Basil of Baker Street

Basil of Baker Street #1

by Eve Titus, Ralph Lister (Narrator)

Baker Street mice - beware!

So far the twins are safe. They'll stay that way if you do what we say. We've decided to make your Baker Street cellar the headquarters for our gang. Everybody must be out in 48 hours. It's Basil's job to move you all out, just the way he moved you in. Better make it fast! And leave the furniture - we need it.

This is the only warning you'll get. And listen - if you don't follow our orders, you'll never set eyes on those twins again!

Listening Length: 1 hour and 17 minutes

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Animals, Classics, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Eve Titus was the author of numerous bestselling and beloved children's books.

Her most famous characters include Anatole, a French mouse and Basil of Baker Street, a mouse who works as a private eye. Her book, Anatole, won the 1957 Caldecott Honor Book award.

She died in 2002 in Orlando, Florida.

Reviews

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS!!

This was so much fun to read. I just finished A Study in Scarlet and unintentionally I was reading this as if this story was taking place during the first Sherlock Holmes book and it made it a whole lot more exciting. The Disney movie is one of my favorite animated movies of all time and I wish they had made sequels to the movie. I love these new re-issued covers too! I kind of want to own them all now. - Richard

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. I needed a happy, engrossing read tonight and this perfectly fit the bill. Super cute (I mean, it’s a little mouse detective who’s a perfect Sherlock—how is that not cute??). Super well done (I’m a diehard Sherlock Holmes fan who’s read all the books more than once and this perfectly copies/mimics the Holmes stories. Basil even TALKS like Sherlock and paraphrases some of his sayings!). Super quick (less than an hour). Super clean (one “good heavens”). It was non-freaky, but interesting and even intriguing, even if it’s a children’s book. Would make a great I-can-read book. And I so want to read the other Basil books now!!

A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Basil squirmed close. ‘Quick, Dawson—the ropes!’
“I had visited my dentist recently, and my teeth were in excellent condition. Bending my head, I gnawed steadily away[.]”

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was ADORABLE. I’m buying this book for all my kid friends. The reading level is perfect for age 10 and around there. I think my 11yo friend Ellie would zip through it.

[Armi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't mind me, I'm just taking a walk on childhood memorylane... When I was a child, I had this as a picture book in my grandparents place. The book is based on the film version and what I remember best are the terrrrrifying bad guys. Although this story is almost complete different, I enjoyd it never the less and might just take a peek at the following stories.

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basil, un soricel destept, fan al lui Sherlock Holmes, este gata sa rezolve mistere din lumea soriceilor impreuna cu prietenul lui cel mai bun, dr Dawson.
A great read for me and the children! I love this series.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Eve Titus's characters, and when you combine her stories with Paul Galdone's illustrations - you get excellent entertainment!

Sherlock Holmes has a protege - a mouse, Basil of Baker Street. Like his human counterpart, he solves all kinds of daring mysteries that your family will enjoy. Clean, fun and makes a great read-aloud!

Reading Level: 2nd/3rd grades

Cleanliness:
Children's Bad Words
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 1 Incident: By Jove!
Religious Profanities - 6 Incidents: heaven knows, in heaven's name, great heavens, thank heaven

Religious & Supernatural - None
Violence - None
Romance Related - None
Attitudes/Disobedience - None

Conversation Topics - 2 Incidents: Mentions smoking a pipe. Mentions a tattoo of a mermaid on a sailor's wrist.

Parent Takeaway
Sherlock Holmes has a protege - a mouse, Basil of Baker Street. Like his human counterpart, he solves all kinds of daring mysteries that your family will enjoy. Clean, fun entertainment!

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basil is the Sherlock Holmes of the mouse world. He listens in on the cases of the great Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street, to learn at the feet of the master. Then Basil can use that knowledge to solve mysteries among the mice of the world. When two little mice children are mouse-napped, Basil is on the case with his trusty friend, Dr. Dawson, at his side. They must go up against a gang of criminals who are threatening to destroy everything Basil holds dear.

I love this story so much! I have always been a fan of the Great Mouse Detective cartoon, so I was delighted to discover that the movie was based on a book series. The writing is charming, the story is exciting, and the mystery is full of wild clues that only Basil can figure out. I also loved the adorable illustrations that bring the characters to life.

This chapter book would be perfect for young readers ages 6-10 who are starting to read on their own, but it is also enjoyable for older children to read. I loved reading it even as an adult!

[Esme N · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The mystery of the missing twins could never have been solved by an ordinary detective.”

The year is 1885 and Basil of Baker Street, one of the finest detectives in mouse and human history alike, and his companion Dr. Dawson, live in the cellar at 221B Baker Street. The disappearance of Angela and Agatha Proudfoot is one of his strangest cases yet, and with but a few crumb-like clues, will he be able to solve it?

