The Hundred-Year-Old Secret Book

Xena and Xander Holmes have just discovered they’re related to Sherlock Holmes and have inherited his unsolved casebook! The siblings set out to solve the cases their famous ancestor couldn’t, starting with the mystery of a prized painting that vanished more than a hundred years ago. Can two smart twenty-first-century kids succeed where Sherlock Holmes could not?

Modern technology meets the classic detective story in this terrific new mystery series that will intrigue young sleuths everywhere!

Children's Literature

Twelve-year-old Xena and ten-year-old Xander Holmes have moved with their parents from sunny Florida to rainy London for the year. Though their parents have never told them, they are descended from Sherlock Holmes. Their father has taught them the Game—a competition in which they look for clues to strangers' occupations in the way they dress or carry themselves. As the children play the Game on the steps of their London hotel, a chubby, white-haired stranger thrusts a piece of paper into Xena's hand and hurries off. The message, written in disappearing ink and asking them to come to a nearby pub and order a saucer of milk for their snake, begins Xena and Xander's adventure. Once they have passed an initial test, The Society for the Preservation of Famous Detectives welcomes them enthusiastically and presents them with their ancestor's notebook labeled "SH Cases: Unresolved." The only sour note is the grumpiness of Andrew, a boy Xena's age, who turns out to be descended from Dr. Watson and who attends the school the Holmes children will enroll in the next Monday. Of course, Xena and Xander cannot resist trying to solve one of the cases: the disappearance of a painting called "Girl in a Purple Hat" by Nigel Batheson. Their search for clues takes them through various adventures and finally to the painting itself. These adventures are interspersed with experiences at school, where Andrew becomes friendlier as he helps Xander improve his soccer game. The story moves quickly, and the characters are lively and engaging. The book is the first in a series called "The Sherlock Files." Reviewer: Judy DaPolito