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

by Tracy Mack, Michael Citrin, Greg Ruth (Illustrator)

Overview

Sherlock Holmes and his Baker Street Irregulars are on the case in this brand new paperback edition of THE FALL OF THE AMAZING ZALINDAS!

If you have not heard about the world's most brilliant crime solver of all time, the consulting detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, you have undoubtedly spent your years beneath a large rock — for much has been written about him. Those familiar with Mr. Holmes know that a gang of homelss boys, called the Baker Street Irregulars, assisted him in his crime solving.When a murder at the circus unravels another, far more treacherous crime, the master detective and the boys of the BSI must pursue terrifying villians to solve this mystery, dodging danger at every turn....

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545069397
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2009
Series:	Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 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.
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. Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin are married and live in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, with their two young children.
Greg Ruth has written and drawn stories for Dark Horse Comics, DC/Vertigo Comics, Fantagraphics, and the New York Times. He is also the illustrator of Our Enduring Spirit, a picture book edition of President Barack Obama's first inaugural address, and the creator of the graphic novel The Lost Boy. Greg lives and works in western Massachusetts. Visit his website at gregthings.com.

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.

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