The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas (Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars #1)

by Tracy Mack, Michael Citrin

Overview

Mysteries are the next big thing! This is a new spin on the most famous detective stories of all time, focusing on the kids who helped Sherlock Holmes solve mysteries and save England from doom.

Sherlock Holmes stories captured readers' imaginations for more than a century. Now Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin will capture the hearts of a new generation with a unique new twist on these beloved mysteries.

Few know: Holmes was assisted by a band of devoted boys, street urchins who loved to solve mysteries, called the Baker Street Irregulars. These boys go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone undetected. Now, in this exciting tale, Wiggins, Ozzie, Simon, and the rest--with the aid of Pilar, a gypsy girl--help Sherlock Holmes solve the case of the deaths of the Amazing Walendas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545069397
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2009
Series:	Reluctant Royals #01 , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	275,775
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tracy Mack is the author of two celebrated novels: BIRDLAND, a Book Sense Top Ten Book, a Sydney Taylor Award Honor Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and DRAWING LESSONS, a Booklist Top Ten First Novel and a Teen People NEXT Award Finalist.
Michael Citrin is an attorney and has been a Sherlock Holmes fan since he was a young boy.
Together they have written the Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars series published by Orchard Books. Tracy and Michael are married and live in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts with their three young children.

Table of Contents

Editorial Reviews

Fans of the great Sherlock Holmes know that the great sleuth frequently called upon the Baker Street Irregulars, a motley gang of homeless boys, to assist him in his investigations. In this new series, these ragamuffin helpers move to the forefront, solving cases with their own street smarts. In this first installment, the Irregulars help Holmes track down leads in a case that involves murder, espionage, a royal treasure, acrobats, and archenemies.

This "first casebook" in the Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars series puts a new twist on the success behind Scotland Yard's star detective. Readers familiar with Sherlock Holmes know that he relied on Dr. Watson, but Mack (Drawing Lessons) and her husband here reveal the role of the lesser-known Baker Street Irregulars, an "extremely enthusiastic and loyal gang of homeless boys." (Since Watson is the "author" of the detective's stories, the boys believe he's played down their contributions out of jealousy, and, indeed, Watson says of them: "With troops like these, we would have lost India long ago.") Led by the street-smart Wiggins and Ozzie, a scrivener's apprentice, the Irregulars investigate the link between the murders of three circus tightrope walkers (the title Zalindas) and the theft of a valuable book from Buckingham Palace. The introduction of the large cast of characters slows the pace a bit, but the authors vividly evoke the realities of 19th-century London. The Irregulars are a heartbreaking bunch, including Stitch, son of an Irish tailor whose family perished in a fire, and Rohan, whose fisherman father was lost at sea. The plotting involves red herrings and narrow escapes, and though Holmes solves the case, the boys remain at the heart of the action. The concluding "Facts and practicals for the aspiring detective" and Ruth's half-tone illustrations of the famous fellow and this motley young crew add to the elegant feel of the volume. Ages 9-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Fortune-tellers, murders, a world-famous detective, the Prince of Wales, missing jewels, the circus, a villain with the delicious name of Orlando Vile, a band of brave street urchins and we are off on an exciting adventure to solve a crime or two in Victorian London. The Baker Street Irregulars, who first helped Sherlock Holmes solve the case in A Study in Scarlett, take the spotlight from Holmes and Watson here and manage to give the famed detective the information he needs to take the credit for recovering stolen jewels and unraveling the mystery at hand. Ozzie, Wiggins, Stitch, Elf, Rohan, and their cohorts are introduced as abandoned children who have become a family and whose natural common sense and love of adventure save the day. Extras include a listing of the cast of characters, a cockney slang dictionary with pronunciation help, and chapters on the science of deduction and the art of disguise. A secret message embedded in the text is a treat for budding cryptologists and reveals a wonderful gift to the solver. The solution of the mystery will keep readers guessing and may entice some to investigate Sherlock Holmes and the original Irregulars in Conan Doyle's stories.

