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Enola Holmes #6.5
Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons
Enola Holmes is on the case, when a young porter - the boy in buttons - disappears without a trace.
Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, owns a building in the heart of 19th century London, a place she uses under pseudonyms to front for her investigative work. Employed there is a porter - Joddy, a young boy in a uniform festooned with buttons - whose even younger brother substitutes for him when he's sick. But Paddy disappears after one day at the job and Enola Holmes is alerted to this by the still ill Joddy.
Determined to find the missing porter, Enola travels to the rough part of London where the boys live and starts searching Aldgate Pump area for the missing boy. When she finds the missing buttons - but not the boy - she decides that drastic action is essential if she's to save the missing boy.
Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, owns a building in the heart of 19th century London, a place she uses under pseudonyms to front for her investigative work. Employed there is a porter - Joddy, a young boy in a uniform festooned with buttons - whose even younger brother substitutes for him when he's sick. But Paddy disappears after one day at the job and Enola Holmes is alerted to this by the still ill Joddy.
Determined to find the missing porter, Enola travels to the rough part of London where the boys live and starts searching Aldgate Pump area for the missing boy. When she finds the missing buttons - but not the boy - she decides that drastic action is essential if she's to save the missing boy.
21 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
212 people are currently reading
2832 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Springer
188 books2,315 followersBIO -- NANCY SPRINGER
Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE, recently released from NAL, is her first venture into mass-market psychological suspense.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Nancy Springer moved with her family to Gettysburg, of Civil War fame, when she was thirteen. She spent the next forty-six years in Pennsylvania, raising two children (Jonathan, now 38, and Nora, 34), writing, horseback riding, fishing, and birdwatching. In 2007 she surprised her friends and herself by moving with her second husband to an isolated area of the Florida panhandle, where the birdwatching is spectacular and where, when fishing, she occasionally catches an alligator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
May 7, 2023
Ok.
While I would not suggest that anyone spend money on this unless they are an Enola Holmes completionist, it's not a terrible story if you can (as I did) borrow it from your library.
I say that because the audiobook was only about 30 minutes long, so there wasn't much story here.
BUT!
It does give you a glimpse into Enola's new life now that she isn't hiding from her brothers anymore, and you see her realize that she may not have appreciated the life her young porter, Joddy, has lived.
He gets sick and sends his little brother (Paddy) to take his place for a few days.
But Paddy never comes home.
Now Enola is on a quest to find out what happened to him and bring him home to his family.
Again. This is really too short and simple to spend money on, but if you can get a free copy AND you're a fan of this series?
Do it.
While I would not suggest that anyone spend money on this unless they are an Enola Holmes completionist, it's not a terrible story if you can (as I did) borrow it from your library.
I say that because the audiobook was only about 30 minutes long, so there wasn't much story here.
BUT!
It does give you a glimpse into Enola's new life now that she isn't hiding from her brothers anymore, and you see her realize that she may not have appreciated the life her young porter, Joddy, has lived.
He gets sick and sends his little brother (Paddy) to take his place for a few days.
But Paddy never comes home.
Now Enola is on a quest to find out what happened to him and bring him home to his family.
Again. This is really too short and simple to spend money on, but if you can get a free copy AND you're a fan of this series?
Do it.
August 22, 2021
Short story that left me wondering "why bother"?
Ok, I absolutely adore the Enola Holmes series. It's clever, intriguing, and gritty in parts.
However, this short story simply seemed to have no reason for being published except to remind readers that the new Enola Holmes novel is shortly being released and to drum up sales. There was a beginning and a half-hearted middle to the story, then the ending was definitely a slapdash "tie a bow on it and send it out" disappointment.
Nancy Springer is capable of much better writing than this.
Ok, I absolutely adore the Enola Holmes series. It's clever, intriguing, and gritty in parts.
However, this short story simply seemed to have no reason for being published except to remind readers that the new Enola Holmes novel is shortly being released and to drum up sales. There was a beginning and a half-hearted middle to the story, then the ending was definitely a slapdash "tie a bow on it and send it out" disappointment.
Nancy Springer is capable of much better writing than this.
December 18, 2024
Enola has her own building and hires a child to help keep the place clean etc. He goes missing. The leads just fall into place and she finds him the same day. It’s only 30 minutes long as an audiobook and there’s not much to this one.
August 6, 2022
A fun short read!
