Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars: The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas

Sure, Sherlock Holmes is awesome, but sometimes even the world's greatest detective needs a bit of help solving his cases.  In this book by Tracy Mack, Michael Citrin and Greg Ruth that's where the Baker Street Irregulars come in.  A ragtag bunch of orphans and street children do whatever they can to help their hero, Sherlock Holmes.

Summary from Goodreads:
Fans of the great Sherlock Holmes know that the great sleuth frequently called upon the Baker Street Irregulars, a motley gang of homeless boys, to assist him in his investigations. In this new series, these ragamuffin helpers move to the forefront, solving cases with their own street smarts. In this first installment, the Irregulars help Holmes track down leads in a case that involves murder, espionage, a royal treasure, acrobats, and archenemies.

I really enjoyed this book.  I've read the original Sherlock Holmes books, and found it somewhat hard to follow.  However, this book was easy to follow, the wording was at a level that was accessible to most readers, and the story was really interesting.  One great thing about this book is that while its part of a series, you don't have to read the books in order, they are each a stand alone novel in its own right.  


For me, at the time, the ending was unexpected.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how Sherlock Holmes-y it was (and I won't say any more than that!)


One fun thing I noticed was that in every chapter, there is a letter that was larger and different than the rest.  If you write down each letter, they spell out a secret message!  

If you look closely at the "S" in the word "Stocky" it looks different than the rest; its also capitalized when it shouldn't be.

All in all, a very enjoyable read!  I will be placing this book on my classroom shelves in the fall.