As I read my way through this series, I was curious how they would approach this particular chapter of the Sherlock canon. I was pleasantly surprised, although I should have known I would love it! In this installment, Sherlock comes back from the dead. Watson barely has time to adjust to seeing his old friend in the land of the living before he's swept up in another adventure! I can't recommend this series enough - they would make a great addition to any kiddo's library, either at home or at school.

Sherlock Holmes can be compelling reading but the original text can be difficult to follow. For kids who are still working on reading comprehension the old fashioned highly descriptive language of Doyle's original work is too much and adaptations are often necessary. Woolf's version is quite simplified. The writing is stripped down to really only the basics needed to follow the mystery. There is little in the way of description or reflection. We get facts and some basic dialogue, no character development or exploration of motivation. For quite young readers this adaptation series is probably sufficient. For slightly older kids who are trying to puzzle through Doyle's original works, this series could work as a supportive text, helping them to understand the heart of what they have read.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

This is a really good series for children, introducing young readers to the stories of Sherlock Holmes. I had re-read the original short story a short while ago, and was impressed with how well this version has been done. All the key elements, details and conversations are here, the original text closely followed. It is enhanced for children with some lovely illustrations, and overall works extremely well. I really enjoyed it.

Another wonderful retelling of a Holmes story! This one zooms along and continues wonderfully from the previous book, however I do feel like it may be possible to read this one without having read it as it does catch you up a bit!

This time it’s a locked room mystery that’s tied in with Holmes and what happened to him!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I did not read the book previous to this one. The book does a good job catching the reader up so there’s really no need to read it.

I was not super into this book, it was a bit slow. I had trouble getting into it and wanting to finish it. I guess it would be a way to get kids into Sherlock Holmes without reading the full book.

The pictures that went with the book were simple, a bit sloppy and really kind of sad.

Overall, I may try another by this author.

This was a short and simple adaptation of the Holmes story for young readers.
A good Introduction into the world of Holmes and Watson without being overwhelming.
We learn what really happened at the Reichenbach Falls.
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Alex Woolf retells one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories, “The Empty House,” illustrated by Eve O’Brien.

Narrated by Sherlock Holmes’ partner Dr. Watson, “The Empty House” takes place three years after Holmes’ death at the hands of his arch enemy, James Moriarty. Watson is intrigued by the murder of Ronald Adair — a quiet man murdered with no motive in a locked room with no weapon found.

While looking for a mystery to solve, a mysterious stranger who is in danger seeks Watson’s assistance, which leads Watson to also be able to solve Adair’s murder.

Filled with delightful illustrations, “The Empty House,” which is due out July 1, is told in a fun and easy way kids of all ages will understand. This series is a great way to introduce young readers to Doyle and the great Sherlock Holmes, but adults will also enjoy these short stories. The story slowly lays out the clues, allowing the reader to solve the mystery alongside Sherlock.

Five stars out of five.

Arcturus Publishing provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

A fantastic abridged version of the classic Sherlock Holmes short story The Empty House, that captures the narrative and spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work brilliantly. The Empty House presents the thrilling tale of Sherlock Holmes' return after his supposed death at Reichenbach Falls in The Final Problem, which Conan Doyle had originally intended to be the last Sherlock Holmes story. Picking up three after that fateful day, Holmes and Watson meet again and set up an ingenious scheme to catch the remaining members of professor Moriarty's gang and solve the mystery of the recent murder of Ronald Adair. This book includes cartoonish illustrations that capture the plot and characters nicely and will be sure to an extra layer of entertainment for young readers as they eagerly follow Sherlock Holmes in his return to London and to his life's work of solving perplexing mysteries and bringing notorious criminals to justice. One must read The Final Problem first though, to understand the background and context for this book. This entire series is an excellent introduction for kids to Conan Doyle's classic stories, and will hopefully inspire them to read the originals as well one day! I will certainly be recommending this series to my young mystery-loving students as a next step from the Famous Five and Secret Seven books.

Here is another entry in a very good series of retellings of Sherlock Holmes stories for young readers. These are short chapter books that have cartoon like illustrations. They hold very true to the original stories but simplify them a bit for the younger child. This and the others may just inspire a love of Sherlock and his world that will stay with kids for years.

