Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars #1

The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas

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Mysteries are the next big thing! This is a new spin on the most famous detective stories of all time, focusing on the kids who helped Sherlock Holmes solve mysteries and save England from doom.

Sherlock Holmes stories captured readers' imaginations for more than a century. Now Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin will capture the hearts of a new generation with a unique new twist on these beloved mysteries.

Few Holmes was assisted by a band of devoted boys, street urchins who loved to solve mysteries, called the Baker Street Irregulars. These boys go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone undetected. Now, in this exciting tale, Wiggins, Ozzie, Simon, and the rest--with the aid of Pilar, a gypsy girl--help Sherlock Holmes solve the case of the deaths of the Amazing Walendas.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,2006

This edition

Format
272 pages, Hardcover
Published
September 1, 2006 by Orchard Books
ISBN
9780439828369
ASIN
0439828368
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • dr witson

    Dr Witson

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  • Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

    Arthur Conan Doyles great contribution to detective fiction and one of the best known literary characters of all time. A genius, by his own admission, with many eccentricities. He first appeared in the short story A Scandal in Bohemia in...

About the author

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
36(36%)
4 stars
31(31%)
3 stars
33(33%)
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0(0%)
1 stars
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100 reviews All reviews
April 17,2025
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Fun! Mack and Citrin take the few references to the urchins who occasionally help Holmes in his cases, and have created living, breathing boys with compelling back stories.

Ozzie's mother recently died and she secured an apprentice position for him that she hopes will be advantageous. Unfortunately, his master is a forger, and Ozzie's talents have made him invaluable. Wiggins, even tho he is the leader, is so lonely...he has memories only of the orphanage he escaped. His pet ferret, Shirley, helps some. Rohan, a recent immigrant, lost his father in a fishing accident, and he's just trying to survive. These are boys you care about...and want the best for.

Holmes has been brought in on two cases...something shadowy with the royal family, and the deaths of an entire circus tightrope-walking family. Of course they're related, and Holmes enlists the Irregulars as lookouts. These smart little men are too bright to stay in the background for long. At the circus, they meet Pilar, the daughter of the Fortune Teller, and she joins the group as well. In exasperation, Holmes pronounces her 'A little Irene Adler.'

There is a secret code within the printed words, one that leads to the next book.

A loving homage to the original, letting us truly know who these boys are.
April 17,2025
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Disclaimer: It's hard for me to not like Sherlock related things.

So I enjoyed this one. It was a fun and easy read which is perfect for young adults. It's not super deep but i enjoyed the twists nonetheless. It was a good smooth ride.

Sadly, I'm not a huge fan of how the author (and the irregulars) seem to hate Watson. But what can we do, the title is literally "Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars" so all the focus is there.

I like the characters especially Wiggins, Alfie and Pilar, but I find Ozzie is a tad too "super". I get that he's sort of the main character so it should be expected, but i would like to dial it back a little.

All in all, it is a nice read. Not the absolute best, but enough to want to read the rest of the series.
April 17,2025
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Great book in which the Netflix series the Irregulars is partially based.
April 17,2025
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Quick read, but mega fun because of the puzzle. I'm lucky enough to own this book, so writing was new bu necessary for me. Now I CAN write in them. But only in dire situations. :P It wasn't my favorite book...Mostly read it because it was a gift that had to do with Sherlock Holmes. The children were all in character, and each had a little quirkyness about them. Also, Sherlock Holmes. What more can I say?

Given as a gift by CMcananama.
April 17,2025
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Rasanya, lebih tepat judul serinya hanya Laskar Jalanan Baker Street. Karena isinya lebih dominan ke The Baker Street Irregulars-nya ketimbang Sherlock Holmesnya, dan saya kehilangan analisis sang detektif.
Ceritanya, lumayan menarik, masih ada misteri tentang asal-usul Ozzie, salah satu anggota Irregulars, dan bakal kembalinya, Moriarty.
April 17,2025
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I chose this children's book while bored, waiting for my kids to choose other books from the library. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought they might.

Unfortunately, none seemed to like it as much as I did. My oldest teen preferred Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories; my younger teen does not like Sherlock Holmes for unexplainable reasons; my fifth grader did not like the book because it began with a frightening murder. If I had to guess, I would say the intended audience age is somewhere between the 5th grader and the 8th grader.

Mostly, the story seemed to stay true to Conan Doyle's characters, including what little was written of the irregulars, but Watson seemed less compassionate towards the irregulars and Holmes more thoughtful of them. Although he was protective of them, he was not particularly compassionate towards them or else he would have helped them more out of their poverty.

The story had a supernatural side to it that the original series lacked. One of the characters, a gypsy, became a medium for a dead spirit and predicted the future. The original plots only dealt with science and deduction and there is plenty of that in this story as well.

My favorite quote: "Arrogance is its own curse."
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