I adore Enola Holmes. I admit the movie got me hooked. This was a short little novella but enjoyable. Perfect for a plane ride, which is where I read it. Springer writes intriguing and vivid characters. In this story she painted some of the darker sides of historical London very accurately and included real details that only someone who had been there would know about.
I’m definitely a fan!
I adore Enola Holmes. I admit the movie got me hooked. This was a short little novella but enjoyable. Perfect for a plane ride, which is where I read it. Springer writes intriguing and vivid characters. In this story she painted some of the darker sides of historical London very accurately and included real details that only someone who had been there would know about.
I’m definitely a fan!
August 8, 2024
This was a nice short story, but I don't think it did much for Enola as a character or the world of the books. We don't learn a single thing here that we didn't already know/infer from the end of book 6. This would have made so much more sense as an interlude between books 4 and 5, or books 5 and 6.
A nice quick story, but ultimately meaningless.
A nice quick story, but ultimately meaningless.
April 29, 2022
Cute short story. Enola saves the day…again.
November 16, 2021
Audiobook with my 14 year old. This short story was enjoyable but too short. It didn’t need to be a full length book necessarily, but it felt like it ramped up too quickly and stopped abruptly. This 32 minute audiobook should’ve been closer to an hour long to feel satisfying. We much prefer Enola’s longer books.
September 12, 2021
3.5 stars. A tiny mystery for the prodigiously smart Enola Holmes to solve, when young Joddy's brother Paddy goes missing.
Of course she finds the boy.
This is just long enough to give me a taste of this wonderful detective's investigative powers, so thank goodness a new mystery is available.
Of course she finds the boy.
This is just long enough to give me a taste of this wonderful detective's investigative powers, so thank goodness a new mystery is available.
November 9, 2022
I hate to give this only two stars because I enjoy this series, but this extremely too short story was basically pointless. There wasn’t much of a mystery, things were resolved way too quickly, and we didn’t learn anything new about Enola.
July 15, 2021
Short case of Enola locating a page boy when he disappears.
January 26, 2022
1.5**
Meh. A little pointless. I could have easily lived without this addition to the series.
Meh. A little pointless. I could have easily lived without this addition to the series.
February 24, 2022
It's not that I didn't enjoy this book. It was fun seeing where Enola was at after book 6, but I felt that this was just too short to accomplish anything.
July 12, 2024
2.75
37 pages of midness.
37 pages of midness.
December 15, 2022
This is a short tale of Ms. Holmes as she learns about the poverty of two young brothers who have assisted her in her work. She learns of local people who are hurting the boys and rescues them. She also makes arrangements to help them have better pay.
June 21, 2022
It's always good to see Enola succeed.
November 10, 2021
wayyy too short. i assumed it would be as long as a regular EH novel.
February 17, 2023
Only about 30 minutes long, but a nice insight in Enola‘s live now that she is out of hiding. While the happy family reunion in the last book did not completely work for me, I did like seeing her enjoying her freedom as herself.
New narration for the audio. For sad reasons.
New narration for the audio. For sad reasons.
August 5, 2024
That was just a disappointing short story. I wanted to continue reading the last books in the Enola Holmes universe, but this was a bad start. Im glad I didn't buy it because I wouldn't bother rereading it. There wasn't a good storyline. I hope the rest of the series is as good as the first books.
December 1, 2024
This should be in a collection of short stories. The solution was too simple and too easy to be a book. I couldn't find him. I asked for him. I found him where they said he'd be. While I love Enola Holmes, I'd have liked to see a collection of short stories with this as an incidental.
May 8, 2025
Mini banger
May 14, 2022
I absolutely LOVED this. I could happily read 100 more Enola short stories.
April 26, 2023
This was a cute little short story to go along with the Enola Holmes books.
July 29, 2024
If you can read for free from library and want to read all the Ebola books… then do. Mildly cute and very short. Otherwise, skippable.
March 19, 2023
Enola Holmes, Perditorian and student at the Women's Academy, takes an interest in Joddy, a young employee at her boarding house. When a bad cold sidelines Joddy, his younger Paddy takes over serving Enola. The next morning, an ill and ragged Joddy appears on Enola's office doorstep with the news that Paddy never came home last night and the entire family is worried sick. Enola is worried too and sets off for the East End with Joddy to find his missing brother.
This is a very short novella, more like a short story, but the plot was refreshing because there's no murders and no attempted murders and it's not about the lack of rights for women. It does briefly showcase that times are changing and women like Enola can obtain a higher education. The plot focuses on the plight of the impoverished living in the East End slums. Joddy and Paddy are children yet they must go to work to help their family. Their mother is overburdened with many children and no money to support them. This could bring up a discussion with teen girls about lack of reliable birth control, lack of jobs and education for women and attitudes towards the poor in Victorian England. It's all wrapped up in a tidy little mystery that serves as the sugar to the historical pill. Brilliant!
