Module 9

Module 9

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

Summary
Sherlock Holmes' sister Enola is hiding from her older brothers in disguise.  This is not an easy thing to do when Sherlock is her brother and so good at solving mysteries.  Dr. Watson comes up missing and Enola is not sure whether she wants to get involved because it may reveal her identity to her brothers.  A strange bouquet of flowers gets her involved in the case.  She finally determines that Watson has been put in an asylum under a false name and alerts her brothers.  They do not find her but are thankful for her help.

Citation
Springer, Nancy. (2008). The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: An Enola Holmes Mystery. New York: Philomel Books. 


Impressions
Very interesting giving Sherlock Holmes a sister.  I liked this more than I thought I would since Im really not a mystery person very often.  Enola is a very well developed character and she is capable of doing just about anything she wants to.  It was good use of the time period stereotypes of what women and men are supposed to do.  The mystery itself was good because it kept you guessing until the end.  I think this would interest boys and girls of about a middle school level.  The character with no nose and the backstory on that was my favorite part. 

Review

Slagenwhite, Laurie. (2008) School Library Journal.   Vol 54(1). p.126.

Gr 5-8-It is March, 1889, in London, and Enola is still lodging in the East End and evading her brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, so as to avoid boarding school. For six months, she has been using the alias Ivy Meshle and pursuing her "life's calling" as a Perditorian ("finder of the lost") but, afraid that she has been discovered, she must choose a new identity: Viola Everseau. Her new disguise: a beautiful woman. Her new case: finding the missing Dr. Watson. Her first act is to visit Dr. Watson's wife, and her first clue is a bizarre bouquet the frantic woman has received. Using her knowledge of the "language of flowers," Enola deduces that the bouquet suggests revenge and knows that this is a detail that her sleuthing brother will overlook. Her investigation leads her from a theatrical shop to a hothouse, from one dangerous situation to another. Enola is a delightful character, with the sharp wit one would expect from Sherlock Holmes's sister, and a wry voice that is uniquely hers. Springer's descriptions of late-19th-century England are vivid, the mystery is intriguing, and Enola's cleverness and capability will appeal to readers who like their heroines both sprightly and savvy. Move over, Sherlock


Uses:  English class comes to library and writes about women they know that have done things that most people consider to be a man's job.  Again, short written assignment to go along with the book, parameters given for number of words.  They could present to the group.