'After a mysterious murder leaves the police baffled, the world's best amateur detective is asked to investigate. Along with his fellow lodger, Dr Watson, Sherlock Holmes sets about uncovering a quest for revenge that runs far deeper than anybody suspected.'
The Sherlock Holmes stories are some of the most popular and enduring mystery books of all time. They've been published and reprinted dozens, if not hundreds of times, they've been adapted to film and television across the world, and Sherlock Holmes has become one of the most instantly recognisable literary characters. Despite this popularity, however, it can be difficult to introduce new readers to these stories, especially younger readers, due to the age of the books and some of the language used within. This is where the Sherlock Holmes Children's Collection steps in.
A Study In Scarlet is the very first Sherlock Holmes story, and introduces readers to both the titular detective, and his faithful companion Doctor John Watson. It's the perfect gateway into liking Sherlock Holmes, but no just because it introduces these characters; after all, they're so iconic that many people, myself included, start reading Sherlock Holmes stories other than at the start and manage to know who these people are. No, the reason this is the best book to begin these children's adaptations is because time is given over here as to how Sherlock is able to make is amazing deductions.
Quite often Sherlock will outline how he gets to his conclusions, or simply ask Watson to 'use my methods' to encourage his friend to try his hand at getting the answer, but this might not be something that is easy for children to grasp, so having a central part of the book be Watson discovering and observing Holmes doing his thing, and being suitably impressed by it, makes it a lot easier for the younger readers.
The whole book seems to be crafted this way, 'what would be best for younger readers'. The descriptions are much simpler than the original book, with a lot of the language of Arthur Conan Doyle streamlined for a modern reader. That being said, the book doesn't lose much of its character for doing so. It still feels like a Sherlock Holmes book at its heart.
The book doesn't try to change anything that's important, and it doesn't try to shy away from the more gruesome or strange aspects of the original. There are still dead bodies, described in detail, there is still blood, still people seeking revenge. The writers who adapted the book knew that these things were important parts of the narrative, and that children would be okay with them if they are presented in a way not designed to frighten. As such, bodies are described in a detached way, with more detail given over to the smaller details of their clothing or their surroundings; because this is how Sherlock Holmes sees things, and this is what the children need to concern themselves about. They need these tiny details to keep their mind on the mystery, and not be worried about someone having been killed.
Things are also kept somewhat lighter for the younger readers with the inclusion of illustrations. Whilst the original stories in the Strand Magazine had illustrations that were aiming to be realistic, these are very stylised pieces. The people are very angular and have strange proportions, and sometimes don't quite line up properly to their surroundings. Instead of this feeling strange, however, it helps to add to the ease of access to the younger readers.
Whether you pick this book up intending for it to be read by a child, or you're simply looking to get into Sherlock Holmes stories yourself and wanted a mild introduction to the character, this book is perfect to the task. Any child who reads this is sure to be able to get a grasp of the characters and the world that Holmes inhabits, and the ease of reading for adults means that it gives you a good taste of the style of Conan Doyle's mysteries, without getting you bogged down in the writing style of the 1880's.
No comments:
Post a Comment