Joddy and Paddy are sweet kids. They're poor through no fault of their own. Enola likes them and wants to help. It's heart breaking that she can only really find Paddy but can't do anything about the overall problem of poverty that made Paddy disappear. I won't say what happens to him but it's classic Victorian London.
I liked this series when I first read it and I'm glad the Netflix movies have revived interest. I, as a historian, have a LOT of issues with the playing fast and loose with history. I, as an aunt of two young teen girls and as a perpetual 12-year-old LOVED the first movie because Enola was an awesome role model and it taught history in a fun way. Even if some of the details were wrong, the timeline was way off, the movies and books still teach kids some history and that's A-Ok in my book! Looking forward to another Enola adventure, however it comes.
This is a very short novella, more like a short story, but the plot was refreshing because there's no murders and no attempted murders and it's not about the lack of rights for women. It does briefly showcase that times are changing and women like Enola can obtain a higher education. The plot focuses on the plight of the impoverished living in the East End slums. Joddy and Paddy are children yet they must go to work to help their family. Their mother is overburdened with many children and no money to support them. This could bring up a discussion with teen girls about lack of reliable birth control, lack of jobs and education for women and attitudes towards the poor in Victorian England. It's all wrapped up in a tidy little mystery that serves as the sugar to the historical pill. Brilliant!
Joddy and Paddy are sweet kids. They're poor through no fault of their own. Enola likes them and wants to help. It's heart breaking that she can only really find Paddy but can't do anything about the overall problem of poverty that made Paddy disappear. I won't say what happens to him but it's classic Victorian London.
I liked this series when I first read it and I'm glad the Netflix movies have revived interest. I, as a historian, have a LOT of issues with the playing fast and loose with history. I, as an aunt of two young teen girls and as a perpetual 12-year-old LOVED the first movie because Enola was an awesome role model and it taught history in a fun way. Even if some of the details were wrong, the timeline was way off, the movies and books still teach kids some history and that's A-Ok in my book! Looking forward to another Enola adventure, however it comes.
September 26, 2023
This is a short story (very short) in the Enola Holmes mysteries. Enola no longer has to fear her brothers putting her in boarding school (thanks to book 6). In addition to running her business, she is also now attending school. However, when the brother of her young page Joddy disappears, Enola rushes off to discover him. it all happens very quickly, but along the way Enola learns of the dire circumstances in which Joddy and his family are living. I enjoyed this, but am not certain it would mean much to anyone who hasn't been reading the rest of the series. W
I listened to this in audio. We now have a new narrator, but she worked just fine for me.
I listened to this in audio. We now have a new narrator, but she worked just fine for me.
September 13, 2022
4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.
This was a cute little novella that delved a little deeper into one of the side characters of the Enola Holmes stories. Joddy works as her porter in her boardinghouse. When he gets sick, his younger brother Paddy fills in. One night, Paddy doesn't come home after working. Enola quickly jumps into action to find him.
This was a cute little novella that delved a little deeper into one of the side characters of the Enola Holmes stories. Joddy works as her porter in her boardinghouse. When he gets sick, his younger brother Paddy fills in. One night, Paddy doesn't come home after working. Enola quickly jumps into action to find him.
January 7, 2023
#6.5 Enola Holmes - Mystery
Read: Jan. 2023
Short 21 page story. Enola investigates the disappearance of a poor young boy she has hired to work in her house.
Cute in-between tale while awaiting #6 in this charming and entertaining series.
Read: Jan. 2023
Short 21 page story. Enola investigates the disappearance of a poor young boy she has hired to work in her house.
Cute in-between tale while awaiting #6 in this charming and entertaining series.
November 14, 2024
More of a short story than a novel this book serves as a transitional narrative more than another true “case”. We learn the status of Miss Holmes following the end of the previous book and how she is dealing with her new found freedom. Many reviewers have complained about the shortness but I found it a welcome diversion providing a necessary explanation without having to invest in another complex mystery. In addition, sadly the original narrator suffered an untimely death so perhaps the author or editors wanted to get the listeners introduced to the new vocal artist via this short book.
May 20, 2022
Very quick short Enola story. The audiobook was 30 minutes! Cute and fun as always
Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews