The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Book Two by Catherine Sadler

This book is an adapted version for adolescent readers, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. The book contains several short mysteries, and the main character is the famous, fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. In the first story, a man wants to give a young woman half of a lost treasure, but his brother is killed and the treasure is lost. The second mystery concerns a stolen gem that turns up in the stomach of a goose, and the third mystery is about a girl who is murdered inside of a locked room.

Sherlock Holmes's strength is his ability to make inferences from his careful observations. Other characters see the same things, but he is able to make connections and deductions from them. For example, by looking at an old pocket watch, he was able to figure out that a man had inherited it from his father, had done well financially but had fallen on hard time, and had been a drunk. The story is narrated by Holmes's long-time assistant, Dr. Watson. This book is a nice bridge to the more sophisticated mysteries of Sherlock Holmes.

Strike Three You're Dead by Josh Berk

This book was recommended from our school library, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Lenny, Mike, and Other Mike (that's what they call him!) love baseball and the Phillies; actually, Other Mike is not as obsessed as Lenny and Mike. Lenny wins a contest and gets to announce one inning of a Phillies' game, but the game never lasts long enough for that to happen when the 19-year-old pitcher dies on the mound. The boys, along with an unlikely helper, are convinced the pitcher was murdered, so they set out to find the killer. Unless the killer kills them first.

The plot was easy to follow, and it was fun to read about the interaction of the boys. The suspects kept switching around as the boys found more clues, but I had a hunch about the killer's identity early in the plot. There were many references to baseball, so baseball and mystery fans can both enjoy this book.

Leepike ridge by N.D. Wilson

This book won't appeal to everyone, but I gave it a rating of four out of five. Thomas Hammond's father died three years ago, and his mother has started dating a teacher at his school. Tom goes down by the creek to get away from things, but he falls into the water and disappears into some caves. He ends up deep within the mountain, and most people on the surface believe he is dead. Tom is swept through different caverns and finds a corpse, a headlamp, and some other supplies. He is very surprised when a dog appears on the shore with him, but even greater surprises await deep within the caves. The treasure hunters on the surface may help in his rescue, or they may spell his doom.

Most of the setting is under the mountain, so that limited some possibilities for excitement. However, it didn't limit the suspense and adventure. There were unexpected twists to the plot that kept things interesting. The treasure hunters added an extra conflict, and it was interesting to see all of the events come together. Overall, it was an entertaining book.

The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett

Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous architect, and Tommy lives next to a house he designed and built. Even though it's an important piece of artwork, the house is going to be cut into pieces and sent to museums. Tommy gets strange feelings when he's around the house; it's almost like the house is alive. He wants to team up with his best friend, Calder, to investigate, but Calder has become friends with Petra, a girl in their class. Tommy doesn't like Calder's friendship with Petra, so he doesn't share everything he's discovered. He doesn't even tell his friend about the stone fish he found, even though it might be worth a fortune. Things heat up when Tommy realizes he's being followed and someone breaks into his house. The mission to save the house has quickly gotten dangerous.

This book is a sequel to "Chasing Vermeer". It's a nice, easy mystery for readers who don't want things to get too complicated. Tommy's internal conflict with Petra adds an additional problem to the story. The children's eerie feelings around the house give the plot almost a supernatural feel.

The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence

This book could be classified as a historical fiction too, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. John Spencer is sailing for the first time on his father's ship when it encounters a storm and crashes into some huge rocks. John wakes up on the shore and witnesses men drowning a ship worker who had survived. He discovers that the residents of the town actually mislead ships into crashing along their shoreline. They then take the food, money, and any other valuables from the wreckage. Some of the residents disagree with this practice but are afraid to speak up. Several questions remain about the ship that John was aboard. Did his father survive? Was there a treasure hidden in the barrels full of sawdust? Will the people of the town allow John to stay alive, and who can he trust?

This plot is even more interesting when you realize that it's based on actual events. Suspense was developed when John's life was threatened, and his new friend's father was behaving suspiciously. The secrets of the hidden treasure and John's father weren't revealed until the end. Hint: There is a sequel to this book called The Smugglers.

P.K. Pinkerton and the Pistol-packing Widows by Caroline Lawrence

This book is a 2014 release and is the third book in the series. PK lives in the Old West and is a twelve-year-old detective.  He's also half Indian which creates some problems. He's hired by a woman to follow her beloved to a conference in Carson. She thinks he's cheating on her, and it turns out the man is actually PK's mentor, Jace. PK disguises himself as a blind, old woman, a stenographer's cousin, and other types of characters. He discovers a plan that will make people millions of dollars, but someone is willing to kill for it. PK becomes suspicious of the woman who hired him, and his Jace's life may be in danger. It turns out, PK's life is in danger too!

I have not read the first two books in the series, but it didn't seem to matter. The politics of passing new laws is a large part of the plot, so it won't appeal to all readers. It didn't seem to have a clear, main conflict, so I wasn't always sure where the plot was headed. The murders, new laws, and Jace were equally important at different times. I most enjoyed PK's disguises, and the fact he didn't know everything. The author did a nice job of letting readers get to know PK's character. The murders added more suspense to the plot, and PK revealed a secret about himself in order to save his life.

The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher by Jessica Lawson

This book is a 2014 release, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Becky is a mischievous young girl whose family has just moved to a town by the Mississippi River; think of a female version of Tom Sawyer. Life is never dull around Becky Thatcher. She befriends the daughter of the town drunk, and they accept a challenge to steal from the house of the town witch. Becky protects herself from evil spirits by using superstitious spells, and this includes a midnight visit to the graveyard. She sees two murderous robbers digging up a grave, and they threaten to kill her if she tells anyone.

It's unusual to find a female character who is this sneaky and gets into as much mischief as Becky Thatcher. Tom Sawyer is actually a "goody, goody" character who tells the truth and does as he's told. Becky's life is complicated as the daughter of a judge and having a mother who hasn't gotten over the recent death of her son. Becky also deals with the memory of her brother by carrying his sack of marbles during her adventures. It's cool how the author infers that Mark Twain's stories about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are largely based on Becky and her brother.