The Dragon Tattoo (Baker Street Mysteries) by Tim Pigott-Smith
| The Dragon Tattoo (Baker Street Mysteries) by Tim Pigott-Smith | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Enjoyable Victorian crime caper based on the Baker Street Irregulars, street urchins who worked for Sherlock Holmes. Easy to read and full of derring do, it's good fun. Expect the series to continue. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 208 | Date: August 2008 |
| Publisher: Hodder | |
| ISBN: 0340957034 | |
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Sherlock Holmes has disappeared. Dr Watson is rather worried. He knows that Holmes, obsessed with bringing Professor Moriarty to justice, has a tendency to go undercover. But even Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard is baffled as to the great detective's whereabouts. And Watson isn't the only person who's wondering. Page boy Billy Chizzell is determined to find Holmes and earn a reputation as a hero.
Elswewhere in Victorian London, Sam Wiggins is equally worried about his friend Ann-Li. She has been kidnapped by the notorious Dragon Clan of Shanghai, who are blackmailing her father over his criminal past. He's as determined to rescue her as Billy is to find Holmes. Their quests bring them together - and, together with the other Baker Street Irregulars - they find themselves in Limehouse, facing great peril.
It's a lovely idea for a book. The Baker Street Irregulars make fleeting appearances in the real Conan Doyle stories; street urchins employed by Sherlock Holmes at a shilling a day. In Tim Pigott-Smith's world, it's the urchins doing the employing. As in all good stories for newly confident readers, these Irregulars are plucky and adventurous, with a great sense of loyalty to their friends. They all have problems to overcome, and they face them with great courage.
It's simply written, with a good dollop of humour underneath the action. And it's a rattling good tale, well-worked out with herrings red enough to spot and think about, but subtle enough not to give the game away too quickly, and perfect for keen readers from mid to late primary age. And they'll all look forward to the next instalment.
My thanks to the nice people at Hodder for sending the book.
If they enjoyed The Dragon Tattoo, they might also like Ghostsitters by Angie Sage or Abbot Dagger's Academy and the Quest for the Holy Grail by Sam Llewellyn.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Dragon Tattoo (Baker Street Mysteries) by Tim Pigott-Smith at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Dragon Tattoo (Baker Street Mysteries) by Tim Pigott-Smith at Amazon.com.
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