Scan barcode
A review by mariahistryingtoread
Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz
3.0
*I am reading all of the books on the 2022 SSYRA Grades 3 to 5 list. This is book 9 out of 15 read. If you want to see a complete list altogether in one place in order of best to worst check out my ko-fi. Or check out my ssyra grades 3to5 tag.*
Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer makes no secret out of being an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The author explicitly states in the author’s note at the end that Sherlock Holmes was partially her inspiration.
Even if she hadn’t mentioned it, it’s clear enough when reading it that I would have guessed as much either way. It’s important to note, however, that it doesn’t feel like an old Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes adaptation. It feels distinctly like Gillian Goerz was using BBC Sherlock ie. the Benedict Cumberbatch one as the basis.
Considering how badly the last season of Sherlock was and how much of a meme the fandom has become, I don’t think kids would even make the connection to be perfectly honest. I doubt that iteration is popular enough any more for anybody under like 20 to notice. As a former superfan, it kind of made my brain itch, but your mileage may vary.
Other than that, it’s a cute mystery story. It’s not something you can solve on your own, which is a fairly common criticism of BBC Sherlock specifically, however, I’ve only seen the RDJ movies for comparison so I can’t speak to how bothersome someone who is familiar with more of the material might find this aspect. The diversity is more than Sherlock ever had so that was a nice plus.
I found Shirley kind of annoying because I’ve outgrown that whole ‘it’s okay that I’m rude since I’m a genius’ schtick that Sherlock clung to so viciously - I've heard that Sherlock Holmes can be quite warm in other interpretations. Nevertheless, she’s a kid who is still growing so I found it a lot easier to digest than I normally would.
The reason for the lower star rating is that I found the emotional beats in regards to Jamila lacking. She was clearly supposed to anchor the story with her and her mothers’ struggle to understand one another. It felt rushed and underdeveloped as her mother just sort of stopped being an unimpeachable force for no reason.
I’ve noticed that graphic novels for kids usually have this problem more often than not as there isn’t a lot of time to dive deep compared to regular novels that have the space for it since they don’t need to balance the graphic aspect. The emotional themes tend to be wrapped up abruptly.
All in all, it’s a solid recommend. I would definitely read it again and I would definitely continue the series.
Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer makes no secret out of being an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The author explicitly states in the author’s note at the end that Sherlock Holmes was partially her inspiration.
Even if she hadn’t mentioned it, it’s clear enough when reading it that I would have guessed as much either way. It’s important to note, however, that it doesn’t feel like an old Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes adaptation. It feels distinctly like Gillian Goerz was using BBC Sherlock ie. the Benedict Cumberbatch one as the basis.
Considering how badly the last season of Sherlock was and how much of a meme the fandom has become, I don’t think kids would even make the connection to be perfectly honest. I doubt that iteration is popular enough any more for anybody under like 20 to notice. As a former superfan, it kind of made my brain itch, but your mileage may vary.
Other than that, it’s a cute mystery story. It’s not something you can solve on your own, which is a fairly common criticism of BBC Sherlock specifically, however, I’ve only seen the RDJ movies for comparison so I can’t speak to how bothersome someone who is familiar with more of the material might find this aspect. The diversity is more than Sherlock ever had so that was a nice plus.
I found Shirley kind of annoying because I’ve outgrown that whole ‘it’s okay that I’m rude since I’m a genius’ schtick that Sherlock clung to so viciously - I've heard that Sherlock Holmes can be quite warm in other interpretations. Nevertheless, she’s a kid who is still growing so I found it a lot easier to digest than I normally would.
The reason for the lower star rating is that I found the emotional beats in regards to Jamila lacking. She was clearly supposed to anchor the story with her and her mothers’ struggle to understand one another. It felt rushed and underdeveloped as her mother just sort of stopped being an unimpeachable force for no reason.
I’ve noticed that graphic novels for kids usually have this problem more often than not as there isn’t a lot of time to dive deep compared to regular novels that have the space for it since they don’t need to balance the graphic aspect. The emotional themes tend to be wrapped up abruptly.
All in all, it’s a solid recommend. I would definitely read it again and I would definitely continue the series.