Review: No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe

No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe

No Place Like Holmes series book 1

Thomas Nelson – May 10, 2011

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http://www.jasonlethcoe.com/

Source: purchase

Next book in series: The Future Door

From Goodreads: When Griffin is sent to stay with his detective uncle at 221B Baker Street for the summer, he is certain that his uncle must be the great Sherlock Holmes! But Griffin is disappointed to discover that Holmes lives at 221A Baker Street and his uncle lives unit 221B. His uncle is a detective, just not a very good one. But when Griffin meets a woman with a case that Holmes has turned away for being too ridiculous, he and his uncle team up to help her. Along the way, Griffin shows his uncle just what it means to have true faith in God, even when the case challenges that. The woman claims that her husband was eaten by the Loch Ness Monster, but monsters aren't real-or are they?

                I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. So to read a story from the perspective of what would be his rivalry was interesting, but a little awkward.  No Place Like Holmes kind of makes you think of what Sherlock Holmes would be like as a kid – sort of.  Griffin is also a Christian, and I am not sure if Holmes ever had a faith. Anyway, I really don’t want to compare and contrast Holmes and Griffin, it wouldn’t be fair. (Yes, I have to agree that I think Holmes is still the world’s greatest detective-sorry.) But I like Griffin a lot as well. I think he is such a great kid, and the gift he bears can be a heavy load at times but he carries it well.  There are some minor issues I had with the story, only because they would be so farfetched. On the one hand I understand that it has to be for a kid to play a vital role in saving the world from evil in the first place.

                If you forget about the bits that are not believable and just enjoy the story, it was a fun and light reading. It was nice to see very very little of Holmes’ presence in this book and I liked the commentary in Griffin’s head. Though I didn’t think I would I even started sort of liking Uncle Snodgrass.  I think this is perfect reading for middle graders.

Always Shine, 

Starr K