Meet Joe Sherlock, a boy who dreams of following in the steps of his namesake (last name that is). Joe is your average school boy who happens to be the middle child and the only boy in his family, a fact which he finds most annoying while his older and younger sisters seem to delight in embarrassing him at every turn. He embarks on the case of the Haunted Toolshed at the behest of his neighbor, Mr. Asher and what ensues is quite hilarious for the reader, but poor Joe Sherlock...he's got some issues, not the least of which is keeping his Captain Wink Wink obsession a secret while trying to solve the mystery with his sisters Girl Chat sleepover backpack and walkie talkie. It seems he spends the entire book "dealing" with his annoying little sister, who seems to have her head a little straighter than Joe, but even with her help, will he solve the mystery? Will anyone find out about his Captain Wink Wink toothbrush? Read it and find out!

Delightfully irreverent, something quite nice in a kids story! This one was for both our Boy (6) and our Girl (8) and we think it's just the right amount of silly! To my way of thinking, there was an excessive amount of VERY descriptive passages...I think it's overkill from an adult perspective, BUT I think this is great for kids, especially emerging writers. I'm constantly admonishing girl to add in more detail and use more descriptive words, with Joe Sherlock, I can pull countless examples from this book. So for that alone it's worth it. From the perspective of solving a mystery, I think this was a semi-miss...the clues were not all there, so it would be hard for a reader at this level to figure out who done it ahead of the detective...but it's funny, imaginative and fast paced! I'd recommend it for reader's grades 3-7 (read aloud) and 8-10 (or so for self-readers)...but probably would be most appreciated and enjoyed from the grade range listed on Amazon. I give it a A...it was just fun! My favorite line:

"Mr. Asher is a chunky, bald man who combs the wispy hair from the back of his head up and over his bald spot, which he then swirls around and around into a sort of hairy cinnamon roll."

...this one actually made me laugh out loud...ok, so maybe I'm lame, but I thought this book was funny and a good quick read for kids!

A super-sleuth fourth grader solves the case of a neighbor's haunted toolshed. ( )