DD ready for the next Sherlock Holmes--which one?? UPDATE: Mysteries galore!

[SweetSilver]

We finished reading "Hound of the Baskervilles" together, and my nearly 8yo daughter loved the entire thing.

We just watched a B&W version with Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and also an 80's version with Jeremy Brett.  We have watched each several times.  We have had many conversations about the different versions, and how they differ from the story.

Now she is wanting another Holmes mystery.  The question is: which one?  She liked this one in part because of the hound, if that helps.

[spughy]

I don't know if you have a Kindle but Amazon has a few collections of Sherlock Holmes stories available for free.  And thanks for the idea   My DD (7) loves murder mysteries on TV - I should start reading Sherlock Holmes to her.  (We started watching Sherlock - the new BBC one - but the dialog was too quick, adult and colloquial for her to follow and she got bored.  I should find some of the old Jeremy Brett ones though - I LOVED those as a kid!)

[SweetSilver]

An answer!  An answer!

My daughter loves mysteries as well.  One thing I liked about reading aloud was that I could slow it down and make the adult speech more accessible.  "Hounds" was actually not difficult to do that with. The library has several selections of Holmes novels, including collections, and so without someone to take me by the hand and say "This one!  This one!" I'm going to have to dive in and go by the title.  Spookiest-sounding stuff?  Or should I go chronologically?  Now that we've met Holmes, it might be good to read the first book where Watson shows up?  DD thinks Sherlock is something of a cut-up.  Makes for fun reading.

It was helpful not only to read the book first before watching the Jeremy Brett show, but watching it over and over again, dd was better able to understand what was being said.  We like that version because it stuck the story quite nicely, with only some minor edits, unlike the older version we saw.

What kept dd holding out through the adult banter of the movie, and the long stretches in the book, was the anticipation of the Hound.  I did have to encourage her to keep going once or twice.  

I'd love to hear how your daughter likes it.  

[spughy]

We're watching Young Sherlock Holmes (the 80s movie) now and she seems to be pretty into it.  I put a hold on the Jeremy Brett version of Hound of the Baskervilles at the library - should be ready for pickup tomorrow or Saturday (regional library - they have to bring it in from another branch).

There's a LOT of info on Wikipedia about the stories - that should help you pick another one!  I'm going to see if DD is interested in reading a bit before bed tonight - I think we'll start with the first one (A Study in Scarlet). 

[SweetSilver]

The graphic version of Hound of the Baskervilles, illustrated by INJ Culbard (Sterling Press) is a huge hit in this house.  It sticks nicely to the story, and even has the proper ending.  They also have other illustrated Homles' novels.  We have started A Study In Scarlet from a huge annotated Holmes volume.  It's a bit annoying to read, there are so many notes, but it has some good photographs of places and things mentioned (what is a hansom cab?) that dd finds fascinating.  

There are a lot of stories that aren't full-length novels.  We might take a look at those after.

[SweetSilver]

We started on "A Study In Scarlet" from an annotated collection (wonderful-- I'll get that title back here) but dd1 seemed to lose interest.  I thought perhaps because Hound was so different from these.  We took a break from Sherlock Holmes and dove into Encyclopedia Brown.  DH loved these as a kid, and apparently there are dozens more since then.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I see Scarlet sitting in the graphic novels section.  Even though I tend to reach for the classics first before the graphic versions, I thought this might pique her interest.  She says she's not interested.  But, a couple of days later, she is looking through it on the couch, and finally she clues me in on what she's been thinking:  "Mom!  Sherlock Holmes doesn't die at the end!"  I was surprised.  I know there was a "last" story where the detective dies, and she thought this one was it.  No wonder she had been reluctant.  She wanted to read the book (we did) and then asked for both the Jeremy Brett movies (we have since seen 4 out of the 5 in the collection) and asked for the annotated book back, which which was awesome because it included pictures of the places and things mentioned in the story.

I also happened upon a Hercules Poirot movie with David Suchet, and I brought it home just in case.  She liked it, after I had sat down with her to watch with her.  It was definitely less action-oriented than she preferred, but she always has had an amazing patience for more mature content in books and movies.  Then we tried watching Albert Finney play a very different Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express.  We had fun comparing the two.  Finally, I ordered the first Poirot mystery The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in part so we could decide which actor we liked better as the detective.  Now we are halfway through, I can't quite decide!

So, here we are-- we haven't gone wild with Sherlock Holmes as I expected, but mystery is turning out to be quite the favorite genre at the moment.

I highly recommend the graphic novels I mentioned upthread.  They stay true to the story and were very engaging.

[emilysmama]

I devoured all of the Sherlock Holmes books when I was in eighth grade, I loved them so.  I still do.

I was going to suggest that were I in your shoes, I think I would try to steer my child away from "A Study in Scarlet".  I've always found it to be the creepiest of all of the Sherlock Holmes stories by far.  All of the other Sherlock Holmes stories, however, are fine.

I would recommend any Sherlock Holmes story EXCEPT "A Study in Scarlet".
 

Edited by emilysmama - 2/21/13 at 2:21pm

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by emilysmama 

I would recommend any Sherlock Holmes story EXCEPT "A Study in Scarlet".
 

Too late!! (For us, :) and for the graphic novel anyway.)  I found it an interesting social studies lesson, the motives and storyline being based upon the prevailing views of Mormonism at the time.  The history of that church was quite the sensational story of the 19th century, for sure.  

What's your favorite?

[emilysmama]

Glad you're enjoying  the "Study in Scarlet". 

As for favorites, I loved them all. 

I do recall not enjoying "The Greek Interpreter" because it seemed a little less satisfying than all the others.

I think the "Musgrave Ritual"  was my personal favorite because its solution is simply an application of geometry, but that's just me.

I liked the "Adventure of the Speckled Band" and "The Bruce-Partington Plans" and "The Blue Carbuncle", too.

I tended to like the shorter stories, rather than the very long novels, just because I could read them in one sitting.

I think that the story that concerned your daughter was "The Final Problem", because she was worried that Sherlock Holmes died. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

Tell her not to worry.  The author tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes because he wanted to write other things, but the public demanded that he bring him back to life. 

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by emilysmama 

Tell her not to worry.  The author tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes because he wanted to write other things, but the public demanded that he bring him back to life. 

I read in the annotated novels volume that Hound of the Baskervilles was the story that brought Holmes "back to life" because the novel, intended as something of a ghost story-mystery was sorely in need of a strong central character, and the public was eager for more Holmes' mysteries.

Thank you so much for your recommendations for the short stories.  We just finished Mysterious Affair at Styles, the Poirot mystery, and it was so much fun talking with her, speculating WHO was the murderer, meanwhile I was doing my best to do a Belgian accent for Poirot, very badly.  We also just watched "Mrs. McGinty's Dead".  

I think it's time to get a collection of Holmes short stories.  DD is also wants some of the Miss Marple mysteries.  We'll see what gets here first from the library.