Review of the Week

Enola Holmes Series
By Nancy Springer
By far, this is one of my favorite mystery series being written for kids right now. The series begins with Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes's eccentric mother disappearing, leaving behind a significantly younger sister. In their usual lack of tact, the men decide to pack 14-year-old independent minded Enola off to boarding school. Enola has other ideas. Thus begins her adventures in dodging her brothers and running her own rival detective agency.

These books are classic mysteries with clues, red herrings, and lots of deductive reasoning. Enola has to decipher codes in various mediums, use disguises, spy out the land, and practice self-defense. For kids who want a classic mystery, these books are some of the best out there. And for those authors who are looking to write mysteries, studying the way Springer arranges her plots would be most instructive.

I cannot recommend these highly enough.