Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case [Hardcover]

Shane Peacock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: The Boy Sherlock Holmes (Book 3)

The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

When a wealthy young girl vanishes as if by magic in Hyde Park, Sherlock is once again driven to prove himself. In a heart-stopping race against time, an innocent boy’s survival depends on Sherlock’s ability to solve the mysterious puzzle of the Vanishing Girl. As complex as the maze that protects the missing girl’s hiding place, this case takes Sherlock racing to the countryside, the coast, and into the lair of a menagerie of exotic, dangerous creatures.

Haunted by memories of his shattered family, goaded by his enemies, driven to heal the fragile relationship between him and the beautiful Irene Doyle, Sherlock makes an almost fatal mistake. In the end, his brilliant powers of deduction and the steadfast eccentric Sigerson Bell save the day. Soon, very soon, the world will come to know him as the master detective of all time.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this third The Boy Sherlock Holmes series title, the 13-year-old gifted detective determines to find a government official’s daughter, who has seemingly disappeared without a trace. A ransom note clue, though, draws Sherlock into an increasingly suspenseful and dangerous investigation. The richly descriptive prose offers a vivid sense of both Victorian life and the diverse characters, especially complex, intriguing, and sympathetic Sherlock, an outsider conflicted between arrogance and self-doubt, reason and emotion, and driven by his desire for justice and sorrow over past tragedies. Returning readers will enjoy following young Sherlock as he develops his abilities and will look forward to his continuing adventures. Grades 7-10. --Shelle Rosenfeld

Review

Praise for Eye Of The Crow:
“…the first intriguing volume in an ambitious new series…. plenty of readers will… find themselves irresistibly drawn into his thrilling adventures.”
— Booklist, Starred review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books; 1 edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887768520
• ISBN-13: 978-0887768521
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #803,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye of the Crow, February 6, 2010

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case (Kindle Edition)

This was a great book, I couldn't put it down. This book inspired me to read not only the rest of the series, but to also take on the true Sherlock Holmes series.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the Holmes that you know, April 6, 2011

By 

Andy Shuping (Macon, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanishing Girl: THE BOY SHERLOCK HOLMES, HIS 3RD CASE (Paperback)

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
There are a couple of different ways to look at this book. The first is imagine that the main character, Sherlock Holmes, is actually named something else entirely. In which case the book is a decent detective story with mildly interesting characters. There are a couple of plot holes and rather lengthy passages that seemingly have nothing to do with the plot of the story, but overall is fairly easy to follow. The major drawback is that its a book in a series and you're introduced to characters and have mentions of other plots thrown at you, but no clue as to the real relationship they have with the characters.

Reading the book as a Sherlock Holmes story, is a bit different. All of the above remain true, but there are other exasperating questions thrown in, the details of which seem to have been pulled from no where in the Sherlock chronology. For example, at a few different points in the story the insult of "Jew boy" is thrown out and "half breed". There's no explanation given in this novel as to why those are the insults of choice, but even more exasperating to a fan of the Holmes mythology is...why is he referred to as Jewish? Basically all this character has in common with Sherlock Holmes is the name and heightened powers of deduction.

In short, if you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes avoid the book. If you're looking for just a mystery to read and don't really care about Sherlock Holmes then the book isn't terrible.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Holmes, great story, great mystery, November 15, 2010

By 

A. Allen (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case (Hardcover)

It is quickly apparent why Peacock's works have won him several awards. Vanishing Girl is the third in a young adult series establishing Sherlock Holmes' detective career and prowess. I had not read the first two when I received this book. Although it would have added a little bit of clarity to the past referenced throughout, it is certainly not necessary to have read the other books before enjoying the third.

In Vanishing Girl, Holmes attempts to beat Scotland Yard to the solution of the kidnapping and burglary crimes. In the process of discovering the answers and solving the riddles, Holmes learns more about himself as a young man, as a friend, and as a detective. He employs many of the technical skills he has begun to learn to solve the crimes, but the real reward arrives when he learns what kind of person he will choose to be.

Peacock weaves a believable and solvable mystery around a great story of a young man with a troubled past and a complicated future. I was drawn into the mystery and its facets, but I was even more taken by Holmes, his guardian Bell, his friend Irene, and all of the minor characters that plotted the story. I look forward to reading more of the books in this series.

Highly recommended for all young adult readers, mystery readers, and Holmes fans.