The 100-Year-Old Secret: The Sherlock Files Book One

This book was a big hit with my 11-year-old! They loved the engaging mystery and the connection to Sherlock Holmes, and immediately asked for more books in the series. The story is well-written and perfect for young readers who enjoy solving puzzles and following adventurous plots. Highly recommend for kids who love mysteries and a touch of classic detective flair!

This fun and suspenseful whodunit is sure to delight readers! When American twins Xena and Xander move to London, they learn they're direct descendants of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. After they're given his casebook of unresolved cases - complete with clues - the twins enter a surprising journey of mystery and intrigue that take them all over London and its suburbs. Sherlock Holmes fans will appreciate how author Tracy Barrett masterfully weaves bits and pieces from the original Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into her book. I couldn't put this page-turner down! Complete with a quaint English village, Henry the Eighth's mansion, boarding schools, and numerous art galleries, this book will please thrill-seeking readers.

Fun read for any age. My daughter was thrilled with this story and her book report earned her high marks. I was impressed with the author's words invoking my imagination.

Whenever I read Encyclopedia Brown I think of those bathroom books - you know, the ones with the five minute mysteries and logic puzzles. I think the Brown books are great at introducing the idea of deductive reasoning, but because of their episodic nature they really don't work too well as sustained works of fiction. That's why my hat is off to Ms. Barrett for this series. Think how hard it is to come up with a decent mystery, and reasonable characters, in a short book intended for younger readers. Well, these Sherlock Holmes Files books probably come as close to pulling that off as can be expected. The sibling protagonists are appealing, and the usual sibling rivalry/teasing is kept to a minimum. Secondary characters are stock, but fairly effective. Everyone is very cheerful and helpful, and clues do just sort of poke out here and there, but I'm not sure there's anything you can do about that. The Sherlock Holmes connection adds a nice dash of color, and the references to actual Holmes stories will probably amuse adults who are helping or are reading to the youngsters. So, if your reader likes hidden secret type mysteries, or if you want to try one out, this is a perfectly fine place to start.

My son is reading this for a class project. So far he seems really interested in the book.

I liked everything about the book it had good imagery mystery and when they were trying to ding the painting the girl in the purple hat

This was a Book report pick for my daughter in 4th grade. She really liked it and is now interested in other books in this series. It held her attention well and was great model for her Book report.

I would recommend this book to people who like a good mystery book. This is now one of my favorite books.

Great item! Prompt service! Will deal again!

GREAT BOOKo author keeps the language lucid and exciting.Xena and xandar are great kid detectives.And also the plot is too good for real.Hundered years old secret is just fantastic for kids and those who love mystery and especially SHERLOCK HOMES.Xena and xandar are good at observing people and come to conclusions.But they are not as good to say that they can defeat sherlock homes.While it's very true that Sherlock Homes is the master of all private detective. Book delayed but the five day I got it it was well packed and found it pages quality is not as good.