The Case That Time Forgot (Sherlock Files (Hardback)) [Hardcover]

Tracy Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Sherlock Files (Hardback) (Book 3)

Xander’s classmate Karim tells him about a famous amulet carved in the shape of Thoth, the Egyptian god of time. It was thought to be so powerful that it could turn back time one day every hundred years. And that day is in a week!

The amulet disappeared from a London museum years ago. Xena and Xander’s celebrated ancestor Sherlock Holmes tried to find it, but had no luck. The twins are on the case—and so are mysterious foes who are trying to thwart and perhaps even harm them! Can Xander and Xena track down what Sherlock Holmes could not?

The Case That Time Forgot is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 Xena and Xander are crunched for time with only one week to solve their next case. After sending the duo a cryptic note to test their detective skills, Xander's friend Karim tells the siblings about an Egyptian water clock stolen years ago that contained a hidden amulet. Now missing, it may have the power to invoke the god Thoth, and possibly, to stop time. Sherlock Holmes's famous cold-case book goes missing and his youthful ancestors receive a threatening note warning them off the case. Meanwhile they follow enigmatic, century-old clues leading to the talisman. Red herrings abound, mixed with the real clues. The siblings use rock-climbing skills, a photographic memory, cell-phone cameras, and computers to solve the mystery. The action progresses pleasingly and the characters are a good mix of caution and risk. Even better, the story features some London locales and references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories. Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ
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From Booklist

American kids living in London with their parents, Xena and Xander are not just the descendants of Sherlock Holmes. They have his notebook of unsolved cases, and they’re not afraid to use it, even when they run up against the nefarious schemes of twenty-first-century opponents. After a classmate of Egyptian descent asks for help finding an ancient amulet, the young sleuths spring into action. No surprises here, but the third mystery in the Sherlock Files series will please fans intrigued by ancient Egypt, codes, danger, and the tantalizing possibility of magic. Grades 4-6. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805080465
• ISBN-13: 978-0805080469
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up mostly in New York state. I went to college in New England and graduate school in California.

The first book I ever read by myself was called Little Bobo and His Blue Jacket. I still have it. I learned to read when I was three, but I know now that this doesn't mean much. My brother didn't really read until he was seven, and now he reads more and remembers it better than I do.

I have a husband, two grown children, and two crazy Jack Russell terriers.

I teach Italian and other subjects at Vanderbilt University, but I've handed in my resignation and plan to retire in May, 2012, to write full time. I love doing school visits and hope that when my schedule doesn't mean that I'm working while kids are in school, I'll be able to do more of them.

I like to travel, especially to Italy, and especially with my family. I used to skydive (that's how I met my husband, but on the ground, not in the air!) but I haven't jumped out of an airplane in a long time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Close to Perfection!, December 14, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Case That Time Forgot (Sherlock Files (Hardback)) (Hardcover)

This is the second book that I have read in the Sherlock Files series. I loved the first one so much that I could not wait to read this one. Just like the first book, The 100 Year Old Secret, Xena and Xander are trying to solve a mystery. They are brother and sister in London, England and are related to Sherlock Holmes.

In this book, Xena and Xander's friend, Karim, tells them that his great, great, great grandfather confessed that he stole an amulet from a museum that could make time stand still every 50 years. The next time this was supposed to happen was just one week away. Using notes that Karim got from his grandfather they begin to gather clues. They show the clues to the members of SPFD, the detective club they joined in the first book of the series. They need them to help translate some hieroglyphics in two of the clues. The clues lead them to places all over London like Big Ben, a pub and a library. The clues were like a treasure hunt. One led to another and another and so on. While they were going from one clue to the next, weird things kept happening to them. Someone had been listening to them while they were talking about the mystery. That person began following them. Xena and Xander knew they were being followed because kept hearing noises and finding the same footprint every time they went looking for clues. The secret person tried to keep them off track so they could not solve the mystery. He even put them in danger sometimes. They really wanted to find out who this person was and why he was trying to keep them from finding the amulet. In the end though, they find out he was only trying to solve the mystery himself and get the amulet so he could help his mother get her job back that she had just lost. Finally, just like in The 100 Year Old Secret, they put enough clues together to find the amulet and solve the mystery.

I think this mystery was written to perfection. I actually got so nervous while reading certain parts that I got shivers and felt that somebody was sneaking up on me. I liked how Tracy Barrett describes how Xena and Xander used each of the clues they found to get closer to finding the amulet. I don't think I could have solved them they way they did. One thing I think you will like if you read this book is that the author did not let Xena and Xander get everything they wanted in the end. They solved the mystery but did not get what they expected. I hope you read this book to find out what I mean by that.

In the end though, I did not like where they found the amulet. I thought it could have been found in a place that was much more interesting. That's the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five. That still does not mean I can't wait to read the next book in the series. So far there are three books in the series. I hope Tracy Barrett keeps writing more Sherlock Mysteries so I can keep reading them.