As a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, I'm generally interested in how the canon is being used and adapted. I had high hopes for this, but it fell a little short for me.

First, the good. The plot was adapted fairly seamlessly. I was pleasantly surprised at how well important bits were all included in a short book. The emotional tenor of the book often came through. The illustrations were cute enough.

But, the bad. The annotations/explanations seemed weirdly chosen. I couldn't figure out why certain things were explained and others weren't. I also realized near the end how the book was going to be condensed: by cutting Jefferson Hope's story very short. The elisions were incredibly noticeable in this part of the story, and the only part where I felt meaning was changed. The writing makes it sound as if Stangerson and Drebber were there when Lucy and her step-father were rescued, not their fathers. I also found it questionable and clunky to use the generic "religious group" when Conan Doyle was specifically writing about Mormons. It would be a perfect place for a learning-box with information, including information about the fact that writing from past eras was not always accurate or fair. Or addressed some other way. As it stands, it's not even included that Lucy was going to be like a 5th or 7th wife to one of murdered men.

So, it's a mixed bag. I was a precocious reader and loved the original stories from a young age, and would have had no use for these. I loved the atmospheric descriptions in the original, and the sense of traveling in both time and place when I had to puzzle out unfamiliar details. But not every kid is me, and maybe this will help other children read, and that's a good thing. It's a good plot and a good mystery, and that's a good foundation on which to build a lifetime love of reading. The original canon will always be there waiting.

Thank you to the publisher for the free electronic ARC via Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this Sherlock Holmes book for the younger crowd. I enjoy any and all Sherlock adaptations so liking this wasn't surprising. I hope to introduce my 6 year old to Sherlock Holmes soon and this book will be a great way to do so. I definitely recommend this for younger readers.

I have always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes and so when I saw that a series had been published, aiming to bring the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to a younger audience, I couldn’t wait to read it. After reading a few books with some grisly moments in them, it was also a much-needed lighter read than some of my recent ones!

As many people will already know, the mystery starts with the baffled police summoning consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, to the scene of a murder. A man, believed to be E. J. Drebber, has been found dead in an empty house, with no obvious cause of death. It is up to Holmes and his new companion, Dr. John Watson, to discover the truth about the death and solve the case.

Although this is a book that is targeted at children aged 7+, I admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it, the story sticking to the plot that we know and love yet simplified for a younger audience. I loved the illustrations from Arianna Bellucci and also the explanations of terms that children may not be aware of, such as ‘hansom cab’.

I am pleased to see that this is part of a series – The Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection, and would definitely recommend it to anyone with children who are beginning to express an interest in crime fiction. Or, if you are like me, you might just enjoy it yourself!

I really enjoyed reading this, I have never read a Sherlock Holmes book. It introduced you to the main characters and was a great start to a collection for middle grade. My son is 7 and I would definitely get him reading this once he’s moved on from his first chapter books.

An illustrated version of one of the best whodunnits in the world; easy to read and follow (some words are explained throughout the text).

I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend it to my students ;) Hope there will be more books to come!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for a copy of this book to read and review.

A terrific way to introduce young children to one of the most famous detectives ever – Sherlock Holmes.

Thoughts:
To be perfectly honest I have read several or many Sherlock Holmes books, but I don’t generally remember all the titles. There are some titles that get stuck in my memory perhaps due to a show or movie where they are referenced, or if it was required reading in high school, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles was. So, when I selected A Study in Scarlet from Netgalley it wasn’t until I started reading the first chapter that I realized I have read this before – more than once. That’s when I truly looked at what I had selected. I initially had thought it was a new detective story aimed for kids with Sherlock Holmes featured. However, what I found was that it is the actual story, adapted for a younger audience and with lots of illustrations that provided additional information along with humor.

To help bring Sherlock Holmes to life, this book is filled with illustrations. In fact, almost every page has something on it – some are small pictures of a pocket watch or revolver. Some illustrations show what the character is doing. For example, there is an illustration of Sherlock lounging very melodramatically on a sofa in his bathrobe after Watson describes how Holmes spends his time some days.

