The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London. When a wealthy young girl vanishes as if by magic in Hyde Park, Sherlock is once again driven to prove himself. In a heart-stopping race against time, an innocent boy’s survival depends on Sherlock’s ability to solve the mysterious puzzle of the Vanishing Girl. As complex as the maze that protects the missing girl’s hiding place, this case takes Sherlock racing to the countryside, the coast, and into the lair of a menagerie of exotic, dangerous creatures. Haunted by memories of his shattered family, goaded by his enemies, driven to heal the fragile relationship between him and the beautiful Irene Doyle, Sherlock makes an almost fatal mistake. In the end, his brilliant powers of deduction and the steadfast eccentric Sigerson Bell save the day. Soon, very soon, the world will come to know him as the master detective of all time.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Mirrorscape
In a world where all pleasures are severely restricted, Melkin Womper is apprenticed to a master painter where he discovers the Mirrorscape, a world inside paintings, and becomes entangled in a war between the restrictive Fifth Mystery and the rebels fighting to stop them.
Here Be Monsters! (The Ratbridge Chronicles)
Welcome to Ratbridge. But beware — for there is skulduggery afoot. Young Arthur has fallen foul of the appalling outlaw, Snatcher, and is trapped alone in the town with every way home sealed. Meanwhile Snatcher and his men are working tirelessly in secret on a fiendish and dastardly plan to take over — and destroy — the entire town. With the help of Willbury Nibble, QC; some friendly boxtrolls and cabbageheads; Marjorie the frustrated inventor; and the rats and pirates from the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, can Arthur thwart Snatcher’s evil plans — and find his way home?
The Hero and the Minotaur
Worthy quests, marvelous rescues, and timeless adventure: this is the story of Prince Theseus and the amazing trials that befall him when he vows to become a hero then sets out to prove his courage.
On his journey, Theseus will meet Ariadne, a brave princess, and a remarkable boy named Icarus. Together the three devise an exhilarating, desperate plan to slay a strange and terrible beast, known to all as the Minotaur.
The Trojan Horse
A retelling of the famous Greek myth follows Helen, the beautiful wife of King Menelaus of Greece, as she falls in love with Paris, the son of the King of Troy, and flees with him to Troy, an act that begins the Trojan War.
Finn Maccoul and His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland
The giant Finn MacCoul is a lovable but cowardly fellow who finds himself in a peck of trouble after that nasty Scottish bully, Cucullin, tries to pick a fight. Abided by a wee bit of fairy magic, Finn’s clever wife, Oonagh, comes up with a hilarious plan: Finn will hop in the cradle and pose as his own baby. Then Cucullin will be in for a great big surprise.
Persephone
A beautifully illustrated retelling of the ancient Greek myth about the seasons describes how Hades, god of the underworld, kidnaps Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, to be his wife.
The Well of the Wind
Two orphaned children manage to outwit a witch and return to their rightful home.
In Pericles’s Athens With Socrates (Come See My City!)
Recreates the people, places, events and popular culture of Athens in the time of Socrates.
Gulliver’s Adventures in Lilliput
An Englishman is shipwrecked in a land where the people are only six inches tall.