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Baker Street Boys #1
The Case of the Disappearing Detective
When Sherlock Holmes goes missing in sinister circumstances, only his gang of young detectives can save him. Suggested level: primary, intermediate.
149 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
9 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Read
34 books28 followersAnthony "Tony" Read (born 21 April 1935) was a British script editor, television writer and author. He was principally active in British television from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, although he occasionally contributed to televised productions until 1999. Starting in the 1980s, he launched a second career as a print author, concentrating largely on World War II histories. Since 2004 he regularly wrote prose fiction, mainly in the form of a revival of his popular 1983 television show, The Baker Street Boys.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 24, 2024
Short books and wonderful stories.
Sparrow is so adorable character in it
And Wiggins is brilliant.
There are three girls in the baker street boys team. All they are street urchins, orphans. Their leader Wiggins works for the great detective Mr Sherlock Holmes.
Easy to read, entertaining adventure set in London at the end of the 19th century.
Sparrow is so adorable character in it
And Wiggins is brilliant.
There are three girls in the baker street boys team. All they are street urchins, orphans. Their leader Wiggins works for the great detective Mr Sherlock Holmes.
Easy to read, entertaining adventure set in London at the end of the 19th century.
May 31, 2015
When I first got this book I was curious about what this book would be like. It turned out to be better than I thought. It has a lot of action in the book and is very dramatic. I liked how the book grabbed my attention with the first sentence about the fog. I liked how the author had logic in the book and I thought the author was very clever in thinking about the crime. I feel that the author made the names very victorian which was very clever. I recommend this book to everyone.
March 1, 2016
Mainly aimed at YA's, this is a first in a 'Spin-off' series involving the Baker Street Boys from Sherlock Holmes.
A really enjoyable tale that fits perfectly into the Holmes Cannon, will certainly read the other books in the series.
A really enjoyable tale that fits perfectly into the Holmes Cannon, will certainly read the other books in the series.
July 18, 2020
4/5
A solid 4 out 5 stars for this Holmes spin off about Holmes' beloved irregulars!
I loved the fact that they were given such emphasis and importance! Especially since they had such great potential as minor characters!
This book is well written and had me hooked till the last page. There are definitely better Sherlock Holmes spin offs out there but this was a good read nonetheless. Especially for younger readers!
Happy Reading xx
A solid 4 out 5 stars for this Holmes spin off about Holmes' beloved irregulars!
I loved the fact that they were given such emphasis and importance! Especially since they had such great potential as minor characters!
This book is well written and had me hooked till the last page. There are definitely better Sherlock Holmes spin offs out there but this was a good read nonetheless. Especially for younger readers!
Happy Reading xx
April 17, 2015
It is based on the Sherlock Holmes series. And it was fun reading about the irregulars saving Mr. Holmes. :)
December 5, 2022
A great short read for teenagers, it follows the lives of the Baker Street Boys (a group of girls and boys without family). They work for Sherlock Holmes, helping him to solve mysteries. They are led by Wiggins.
Everything goes wrong however, when Sherlock goes missing! The Boys must work together to solve the case!
Beautifully written with lots of complex vocabulary.
Everything goes wrong however, when Sherlock goes missing! The Boys must work together to solve the case!
Beautifully written with lots of complex vocabulary.
June 4, 2018
This first "Baker Street Boys" book of the series is an easy to read, entertaining adventure set in London at the end of the 19th century. The four stars rating is for the believable milieu and flowing text that makes it an enjoyable read, even if the plot is a bit lacking in depth :)
August 28, 2018
First in a series based on minor characters from the Sherlock Holmes books. One wonders how far we can milk the Holmes books of everything they have before they are drained of all life.
Anyway this one was pretty average with not a lot that was memorable. OK but really just ok.
Anyway this one was pretty average with not a lot that was memorable. OK but really just ok.
June 18, 2019
Fun Little story. If you like Sherlock Holmes and have finishes the canon. This kind of story’s are a fun read
February 16, 2022
Great starter for a young reader to discover the world of Sherlock.
Stars 7 street children that Sherlock used to be his eyes in the streets of London.
I enjoyed the story.
Stars 7 street children that Sherlock used to be his eyes in the streets of London.
I enjoyed the story.
April 12, 2024
A very interesting story.
January 14, 2023
The Baker Street Boys books are lighthearted mysteries filled with great characters and interesting plots. Wiggins and the gang are hilarious - from Wiggins imitation of Holmes, Gertie's insistence of being one of the boys, Queenie's obsession with the Queen, Shiner's love of trains, Sparrow's love of theatre, Rosie's super nose and Beaver's desire to be the Watson to Wiggin's Holmes. All of the gang actively contribute to the investigations and help to solve the mysteries and it's nice to see each member play a role and demonstrate their own expertise. Not everyone is good at everything - but they're all good at something.
Although the Baker Street Boys is based on Sherlock Holmes canon - Sherlock himself is not a main character. In fact, although he is talked about and referred to a lot, he only really makes appearances at the beginning and ending of the books - instead imparting wisdom off screen (or page in this case) and handing off missions and instructions to be carried out. Instead, Wiggins takes on the role of Sherlock with Beaver as his Watson and the rest of the gang as backup.
#1: THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING DETECTIVE
In the Case of the Disappearing Detective, the Baker Street Boys (even though three of the seven boys are girls) are on surveillance. But the case goes awry when they find Sherlock has gone missing while checking out the information they found. The only clues they have is a trail of matchsticks, a padlocked door in an alley and the appearance of the 'Napoleon of Crime' - Professor James Moriarty. They continue to investigate and find not only has Sherlock been kidnapped but it looks like his kidnappers are planning to blow up the Queen at the opening of a new railway station. It takes all their combined smarts and cunning to foil the plot and save the day.
