The 100-Year-Old Secret

The 100-Year-Old Secret; The Sherlock Files, Book One
by Tracy Barrett

Henry Holt & Company, 2008







Genre:  Gumshoe Mystery

Honors:  Virginia Readers' Choice Master List nominee, Great Stone Face Book Award nominee, Volunteer State Book Award nominee, Nevada Young Readers' Award Master List, Young Hoosier Book Award nominee, Sequoyah Book Award nominee, Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee, Surrey Schools' Book of the Year Award nominee, Junior Library Guild selection

Reviews:  When Xena and Xander Holmes move to England with their parents for a year, they discover their true heritage; that they are great-grandchildren of the famous Sherlock Holmes. A special secret society gives the two kids the gift of a lifetime - the unsolved and unfinished case book of Sherlock Holmes. Xena and Xander use their combined talents to take on those unsolved mysteries one by one, beginning with the 100 year old missing painting.

Opinion:  A wonderful tribute to Sherlock Holmes, this book is entertaining and perfect for the gumshoe lovers. I loved following the clues and deductions of the children, and was enticed to try to come up with some ideas of how to solve the mystery on my own, which was great fun.

Ideas:  As this book revolves around the great fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it would be a perfect suggestion for kids who are looking for further reading after finishing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, or the Baker Street Irregulars.