The Sherlock Society
Sherlock Society #1
By James Ponti
Publisher: Aladdin
Publication date: September 3, 2024
Print length: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1665932530
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 - 7
Publisher’s Blurb:
Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take
their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting
a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring), lawn mowing
(sweaty), or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty). Their
friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the
enterprise, and Alex and Zoe’s retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet
aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases.
The group’s first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their
hometown Miami. Their investigation into the local doings of famed gangster Al
Capone leads them to a remote island in the middle of the Everglades where they
find alarming evidence hinting at corporate corruption.
Together with Grandpa’s know-how and the kids’ intelligence—plus some really
slick gadgets—can the Sherlock Society root out the conspiracy?
My Thoughts:
With the last name of “Sherlock”
starting your own detective agency is kind of a no-brainer. Of course, if
you’re in middle school, you’ll need a driver. No problem if your 70-something
former-journalist grandfather has an ultra-cool vintage Cadillac convertible!
All four of the kids in the
Sherlock Society have a desire to earn some summer money. When Alex and Zoe’s
attorney mom shuts them down from taking cases from strangers, Grandpa
introduces them to his files of notes from an illustrious journalism career and
invites them to choose an unsolved mystery. While searching for Al Capone’s
lost treasure, they stumble across—and solve—a real mystery, though not without
getting in a little trouble with the Department of the Treasury.
James Ponti is a master of writing
suspenseful stories for the middle-grade audience. The wonderful thing is that
I find his work equally entertaining for me—very, very removed from middle
grades. Although he’s a bit far from middle school as well, he has a great
grasp of the emotional and intellectual lives of the age group. There’s a
reason I don’t teach middle school—it’s a really difficult age for the kids and
for the adults around them. Ponti handles the questions of self-worth and
friendship in a consistently realistic manner.
Any time someone is asking for book
recommendations for middle schoolers, I say “anything by James Ponti.” This
book is no exception. This one has some fun callouts to classic children’s
literature, and a very cute “Who’s on First”-type scene.
Possible objectionable material:
The kids deceive their parents a
little bit. Some interpersonal struggles with very mild, indirect bullying. Perilous
situations, including an explosion. Some minor deception of other adults.
Discussion of a Sasquatch-type creature. Mentions of segregation.
Thank you to the publisher and
NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for my
honest opinion.
#NetGalley #Biblioquacious
#BookReview #SherlockSociety #JamesPonti #MiddleGrades #Mystery
Hurricane Heist
Sherlock Society #2
By James Ponti
Publisher: Aladdin
Publication date: September 2, 2025
Print length: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1665932561
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 - 7
Publisher’s Blurb:
When a category three hurricane
hits Miami Beach, it uncovers a body buried at the renowned Moroccan Hotel. The
body is identified as the man who served as the hotel’s bell captain sixty
years ago…and the presumed culprit of the million-dollar jewel heist that took
place just before his disappearance.
Since the bell captain clearly didn’t take off with the goods as had been long
believed, the Sherlock Society sets their sights on uncovering the real culprit
of the theft. But when the thief may also be implicated in the bell captain’s
murder, even sixty years later, there are people who want the truth to stay
buried.
My Thoughts:
This book picks up almost
immediately after the previous book. The Society is still disappointed about
not finding Al Capone’s treasure. School is about to start, but first they have
to get through a hurricane. Wyoming transplant Lina is quite nervous about her
first hurricane. There’s also a flashback to 1964, when Grandpa Pete was a
youngster going through a similar hurricane.
And now the scene is set for a new
mystery, one that’s very personal to Grandpa.
I love watching the kids learn to
research and form hypothesis, then work on proving them. It’s a wonderful
process to watch. Grandpa is such a patient teacher, knowing when to lead and
when to get out of the kids’ way.
The kids themselves complement each
other in their abilities and personalities. It’s especially interesting
watching Zoe balance between her popular friends and her enjoyment of solving
mysteries.
Ponti has created vibrant
personalities and given them interesting challenges. As always, Ponti brings us
another winner.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Dangerous situations, a possible
murder (in the past), mention of the Cuban Revolution, climate change, and segregation.
Perilous situations.
Thank you to the publisher and
NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #Biblioquacious
#BookReview #SherlockSociety #JamesPonti #MiddleGrades #Mystery
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