The Library Vault

I confess that I do love children’s books. They are just as captivating to me as any longer, more adult work of fiction. I suspect I am not alone, so here is the first of my recommendations of children’s books that adults will love.

Sherlock Holmes has a younger sister. Who knew?

Author Nancy Springer has penned a captivating series, beginning with The Case of the Missing Marquis. The book introduces Enola Holmes, a girl abandoned on her fourteenth birthday when her mother walks out of the house and disappears. When her two (much older) brothers Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes learn what has happened, they decide to place Enola in a boarding school while they search for their missing mother.

The rebellious Enola has other ideas, which include finding their missing mother before Sherlock and Mycroft do. Her mother has left behind clues, leading Enola to hidden caches of money. She then escapes from her brothers and travels on her own to London, where she turns her talents to becoming a perditorian, a finder of the lost. Having mastered the art of disguise, Enola manages to stay two steps ahead of Sherlock and Mycroft while solving crimes in London.

This series is entertaining for adults as well as kids because it is not over-simplified and the solutions to the mysteries are not obvious. London’s social rules are humorously and sometimes poignantly viewed through the eyes of Enola, a very grown-up fourteen-year-old, who often is outraged at the restrictions society places on women. The darker, crueler side of London is also depicted in sobering scenes of poverty, filth, crime, and disease.

Kids will love the clever Enola, who can disguise herself so well, she often walks right past her two older brothers without them even recognizing her! Adults will delight in Enola’s interactions with her brother Sherlock, which are written with wit and humor. As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I greatly enjoyed this portrayal of the world’s most famous fictional detective. He truly cares for what he views as his wayward sister and comes to respect her intelligence and courage. He and Enola have some very amusing adventures before the ending of the series.

And, yes, Netflix is making the books into a series of movies. To be blunt, I was unimpressed by the first movie. It strays too far from the original story and completely misses in the portrayal of the witty and quick-thinking Enola. My opinion? Give the movies a miss.

However, I highly recommend the book series for all readers interested in Sherlock Holmes, and Victorian London.