Children's Literature - Jane Jessell

Gr 5–8
When three tightrope walkers fall to their deaths, Sherlock Holmes must investigate. He is aided by a group of street children who help him as well as one another. These ragamuffins, led by the very capable Wiggins, go to the circus to seek out clues while Holmes and Watson pursue other leads. The case involves the theft of a priceless 17th-century book commissioned by Charles I1 and only meant to be seen by the ruling king or queen. Frail Ozzie turns out to be a vital new member of the Irregulars with a razor-sharp memory, and a gypsy girl from the circus proves helpful to solving the murders. Ozzie and Wiggins are memorable characters, and Holmes and Watson are extremely well defined. Black-and-white illustrations seem quite slapdash and do little to enhance the Victorian flavor of the book. Alex Simmons and Bill McKay's The Raven League (Sleuth, 2006), another story about Holmes and a gang of waifs, gives readers a more immediate impression of the realities of Victorian London with its many abused and homeless children, child labor, filth, and class differences.
—B. Allison GrayCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

In a fresh go at an angle taken by Robert Newman back in the '80s, Mack and Citrin present a hitherto-undocumented case from the point of view of the squad of street children Holmes occasionally employed. Here, the theft of a hidden treasure from Buckingham Palace and the deaths of three high-wire acrobats in a seeming accident are linked and the culprits identified. This is thanks to sharp detective work by lead urchin Wiggins; his new young associate Ozzy, an asthmatic, newly orphaned apprentice forger; and (to the discomposure of the misogynistic Holmes) Pilar, a Romany fortuneteller's daughter with the handy ability to read lips. The authors fold in plenty of characters and references from the Holmes canon, as well as an embedded code that hints at sequels. They close with various notes on period hats, transportation and other topics. Comics artist Ruth provides a few atmospheric illustrations to this fast-paced, authentically styled caper. (cast list, endpaper map) (Fiction. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews

Kikus
In a fresh go at an angle taken by Robert Newman back in the '80s, Mack and Citrin present a hitherto-undocumented case from the point of view of the squad of street children Holmes occasionally employed. Here, the theft of a hidden treasure from Buckingham Palace and the deaths of three high-wire acrobats in a seeming accident are linked and the culprits identified.
This is thanks to sharp detective work by lead urchin Wiggins; his new young associate Ozzy, an asthmatic, newly orphaned apprentice forger; and (to the discomposure of the misogynistic
Holmes) Pilar, a Romany fortuneteller's daughter with the handy ability to read lips. The authors fold in plenty of characters and references from the Holmes canon, as well as an embedded code that hints at sequels. They close with various notes on period hats, transportation and other topics.
Comics artist Ruth provides a few atmospheric illustrations to this fast-paced, authentically styled caper. (cast list, endpaper map) (Fiction. 11-13)
. . .
pw
This "first casebook" in the Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars series puts a new twist on the success behind Scotland Yard's star detective. Readers familiar with Sherlock Holmes know that he relied on Dr. Watson, but Mack (Drawing Lessons) and her husband here reveal the role of the lesser-known Baker Street Irregulars, an "extremely enthusiastic and loyal gang of homeless boys." (Since Watson is the "author" of the detective's stories, the boys believe he's played down their contributions out of jealousy, and, indeed, Watson says of them: "With troops like these, we would have lost India long ago.") Led by the street-smart Wiggins and Ozzie, a scrivener's apprentice, the Irregulars investigate the link between the murders of three circus tightrope walkers (the title Zalindas) and the theft of a valuable book from Buckingham Palace. The introduction of the large cast of characters slows the pace a bit, but the authors vividly evoke the realities of 19th-century London. The Irregulars are a heartbreaking bunch, including Stitch, son of an Irish tailor whose family perished in a fire, and Rohan, whose fisherman father was lost at sea. The plotting involves red herrings and narrow escapes, and though Holmes solves the case, the boys remain at the heart of the action. The concluding "Facts and practicals for the aspiring detective" and Ruth's half-tone illustrations of the famous fellow and this motley young crew add to the elegant feel of the volume. Ages 9-12. (Sept.)

Booklist
A gang of street urchin detectives shines in this lively series debut by a husband-wife team. When the tightrope artists the Amazing Zalindas fall to their deaths, Sherlock Holmes suspects foul play and enlists the youthful "street sleuths," who find ties between the deaths and a valuable stolen book. Colorful, well-defined characters--from gang leader Wiggins to lively Pilar, the circus fortune-teller's daughter--and plenty of historical detail, Cockney slang (a glossary would have been helpful), and Sherlockian references bring Victorian England to life. Vintage-style design elements and evocative black-and-white illustrations further the effect. A pleasing package and a good start to the Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars series, this is an entertaining, suspenseful read for youthful crime buffs. Shelle

From the Publisher