World Famous Comics: Classic Starts: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Starts Series)
Classic Starts: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Starts Series)
By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Publisher: Sterling Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Sterling Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 160 Publication Date: March 01, 2005 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Following Sterling's spectacularly successful launch of its children's classic novels (240,000 books in print to date),comes a dazzling new series: Classic Starts. The stories are abridged; the quality is complete. Classic Starts treats the world's beloved tales (and children) with the respect they deserve--all at an incomparable price.
No child is too young to appreciate the amazing deductive powers of the world's smartest detective. These easy-to-read Sherlock Holmes stories provide the perfect introduction to the super sleuth and his friend and assistant, Dr. Watson. Among the intriguing tales: "A Scandal in Bohemia," Holmes's first encounter with the mysterious Irene Adler; "The Red-Headed League"; "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" and others.
Classic Starts: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Classic Starts: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes features abridged versions of six short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The language is simplified for younger readers, but the essence of the original stories is not compromised. The book includes "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League", "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", "The Greek Interpreter" and "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons".
There are several nice black and white illustrations to complement each story. My only criticism of the illustrations is that Watson seems too old. Dr. Watson was only a few years Sherlock Holmes' senior, but is depicted as much older in several screen adaptations. The illustrations in this book seem to be based more on the screen versions of the characters than the original Sidney Padget drawings. Padget's illustrations show the two men to be much closer in age. However, this is a very minor quibble on my part. The age difference will likely help young children differentiate between Holmes and Watson.
The modern, easy-to-read language and abridged format in this book make these classic stories accessible to younger readers who may find the complex vocabulary or length of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original work too challenging. This would be a great choice for a 7-10 year old who enjoys mysteries but might not be ready to tackle the Sherlock Holmes books on their own just yet. Classic Starts: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes also includes discussion questions to help broaden the reader's understanding of the stories.
Classic Sherlock Holmes Tales Rewritten for the Younger Set! Six classic Sherlock Holmes tales are abridged for the 9-12 year-old set in this 2005 release from Sterling Publishing. The stories are retold by Chris Sasaki while Lucy Corvino supplies b&w drawings for some of the tales.
Like other titles in Sterling's 'Classic Starts Library,' THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES offers up rewritten versions of classic stories. In this case, reader are treated to abridged versions of 'A Scandal in Bohemia,' 'The Redheaded League,' 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,' 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band,' 'The Greek Interpreter' and 'The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.'
Sterling claims that their reworked versions were carefully rewritten so that each is "filled with the magic and excitement" that made the originals "beloved favorites." As much as I applaud anyone's efforts to get young readers hooked on Sherlock Holmes, I don't feel the abridgements are magical or exciting. They fairly faithfully duplicate plot lines but are missing the sparkle, suspense and humor found in the original Doyle stories.
Being a longtime Holmes fan, I may be too harsh on the Sterling volume. If you have younger readers who might enjoy the Master Detective, by all means, check out this book. It may be just what that 10-year old child of yours is looking for. Recommended with reservations.
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