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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall Author: Ali Standish, in partnership with the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. Publisher: Harper
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 4-8 Genre/Type of Book: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Detective/Spy novel
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: n/a Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I love mysteries and Sherlock Holmes! I was interested to see what his fictional childhood would be portrayed like and was hoping for a good mystery. I thought it was interesting to see that the book was written in partnership with the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: From Dr. Watson on page 240: "Baskerville Hall is a dangerous place at the best of times. It is a place of many secrets. You would be wise to be careful which of its secrets you stumble across."
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Review:
I had high hopes for this book being a huge mystery fan and also a Sherlock Holmes fan, but it fell a little short. That being said, it could be that my extra-high hopes were the issue, and not entirely the book's fault. I did not solve the mystery but then I rarely do.
The book had a Harry Potter vibe which I was not expecting. A group of unlikely friends from different walks of life meeting at an old, shadowy school with spooky characters, secret societies, and crazy adventures made me wonder if I wasn't back at Hogwarts. The book opens in September in Scotland and Arthur has decided he is not going back to Newington Academy. He is going to go to work to help support his disadvantaged family. His "mum" says that he must not quit school as he is destined for something great. Arthur says that family is the greatest thing of all (I loved this comeback!). Then Arthur gets a rather mysterious letter saying he has been accepted at Baskerville Hall, starting tomorrow! Tuition is free, all expenses are taken care of, and "their secrets are guarded closely from the outside world." An airship picks him up and takes him to school.
Here, Arthur meets his life-long formidable opponent, Jimmie Moriarty, in a boxing match and they discover they will be roommates. Arthur meets a host of friends and foes, some of whom seem to be trying to frame him and/or kill him. The Clover is a secret society that is the most powerful group in the country, probably the world, according to Irene, one of Arthur's new friends. So why are they so desperate to get Arthur and his friends to join? And who is that mysterious person in a green cloak who appears in the shadows of the woods?
The book has a lot of fun elements that will appeal to middle schoolers (I think there is something for everyone thrown in!)- prowling wolves, extinct birds showing up on school grounds, time machines, mysterious break ins, a dinosaur egg that hatches and imprints on Arthur, a portrait that falls on people, trying to kill them, secret panels and rooms that smell like freshly dug graves! Arthur has to deal with all that, plus he has a mystery to solve! He certainly has his work cut out for him!
This book has shorter chapters that makes it good for a read aloud where you can easily tackle a chapter a day. Reading a mystery book to a class is fun because it lends itself to a discussion of "whodunit." While being a mystery, it is not gory, violent, or too scary. There are no pictures in the book, so it might be fun to have students draw what they think the academy looks like, or some of the mysterious characters that lurk on the grounds. There are themes of having a strong body to mind connection for healing, and being brave, courageous, and valuing intelligence. I would recommend this book to my sixth and seventh graders (maybe not my eighth graders) who like mysteries and Harry Potter. While I did not love it as much as I thought I might, I think 4-6 graders will enjoy this book, and I hope it inspires more Sherlock Holmes fans! The sequel, The Sign of the Fire has a planned release in November 2024.
In the back of the book, there is a section of photos and drawings from Arthur Conan Doyle's world. There is a sample of Arthur Conan Doyle's handwriting when he was a little boy, age six. There are photos of him growing up, and with his children. There is also a short "All About Arthur Conan Doyle" section. His early life mimics some of the fictious Arthur in the book, minus the baby dragon imprinting!
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Perhaps you can solve the mystery of why this book does not appear in Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website