In order to appeal to a younger audience, Eve Titus could’ve simply written a Sherlock Holmes re-telling starring mice (children love rodents). Instead, she takes the far bolder route of placing Basil and Dr. Dawson in a world where Sherlock Holmes still exists. In fact, the pair live at 221B Baker Street WITH Sherlock Holmes and have borrowed their two-legged counterpart’s business model. Breathtaking.

This story is filled with stunning deduction after stunning deduction, which I obviously won’t spoil.
What I can say is the book ends with a powerful and compelling “stranger danger” message that I would not hesitate to guess eliminated all kidnapping in 1989 England. However, I think that the best gift of all that this book provides is the ability to imagine a compelling mus musculus duo in the background of all Sherlock Holmes media. Any scuttle in the background of BBC’s Sherlock (2010) could be the eager and sure-footed stride of a mouse on a mission.

Obviously the Sherlock Holmes stories and their many modern adaptations are wonderful, but if I had to choose to exist in either his full-sized den of detecting or the Baker Street mouse hole, there is no competition. If you know of any children, get them a copy of this book.

P.S. This book is the inspiration for the Disney movie, The Great Mouse Detective. I have not seen the movie, and probably never will, in case it ruins my perception of this masterpiece. If you’ve already seen the movie, I fear it may be too late for you.

Playlist of Baker Street:
- Closing Time // Tom Waits
- Danse macabre // Ophelia’s Dream
- Viva La Vida // Coldplay

“He brought so many criminals to justice that evildoers trembled at the mere mention of his name.”

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing take on the Sherlock Holmes stories, where the main character is Dawson who chronicles Basil the detective’s exploits. Actually, Basil and Dawson live on Baker Street, and keep a close eye on Sherlock and Watson, so Basil can learn from the great detective, and receive his own callers, as Basil is a consulting detective to his fellow mice on Baker Street.
The case here is of two young, kidnapped mice, and Basil and Dawson must don disguises and pit their wits against a trio of criminals. It’s light and amusing, and a pretty good take on a detective applying his hero’s methods to solve the case.
I remember seeing these books in my school’s library when I was much younger, but, strangely, never read Basil’s stories then. I’m glad I did as this was fun.

[Myrna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love detective stories so it was a good read. Myrna, age 7

[Lindsay Stares · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I appreciated it on several levels, just not the level of actually reading the thing.

I know, it's intended for kids. Small kids. We should just say it's not one of those kids books that holds up.

The adventures of "The mouse sherlock holmes" should be cute, but oddly diminishes Basil compared to the Disney movie. Faced with the example of actual Holmes, he is overawed, and over the course of this book managed to do relatively little. They follow some obvious footprints, wait for a message from a kidnapper, make some deductions about the messenger, follow him in disguise, and track down the villains. It's a small story, written for a very young audience. Basil comes off as competent, but far more average than any Holmes doppelganger ought to. The "joke" about him painstakingly building a tiny violin, then being totally unable to play it, just made me sad for him. I felt like he could never live up to his hero.

Full Review at The Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

[Miniikaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

[Suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like I'm sure most people do, I usually prefer reading the book before watching the movie. Reading takes more time, and if the book isn't as good, it's significantly tougher to plough through it. However, the even bigger reason for me personally is the fact that the inevitable differences are more difficult to ignore in a book. I prefer imagining the characters myself, and if they're not the same in the adaptation, it distracts me when I'm reading.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) doesn't have those problems. The book doesn't take long to read because it's a children's book, and because the animation has animals, I'm not bothered by the discrepancies in characters etc.

Anyway, the movie is one my favorite animations of all time. It slightly creeped me out when I was a child. The bat with a wooden leg, the absolute demented Ratigan who tries to pretend he's not a rat, the cat that gets to eat all the mice that piss Ratigan off, the intense finale inside Big Ben etc. I kept going back to the VHS over and over again to experience the foggy atmosphere of Victorian London (could it be that this movie started my obsession with the Victorian era?).

The book isn't nearly as dark, which I admit disappointed me at first, but I completely understand why Titus wanted to keep it clean. It didn't make me enjoy it any less, but it just caught me off guard. There's also no bat and no Moriarty/Ratigan (he should appear in later books) but instead three ordinary bland crooks. Actually, the entire book has completely different characters aside from Basil and Dawson and a completely different plot, so no point listing all the differences.

The one I found the most interesting, though, is the creation of Holmestead (modelled after Hampstead, perhaps?) in the cellar of Baker Street 221B. While in the movie the parallels between Basil and Sherlock are more subtle or at least not discussed, in the book Sherlock Holmes is given much more attention. Basil admires him tremendously and has a slight inferiority complex because of it. The poor thing also can't play the violin like his idol!

All the differences, however, were more interesting than annoying or distracting. Although I like the movie more, Basil is a perfectly competent and adorable children's book that feels, for a 1958 novel set in the 1800s, remarkably modern in terms of writing. I'm sure today's kids would enjoy the adventure just as much, and the illustrations are absolutely lovely. The appeal of Victorian London is so great, though, that I'm not sure if I will continue with the series (looks like it has books set in Mexico and Switzerland, for example).

