Reviews for The Hundred-Year-Old Secret

The average rating for The Hundred-Year-Old Secret based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-03-05 00:00:00 Barry Chin Aimed at the 10-12 year old set, apparently, this is a smart, interesting mystery for younger readers. Xena and Xander Holmes are siblings whose family has just moved to the UK for a year. Brother and sister enjoy whiling time away playing the Game - a game handed down through the generations in their family, which consists of observing passers-by and making deductions about them. They're a rather sharp pair of children, each with their own special talents. They discover that they are in fact great-great-great grandchildren of Sherlock Holmes (who on earth did crusty old Sherlock marry? Perhaps future volumes will hold the answer) and are given his notebook of unsolved cases. In the course of this novel, they solve a 100-year old mystery of a missing painting, a case that the original Holmes undertook but then abandoned possibly for a more interesting case, apparently. It's an ingenious enough mystery for the target age group and at times it gave me some of the same thrill I felt as a young boy reading the Three Investigators mysteries, although this is a much tidier story with no real danger facing our juvenile sleuths, perhaps so as not to scare the intended readers. There isn't much by way of a take on the Holmes persona and unless future installments hold further revelations, it's clear that the charm of this series will be in following its young protagonists as they apply a combination of modern technology and traditional Sherlockian methods to solving some of their ancestor's cold cases rather than in a deep engagement with the canon. An interesting hook for a juvenile mystery series, in any case.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-10-26 00:00:00 Rhett Willett Two children who discover they are the decendents of Sherlock Holmes solve a mystery and meet other decendents of the Holmsian world while finding a long lost painting. Who couldn't resist the lure of a book about Sherlock Holmes? Sadly this mystery story does not live up to its title. Siblings Xena and Xander discover they are the great great great grandchildren of the lengendary Sherlock Holmes. For those who have read Conan Doyle's original books this will be a big disappointment and for those who have not, the many references to clues that relate to Mr. Holmes will be completely incomprehensible. The story is mildly interesting but not compelling. I would not use this book to introduce mystery stories to the 4th-6th grade crowd it is written for. Rather I would introduce them to the A to Z mysteries by Ron Roy, the Bunnicula series by James Howe or the books by Peg Kehret and let students find this one on their own. References: Booklist (May 1, 2008 (Vol. 104, No. 17))and School Library Journal (June 1, 2008)rate this book for grades 4-6 and 4-7 respectively. Both of these reviewers feel the book has promise for an entertaining series and state the plot is well written and paced. Booklist also makes note of the role reversal with Xander trying to win approval while Xena keeps her wits around her.