In addition, sometimes there are notes provided to help with difficult words or ideas, such as when Holmes reads a telegraph message that had been sent. There is an illustration of the telegraph and what it includes, but it also goes a little further and provides in a type of call-out box what telegraphy is, since most kids probably aren’t yet familiar with it.

A Study in Scarlet is one of 10 books in the Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection box set. In addition, the box set also includes a read-along audio book for each story. On Sweet Cherry Publishing’s Instagram account (@sweetcherrypublishing) they have a post with an audio example from The Reigate Squires book. I had a chance to listen to a little of it on Instagram and enjoyed the voice actor’s version very much.

Some of the stories included in the box set are The Sign of the Four, The Red-Headed League, The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band, The Sussex Vampire and others.

I recommend this to all young budding sleuths and detectives as a way to learn about an important literary character along with some historical information.

Rating: 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the reader’s copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

This was so charming, I wish it had been around when I was younger. Sherlock Holmes stories tend to be a bit unreachable for younger audiences, yet they are so very fascinating that it seems unfair to exclude children from their entertainment. I'm surprised it took this long for someone to adapt the original stories into a format that is more easily accessible for children. It wasn't too simple, just enough that it was understandable. All of the characters had their same personalities and quirks, there is no doubt that they are the same as how Arthur Conan Doyle had originally written them. I especially liked the illustrations, they were cute and quirky and still charmingly British. I also liked how there were side explanations for things such as a hansom cab and hemoglobin, things essential to the story so must be included but perhaps not something a typical child would know about. With these little asides, they can understand the story and learn about something new at the same time. I do hope that there will be more adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and I will happily read them if they are published.

“A study in scarlet (the Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection)” is A book I’ll share with my nephew and people I know who is learning English so they can practice reading and also have fun during the process. I have always loved mystery novels and Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorites characters, I really enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for bringing me the opportunity to read and review a copy of this book.

This is an excellent introduction to the amazing world of Sherlock Holmes. I loved meeting him for the first time with Watson and immediately seeing his powers of observation in action.
Sherlock Holmes is one of literatures finest characters and I am so pleased to see him available for younger readers. This series of books has the characters, the crimes and solving the riddles all laid out perfectly clear for readers. There are illustrations and notes to help the reader accustom to the times, explaining about hansom cabs, and the experiments of Holmes.

I like that the crimes were not gruesome but not shied away from either. If you are going to enjoy Sherlock Holmes then you need all the details just as he does.

I look forward to enjoying the rest of this series!
Definitely a series to buy for the library!

This new edition is aimed at kids, 7+ and is part of a series of 10 books in The Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection.
The books are enhanced for the younger reader with quite original illustrations throughout the book by Arianna Bellucci.
This is a review of The Study in Scarlet which is the best place to start as it is the first book and describes how Watson come into Holmes’ life or is it the other way round.
Children are given an opportunity to read about the Great Detective with fresh eyes and the colourful cover design and illustrations will only improve their reading pleasure.
This book is a classic Holmes mystery where his powers of deduction are exposed to Watson and the reader, in sad contrast to the incompetent official police inspectors.
Holmes is called to the scene of a puzzling crime by a senior police officer; if he will not attend perhaps he might give pointers if they visit his lodgings. A man’s body has been found in a derelict house. Sherlock is reluctant to get involved but with primping from Dr Watson agrees to visit the scene of the murder where everything remains untouched for his assessment.
Holmes invites Watson along and so this famous crime pairing are transported into action and the rest as they say is history.
Great to read it again. A story, in a simple way, suitable for younger minds as well with little editorial changes. Indeed the book does explain some of the more confusing elements and gives space for a definition e.g. Hansom Cab. And of course boosted by the original illustrations that adds depth and a sense of place and time to this work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
It thrills me that in this way such great crime fiction can become accessible to a new generation.