What an intriguing idea! Take the lore of Sherlock Holmes, stand back and ask: "What would this intriguing man have been like as a boy? Did he have friends? What were his parents like? What made him realize that he was the ultimate detective?"

As an adult, with a least a little knowledge of the Holmes canon, I found the book quite enjoyable (no, I'm not a Doyle purist so I had no problem with some of the changes made). However, most children I don't think will like this book over much. Strong readers or those who have a real interest in mysteries or historical fiction might enjoy it.

Sherlock is a gangly thirteen year old who skips school regularly to watch people in the crowded areas of London. Bullied at school and regularly looked down upon because of his half-Jewish heritage, Sherlock finds the streets and the haunts of White Chapel and the Seven Dials much more to his liking. After a young Arab is wrongly accused of murder, Holmes takes it upon himself to prove the man's innocence. But in the process becomes a suspect himself. To get himself, and the Arab, out of the situation he must befriend both a small time crime boss barely older than himself and a young lady who proves herself capable of understanding him.