You never know what to expect when starting at a new school, but John Watson couldn’t have imagined the kind of excitement he’d be in for when he starts his first day at Baker Street Academy and meets Sherlock Holmes.

Within the pages of Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond all the characters you know and loves from this historic franchise are reimagined and brought to life as young high school students.    In this first book of the Baker Street Academy series, author Sam Hearn dives the reader head-first into a fast-paced and riveting adventure.  A clever and perfect blend of traditional and graphic novel, The Disappearing Diamond grabs the reader and pulls them into the story, like a sponge soaks up water.  Hearn’s tale is both fresh and familiar.  It pays lovely homage to the iconic nature of the story while, at the same time, bringing it up to date for a new generation of sleuths to discover and enjoy.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic Press (A Scholastic Imprint)

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  4 religious exclamations.

Violence/Gore:  Boy wonders if blood is in vial; reference to (with comic illustrations of) Victorian death photos; robbery occurs with some property damage; reference to misfortune following possession of an item; reference to a man being locked in a closet; reference to murder over jewel.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Illegal activity, bullying.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

References to tobacco use.