A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Pages: 321

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Murder Mystery

Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language, drinking, drug use, smoking, death, and other mature scenes

The Back Cover

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. 

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series.

What’s good?

The descendants of the legendary Sherlock Holmes and John Watson find themselves at the same American boarding school and become embroiled in, you guessed it, a murder mystery. Jamie Watson is a typical awkward teen that has fantasized about solving crimes with the Charlotte Holmes, but when the opportunity presents itself, it’s more than he bargained for. The plot is strong and the pace is steady. There’s mystery, romance, humour, danger, and lots of deductive reasoning.

Best Part: Jamie Watson.

What isn’t good?

The chapters were long, the action was sparse, and Charlotte Holmes was impossible to like. In an attempt to make Charlotte like her great-great-great-grandfather Sherlock Holmes, the author made her smart, obnoxious, a gambler, a narcissist, and addicted to drugs. Unfortunately, she had none of the charisma that made Sherlock entertaining despite his many flaws. Heavy topics like rape, drug addiction, and murder were treated lightly while family and friendship issues were overdramatized.

Worst part: Charlotte Holmes.

Recommendation ☺☺ (2.5/5)

I just didn’t buy it. The story was trying to be a modern day retelling of the original, but it didn’t translate well with gender reversed teens playing the parts of a crotchety detective and his sidekick. It has murder, mystery, and even sophistication, but it’s missing the idiosyncrasies of the original. There are better Sherlock reincarnations out there.

Cavallaro, Brittany. A Study in Charlotte. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2017.

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

Pages: 179

Intended Audience: 8-12 year-olds

Genre: Supernatural

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature scenes

The Back Cover

When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both magicians! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls—a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series. It was made into a movie starring Jack Black in 2018.

What’s good?

This is a sweet, enjoyable story about an orphaned boy who finds adventure when he moves in with his uncle. It’s a quick and easy read with a straight forward plot and likeable characters. There’s magic and mystery with subplots that focus on friendship, family relationships, and resiliency.

Best Part: The movie looks good.

What isn’t good?

It was slow. I expected more excitement, more magic, and more mystery. The premise is intriguing, but the execution lacks depth and complexity, even for a middle-school level book. Perhaps it digs deeper in subsequent books in the series.

Worst part: The story summary on the back gives too much away. The beginning is boring because we know where it’s going!

Recommendation ☺☺ (2/5)

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t keep my attention. The only reason I was able to finish it was because it was short. You probably have to be a lot younger than me to appreciate the low-level of scare and adventure. I hope the visuals in the movie make the story more interesting.

Bellairs, John. The House with a Clock in its Walls. New York: Puffin Books, 1993 ©1973