I'll just keep the movie close to my heart. The world would be a better place if everyone had as much fun as the glorious Vincent Price playing Ratigan.

[Kevin Magpoc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm reminded of "Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos" (written far before this book) in which it is revealed that Franklin was actually heavily inspired by a mouse friend. "Basil of Baker Street" works the other way around - it tells the story of a mouse who lives with Sherlock Holmes, though presumably unbeknownst to Holmes himself, and idolizes him to the point of actually going out and solving crimes and mysteries in the mouse world. So what you get here, in a nutshell, is a Sherlock Holmes style book tailored for small children with a shorter and simpler story and cute little animals. So yes, it would be a suitable enough way to introduce very young ones to the mystery genre, before they're ready for harder-hitting works like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but I feel Eve Titus missed the mark with what seems like a charming concept - a mouse-sized Sherlock Holmes story - and, well, mostly ignoring the "mouse" part of the idea. Often with stories about mice or animals of similar size you get to experience how a mouse would manage to cope in a human world - avoiding cats and traps, using everyday people objects for reinvented mouse purposes, etc. But here, the mice had somehow built an entire city within an unused part of a human house and, apart from Basil's recounts of what he's heard from Holmes, you don't really get the impression that the human world has any affect on the mice's. And apart from one small plot point that I won't spoil - which I would call a plot hole anyway - the characters don't really do anything particularly mousey. What I'm saying is the same story could've just been told with human characters instead (perhaps about Sherlock's next door neighbor, who worships him similarly). But then I guess the illustrations wouldn't be as adorable, would they?

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basil is the Sherlock Holmes of the Mouse World. His friend and associate Dr. Dawson narrates the story. Mrs. Judson is their mousekeeper. The mouse detective has learned his sleuthing skills by listening to Sherlock Holmes tell Dr. Watson how he solved his cases. Basil takes notes in shortpaw. Basil and Dr. Dawson live in the mouse village, Holmestead, in the cellar at 221B Baker Street. In this book Basil solves the kidnapping of the mouse twins Angela and Agatha. Children will enjoy this book, and grown-up Sherlockians will appreciate it even more. It is charmingly illustrated. If you like "Basil of Baker Street," there are four delightful sequels.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sorry to admit that as much as I have always love Disney’s Great Mouse Detective, this the first time I have read this book. I don’t know why I never picked it up as a child, but I didn’t.
It is a mouse version of Sherlock with nice tie ins to the Sherlock stories. A bit moralistic at the end – don’t talk to strangers you hear. But good fun.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by children’s author Eve Titus, Basil is a mouse possessing the qualities of Sherlock Holmes, whom he has studied at close range. In this mystery, Basil must save two mice sisters who were kidnapped. This series is delightful no matter what the age of the reader is, and the superb narration by Ralph Lister adds much enjoyment.

[Heather W · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, such a cute and lovely story (and I absolutely adored the dedication at the start). Nice and quick, here's hoping Rattigan makes an appearance later in the series

[Sarah83 sbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes als Maus? Wer sich das nicht vorstellen kann, sollte sich an Eve Titus wenden. Flott geschrieben und immer einen Hinweis auf den großen 'Holmes' in der Hinterhand, ist es ein kleines Buch für zwischendurch.

[Antía S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado leer el libro en el que se inspiró una de mis películas favoritas de la infancia. Como buena fan de Sherlock no podía no leer estos libros. No sé si Blackie Books continuará con la saga entera, pero ojalá.

Y yo no sé si tendré hijos algún día, pero será de lo primero que les lea antes de que se vayan a dormir <3.

[Dominika]

Bedtime reading with the kids. Super fun and charming.

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una historia bonita, pero, aún teniendo en cuenta que es infantil, me parece que le falta chica. La aventura se resuelve en un par de escenas y los personajes son demasiado derivativos del original.

[giso0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not particularly a fan of the idea of building your story upon someone else's. On the other hand, the author, unlike many others, acknowledges this debt and one must respect that.

It's worth mentioning that from the next volume, Professor Ratigan joins the cast of characters.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very short and rather simple but probably a decent "early detective" book for kids. Our kids enjoyed it but thought it was short. This is one rare case where the movie (the superb "The Great Mouse Detective") may have more depth of character and action than in the book!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much heart & character as the movie, actually. This mouse has an obsession that is probably unhealthy. A nice quick light charming read, though.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little story read to me by a dear friend via WhatsApp during this lockdown. So nice to have a bedtime story! :)

[Carolina Cruz (Aries_en_libros) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me pareció una historia super divertida. Las ilustraciones son muy bonitas.

[Jenny Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this audiobook with my children. Very charming and the kids loved it.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why Disney decided to tackle this one. A very charming little book.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes mouse AU. The film adaptation of this series is easily in my top 5 Disney movies of all time so you can imagine my disappointment when Ratigan was nowhere to be found.