discuss these topics (I'll wrap them in spoiler tags below).
Overall, I think The Baker Street Four is a well-produced audiobook and would make for an interesting episodic car-ride companion with your middle graders!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Grief
Content Warnings: There was one use of the word "h*ll". Romantic themes, but nothing on page. No gore, but a few scenes involving kidnapping, forced child labor, forced institutionalization, child loss, parent loss, and mental illness.