Young Sherlock Holmes – Death Cloud By Andrew Lane (F LAN)
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If you like murder mysteries, this is a series to try. It is the story of Sherlock Holmes as a young boy and how he realizes and strengthens his detective skills as mysteries present themselves and his curiosity and questioning keeps drawing him towards suspects, evidence and clues. In Death Cloud, young Sherlock is unable to go home for summer break and is dropped off to live with family he barely knows in a strange town. He stumbles on a dead body at the back of the property and Sherlock is not convinced that the cause of death is a new plague. The mysterious dark cloud that rises from the body is consistent with the story of another body found days before. Before he know it, Sherlock is wrapped up in this mystery that gets more confusing the deeper in he gets; he gets so deep that he soon knows too much and is hunted to be silenced. I really liked this book as the action and adventure is consistent through the whole story. Sherlock’s personality is also well described and you really get a taste of the how he becomes the well known detective grows up to be.
A Duet for Home By Karina Yan Glaser (F GLA)
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Huey House is a homeless shelter where June and her family are placed when they stumble on hard times. 11 year old June does not have a good first impression of this place that is now her home. It looks like a jail, has too many rules, and Ms. McMillan is the meanest person she has ever met. Her viola is confiscated, she is sprayed with soda her first night and she has to be ready at 5:30 in the morning for the bus to take them to school. On top of it all, her father has died and her mother won’t get out of bed, leaving her with the sole responsibility to care for her younger sister. Life for June sucks, until she meets other children at Huey House, Ms. G the social worker, and Marcus the “head of security”. June begins to build a life at Huey House as time goes by, only to have the government decide to close the shelter and force all the residents to move out. June and her friends want to help save their home, but what can they do? Find out in this story about friendship, healing and love for music. I really liked this story as it shows the real life struggles families can face, and the kindness of others who truly care. Definitely a must read if you like realistic fiction.