In this title, there has been a murder. Who was killed? Why? How will this baffling crime be solved? Follow along with Holmes and Watson to find out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcturus publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the original ACD Homes tales and am so excited for this remake! Holmes is 16 but just as smart. The story has been simplified for the intended audience but it is an enjoyable read, especially if you've read the original telling.

This is another in the series of Sherlock Holmes stories (16 in the series) adapted for children by Alex Woolf, with Eve O’Brien’s delightful illustrations. Here, the famous story “The Adventure of the Empty House” is retold in a much simplified version, but this doesn’t harm the tale: it still manages to be a complete story with a beginning, middle and end. And quite an exciting one, too.
There is an author’s note before the story explaining that “The Empty House” is a sequel to a previous story, “The Final Problem”, which should be read first as they are closely connected. However, this shouldn’t prevent anyone reading this story as a standalone tale.
Narrated, as usual, by Doctor Watson, the story is engaging and should keep the little ones guessing until the end. The chapters are short allowing the book to be read and enjoyed by parents and children in one go. It is slightly violent but not in a gratuitous way. Alex Woolf has a good command of the story and it doesn’t have any obvious triggers.
Overall, “The Empty House” is a triumph and it is a book every child over seven will enjoy, and their parents too!

"𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒐𝒏?" "𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉."

This series of classic Sherlock Holmes stories, adapted by Alex Woolf, serve as a wonderful introduction for younger readers of many ages to Holmes, Watson, and the adventures they have together.

Each book is written in an easy to read and understand format, dividing each story into six chapters. The illustrations add a touch of whimsy and help support the text. Woolf retains essential clues, dialogue and plot, while highlighting the ordinary in the extraordinary. I was unfamiliar with all three stories that I read, allowing me to experience the tales with fresh eyes and an excitement to see how the clues were going to piece together. The Empty House serves as a sequel to The Final Problem, an adventure after Holmes' 'death.' It has all the makings of a great adventure: a faked death, an empty house, a mysterious murder in a locked room, and a criminal on the hunt. Holmes and Watson once again race to find the true culprit with a clever plan.

The Dancing Men is a deceptive tale; this adaptation serves as a great introduction, for those who have discovered Enola Holmes on Netflix, to her famous brother. I will definitely be adding this series to my classroom library. Thank you to Arcturus Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

The joy of this range of books is that the younger children can read a classic story to the older children (and Grandma) and we can all have a lovely time. We have enjoyed the three stories we have been reading in this series and intend to seek out the others.

Really good way of retelling the Sherlock Holmes stories, and to introduce them to children. Even as an adult I highly enjoyed these versions

Thank you so much to Arcturus and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

This is a sequel book that joins up with a previous book, though you can read this as a stand-alone. If you’d read the previous story it would help a lot more to understand everything that takes place within this one.

After a vicious gang killed Holmes three years prior Watson is trying to solve crimes alone, but he gets a surprise visitor and together work on solving the case of what truly happened to Holmes and getting the criminal responsible.

I personally didn’t find I enjoyed this one as much as others in the series, it was still good and the transcriber did a great job with the story, I just personally didn’t connect or find the mystery overly exciting.

This series is still really fun and another great way of giving children the chance to solve the unique mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, with really great illustrations throughout the pages.

The Empty House is another one of my favourite Holmes stories, with Arthur Conan Doyle’s writings never failing to amuse and entertain me. This adaptation was great, it summed up the story perfectly and told the tale exactly as it was but made easily readable for younger readers.

This one followed Watson, after the fallout of the Reichenbach falls, with this book doing a fab job of giving you a spoiler warning just incase you hadn’t read one of the vital stories before reading this one, pointing you in the right direction of where to go to read it if you hadn’t already. And I definitely recommend you do, just so you avoid anything being spoiled!

The illustrations are a great addition, and with the easy writing style, it makes it a perfect read for those wanting to read more of the classics, but perhaps without the heavier language that’s often associated with them. Perfect for youngsters and adults alike. A great quick read and one that I found really entertained and gave me a quick hit of Sherlock Holmes amazing ability to deduce and crack a mystery.