The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall Book 1

Starred review from July 24, 2023
In 1868 Edinburgh, Arthur Conan Doyle is a boy who notices things, and his observations are “almost never wrong.” An unexpected scholarship to Britain’s prestigious Baskerville Hall is Arthur’s ticket to making
something of himself. Upon arrival, though, a chance to join a powerful secret society tests his integrity, while break-ins lead Arthur and his friends on a perilous investigation. So begins this meta mystery series starter written in partnership with the Conan Doyle Estate and Working Partners, which imagines the Sherlock Holmes author as the hero of his own childhood capers. In a narrative voice that melds wry humor with convincing period detail, Standish (Yonder) situates Baskerville Hall against the vivid backdrop of Victorian society on the cusp of great cultural and scientific change. The mix of canonical characters and fresh faces will appeal to Conan Doyle fans as well as newcomers to the author’s genre-spanning universe. Throughout this tautly constructed tale of suspense, adventure and academic exploration are central pillars of young Arthur’s unusual education—as Baskerville Hall’s headmaster tells the young protagonist upon his arrival at school, “risks must be taken in the service of knowledge.” It’s a tantalizing playground for inquisitive minds. Characters are
portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 8–12. Agent: Chelsea Eberly, Greenhouse Literary.

August 1, 2023
A promising young sleuth investigates curious cases at his new school in this series opener written in partnership with the Conan Doyle estate. Young Arthur Conan Doyle is an observant Scottish boy living in poverty in Edinburgh in 1868. When he helps save a young mother and her baby, his keen intellect and quick wits do not go unobserved; soon afterward, he receives an invitation to attend a secretive institution, "the most rigorous and innovative school in these British Isles." A futuristic airship whisks Arthur away to Baskerville Hall, where he's greeted by peculiar professors. He soon makes equally eccentric friends, such as an Irish girl who hoards useful miscellanea in her pockets and a South Asian British boy who writes obituaries for his very much alive acquaintances. There's also a snobbish bully, the son of a member of Parliament. The multilayered mystery brings together the initiation rituals of a secret society, a dinosaur egg, and a mysterious grandfather clock. It builds on the familiar setting of a strange school with quirky inhabitants, evoking the mood of and incorporating characters from Conan Doyle's classics, including professors Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, and Arthur's roommate, James Moriarty. These details will delight fans, but the intricate worldbuilding may overwhelm readers unfamiliar with this universe. The coed student body includes international students and is marked by gender parity and socioeconomic diversity. A satisfying mystery shrouded in layers of scene-setting details. (historical photos and drawings) (Mystery. 9-14)

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Starred review from September 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* A young, impoverished Arthur Conan Doyle is invited to attend an elite, secretive boarding school named Baskerville Hall. Motivated by curiosity and his determination to support his parents and sisters in the future, Arthur accepts. There he meets his roommate, Jimmy (James) Moriarty; their classmate, Irene Eagle; Dr. John Watson (professor of anatomy and physiology); and Mrs. Louise Hudson, deputy headmistress. Eventually he will also meet Sherlock Holmes in memorable encounters that will leave dedicated Sherlockians' heads spinning. As Arthur and his new friends rise to various challenges during their initiation to a secret society, he begins to question the club members' motives. Meanwhile, he attempts to identify the perpetrator of a series of unsettling misdeeds at his new school. The author of The Ethan I Was Before (2017), How to Disappear Completely (2020), and Yonder (2022), Standish does a capable job of recreating the late-nineteenth-century British setting and laying the foundation for a new series with elements of alternate history and science fiction, all while telling a well-paced, exciting story in which stalwart heroes attempt to outwit inscrutable villains. As Professor Holmes tells Arthur at the novel's end, "The game is afoot." Readers who love period mysteries and adventure stories are sure to enjoy the experience.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.