I really enjoyed the first book of the series. The mystery was well plotted and even managed a twist I didn't see coming. It was well written and was quite amusing and it had lots of action to keep it fast paced. 4 stars.
Although the Baker Street Boys is based on Sherlock Holmes canon - Sherlock himself is not a main character. In fact, although he is talked about and referred to a lot, he only really makes appearances at the beginning and ending of the books - instead imparting wisdom off screen (or page in this case) and handing off missions and instructions to be carried out. Instead, Wiggins takes on the role of Sherlock with Beaver as his Watson and the rest of the gang as backup.
#1: THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING DETECTIVE
In the Case of the Disappearing Detective, the Baker Street Boys (even though three of the seven boys are girls) are on surveillance. But the case goes awry when they find Sherlock has gone missing while checking out the information they found. The only clues they have is a trail of matchsticks, a padlocked door in an alley and the appearance of the 'Napoleon of Crime' - Professor James Moriarty. They continue to investigate and find not only has Sherlock been kidnapped but it looks like his kidnappers are planning to blow up the Queen at the opening of a new railway station. It takes all their combined smarts and cunning to foil the plot and save the day.
I really enjoyed the first book of the series. The mystery was well plotted and even managed a twist I didn't see coming. It was well written and was quite amusing and it had lots of action to keep it fast paced. 4 stars.
December 11, 2014
Baker Street Irregulars is the group of young crime solvers who helps Sherlock Holmes in the classic stories by A. Conan Doyle. They appear in several stories of the original with a young boy named Wiggins as their leader. In this children’s novel we find 6 more character of the band including three girls. The member’s include: Wiggins (an orphan who’s not sure of his age), his deputy, Beaver (abandoned by his mother), Rosie (a twelve year old girl), Sparrow (with great ambitions), Queenie and Shiner (Siblings) and Gertie (a tomboy).
The “boys” realize Prof. Moriarty is back in London and Mr. Holmes mysteriously disappears. Although they are convinced that he’s been kidnapped, neither Dr. Watson nor Inspector Lestrade is convinced. Queen Victoria is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee and is about to open the new Railway station and the children realize that Moriarty is planning to blow the station and they have to travel to London alone and stop the disaster and save Mr. Holmes.
I didn’t find the story great but over all I liked it. Three stars.
The “boys” realize Prof. Moriarty is back in London and Mr. Holmes mysteriously disappears. Although they are convinced that he’s been kidnapped, neither Dr. Watson nor Inspector Lestrade is convinced. Queen Victoria is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee and is about to open the new Railway station and the children realize that Moriarty is planning to blow the station and they have to travel to London alone and stop the disaster and save Mr. Holmes.
I didn’t find the story great but over all I liked it. Three stars.
May 31, 2012
Ok I am not sure what is going on with the site tonight as it just removed my review I had just typed up.
So i will start again - I will admit before I start that I have a fondness for old London, Sherlock Holmes and stories which install an sense of nostalgia. Now I will admit that this story was in fact based on a TV series from the 80s which the author wrote and then converted in to this story, all learnt from the afterwards once I had read the story.
That said the story was quick and easy and accessible - you didn't need to be a sherlock holmes fan to be able to instantly immerse yourself in it - yet still give a perfect impression of the London of the Conan Doyle books so perfectly purveyed all those years before.
The book is quite short however I do not believe that you have to have a tome that is the size of a telephone directory to be able to present a story where characters are engrossing and situations are vivid and tangible. So all in all a fun read, a great story and certainly enough reason for me to want to hunt out and read the rest in the series.
So i will start again - I will admit before I start that I have a fondness for old London, Sherlock Holmes and stories which install an sense of nostalgia. Now I will admit that this story was in fact based on a TV series from the 80s which the author wrote and then converted in to this story, all learnt from the afterwards once I had read the story.
That said the story was quick and easy and accessible - you didn't need to be a sherlock holmes fan to be able to instantly immerse yourself in it - yet still give a perfect impression of the London of the Conan Doyle books so perfectly purveyed all those years before.
The book is quite short however I do not believe that you have to have a tome that is the size of a telephone directory to be able to present a story where characters are engrossing and situations are vivid and tangible. So all in all a fun read, a great story and certainly enough reason for me to want to hunt out and read the rest in the series.
October 20, 2015
Entertaining - I enjoyed the premise of creating a series of kid's detective stories using Sherlock Holmes as a supporting character and I love anything with a grimy, and yet magical Victorian setting. I had a grumpier review written in my head part-way through the novel in which I complained that the female characters were too passive and not well-developed (which is still a bit of an issue with this first book in the series), BUT then a female character played an integral role in the final action sequence, so I was appeased. I will look forward to reading the next 7 books in the series (thanks to a charity shop box set).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2015
I picked this up for my son. I remember the tv show vaguely. Started reading it to fill in time. It became a bath time book - light easy reading . I feel it would be a good way for pre-teens to get into Sherlock Holmes books and similar crime /sloothing themes.
April 12, 2012
I have read this book. It's great.
August 15, 2015
Here you can read my review in Swedish: http://jennyjag.wordpress.com/2014/04...
June 22, 2016
Really quick and fun read set in the world of Sherlock Holmes.
April 25, 2017
Love it , it's a good book for any Sherlock Holmes fan !
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews