Which Sherlock stories for a book club?

[mom31257]

I will be leading a 5th-8th grade book club this year. I'd like to use some Sherlock stories for one of our meetings. I've never read any of them, so I don't know which would be most appropriate for that age group and considering most of the families are fairly conservative. 

 

We do a unit study type day after our book discussion, so we'll probably set up some forensics science centers, do a scavenger hunt, etc. 

 

 

 

 

[Ellie]

You should start with the first one, which was a short novel. A Study in Scarlet. It's where we learn who both Holmes and Watson are.

 

I haven't ever read anything in the Sherlock Holmes books that would not be appropriate. Holmes does use drugs occasionally, but he is not addicted, and Watson always disapproves.

 

I thought it was an interesting social thing to notice that men in the time of Holmes and Watson referred to their friends by their last names, while men they did not know were referred to by some sort of title. IOW, Holmes and Watson called each other "Holmes" and "Watson" rather than "Sherlock" and "John." It is the same in the Little House books: the men called other Ingalls and Edwards, not Charles and Whatsit (can't remember his first name). Wonder how that came to be? Obscure thoughts for a Wednesday morning, lol.

[Freckles]

I second what Ellie had to say. I have to say that my favorite Sherlock Holmes' mystery is The Hound of the Baskervilles.

[Lori D.]

There are short stories, and there are short novels. What length are you looking for? The only possible objectionable things for very conservative families would be a few stories very briefly mention Holmes' depression and his occasional use of cocaine, and a few stories border more on the supernatural (Hound of the Baskervilles, for example), but always resolve "scientifically".

 

Some stories are more interesting than others, and would better lend themselves to extension activities for a book club. For example:

- The Red-Headed League -- close observation leads to correct deductions

- The Dancing Men -- codes and cyphers

- Scandal in Bohemia -- disguises; also introduces the Baker Street Irregulars -- a fun follow-up book could be Robert Newman's The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars

 

I personally think the first collection of short stories (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) and then the first 2 novels (Study in Scarlet, Sign of Four) are the best-written and most interesting for younger readers. Families can read for free at Read Sherlock, or, Sherlockian.Net. I would probably go with 3 short stories for more variety of go-along activities, rather than 1 short novel.

 

You may find some helpful info in this detailed Core Knowledge lesson on Sherlock Holmes, and some activity ideas from this unit study by Julie Summa.