Member Reviews
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
One of my favorite mystery books of the great Sherlock Holmes adapted for children in order to make them discover this amazing character of the literature. The funny illustrations made the story even more enjoyable to read. Stephanie Baudet knew how to keep the story simple and so easy to follow, it's clear that a lot of readers will find so much pleasure with this story.
I really liked it even if I'm not a kid and it was such a good refreshing reading moment, I love Sherlock Holmes and I discovered his adventures when I was a kid through anime and movies then with the adult books, I hope that a lot of kids will read this book and enjoy it as much as I did.
This novel is a solid adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles for younger readers.
As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I love the idea of introducing his works to a new generation. With the right editing, Holmes' stories can resonate with and be appropriate for young readers. This book had all the right editing. The author portrayed the essence of this classic story very well in language accessible to elementary school readers at a length they would not find too challenging. Nothing vital to the story was left out and I think the author did a really good job of making an intriguing story with just the bare bones included.
I would love to see more Holmes adaptations by this author and I would recommend it for readers 2nd grade and up.
This new adaptation of this famous novel is aimed at kids, 7+ and is part of a series of books in The Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection.
The books are made more accessible for the younger reader with quirky original and detailed illustrations throughout the book by Arianna Bellucci.
Children finding this series 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.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is quite scary when depicted on TV or film; the mists rolling over the moor and the sound of the howling creature are intimidating for adults. In written form this sense of foreboding is also conveyed in the original text.
Real skill is therefore needed to make an adaptation for a younger audience and Stephanie Baudet has achieved this without losing the thrust and threat of the story about a frightening beast seemingly out to bring terror and death to the Baskervilles.
Having read the original, this is a cool reworking of the story that does justice to the plot and shows the working relationship between Watson and Holmes.
I can speak with some authority as this is the second book I have read in this series. I love the effort and joy that contributes to bringing an old detective alive and relevant for a new and younger audience. Allowing the stories to be as close to the originals as possible and therefore letting the works speak for themselves.
I am sure a new generation will fall under the spell of these stories and when they read on through teenage years and early adulthood they will progress easily to the original books. For now they will delight our young readers and anything that encourages reading and a love of books is a good thing.
We can argue whether taking a story that has the sinister murder (and possibly sexual) undertones of Hound of the Baskervilles works as a stripped-down book for kids with the darker stuff removed, but it is told effectively and has lovely illustrations.
First sentence: The morning this strange case started was just like any other. Holmes was sitting at the table, eating his breakfast and mulling over the headlines of The Times. I joined him and poured myself some coffee. He had just taken a bite of toast when he stopped and looked towards the window. ‘I do believe a hansom cab has stopped outside, Watson.
Premise/plot: This is an adaptation of a classic Sherlock Holmes story. Stephanie Baudet has adapted many of Doyle's stories for young children.
Other adaptations include A Study in Scarlet, The Blue Carbuncle, A Scandal in Bohemia, Red-Headed League, Sign of the Four, The Reigate Squires, The Speckled Band, The Three Students, The Naval Treaty, The Six Napoleons, The Veiled Lodger, Charles August Milverton, The Sussex Vampire, The Engineer's Thumb, Silver Blaze, The Final Problem, The Stockbroker's Clerk, The Musgrave Ritual, The Copper Beeches, and The Hound of the Baskervilles.
My thoughts: I have watched more Sherlock than I've read. I really do need to get around to reading more Sherlock stories and novels. I enjoyed this adaptation. I haven't read the original--though I've seen film adaptations of this story--so I can't compare this adaptation to the original. But I liked the short chapters, the illustrations, the pacing.
If you are a fan of Sherlock, I would say this series would probably be a good way to introduce your child to these stories and characters.
I received an advance copy of, Sherlock Holmes:The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Stephanie Baudet. I loved this book as a child, I remember reading it in school. I sure wish I had this copy then. This is a great mystery for kids, I loved the story and the illustrations.
This was a fantastic adaptation for children of the classic Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ which is amongst one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes tales.
The original stories I could definitely understand as being perhaps a little too difficult for a younger audience, so I think the fact that it has been adapted to cater for younger readers is absolutely brilliant and introduces children to classics from an early age. And it was really done so well! Adapted perfectly.
I love that the book included a little info box to clear up any words that may be a little confusing or require clarification (like the older terms for taxis) so there’s not only a learning element but is great for reading comprehension and enjoyment too.
This book was immensely fun to read and the illustrations and pictures included on the pages were great and added to an overall enjoyable reading experience. It would be a definite recommend read for anyone with kiddies who wanted to expose them to classics but in a easy way and was a really fun book with an adventure with Dr John Watson and Sherlock Holmes.
This was great. Enjoyed reading Sherlock Holmes again, and it was a great introduction to the detective for my daughter. #kidsSherlock #NetGalley
"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This was a nice adaptation. I generally prefer to wait and read the original text, but if you were reading The Hound of Baskervilles as a family this would be a nice version for the youngest readers. I like that it explained things like a hansom cab. It was also interesting that letters and newspaper articles were printed in the book to look like letters and newspaper articles and not just plain text.
A perfectly judged adaptation of the classic story of haunted aristocracy, deathly beasts and escaped convicts, all combining in the nightmarish world of Grimpen Mire to very entertaining effect. I don't think you could expect this version to a hundred per cent make it seem like it was a story from contemporary times, but neither can I see it feeling more fresh and new. Certainly a lot of the stuffiness is written out of the Conan Doyle, and the target audience (although I haven't the faintest what the literacy scales in the description point to that being) are more than adequately served in getting a timeless tale retold just for them. There's a smattering of good spot illustrations, which show no clue as to how old Holmes and Watson might have been, but combine with the stereotypical look we know and love. The book also apparently comes with a QR code allowing for a free download of the audio version, making this exceptional value. I don't know how the audio will cope with the second page bearing an extended footnote informing the modern youth about Victorian carriages and cabs, but I do know this is well worth a look. Four and a half stars.