What age for Adv. of Sherlock Holmes?

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  • February 12, 2012 at 2:23 am
    Rachel White
    Participant

    My son is 11 1/2; he’s already read the LOTR series. I know he likes the Sherlock Holmes mysteries (he’s watched a couple of the  movies and the old tv show). I don’t want him to immerse himself in murder and such, so I’m wondering about content.

    At what age would you think it’d be appropriate for him to read the actual, unabridged stories?

    Thanks

    February 12, 2012 at 12:15 pm
    Bookworm
    Participant

    My 11yo has read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  There are murders in the stories, of course, but most of them are not gory.   I would caution about the separate story A Study in Scarlet, we think it’s less appropriate.  My middle son is our Sherlock expert, I can ask him more about the individual stories in Adventures of if you like.

    February 12, 2012 at 1:51 pm
    Rachel White
    Participant

    Thanks  Michelle. The book I own has these stories in it:

    The Resident Patient

    A Scandal in Bohemia

    The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

    The Adventure of the Speckled Band

    The Adv. of the Dancing Men

    The Greek Interpreter

    The Adventure of the Norwood Builder

    The Naval Treaty

    The Red-Headed League

    The Crooked Man

    The Adv. of the Copper Beeches

    The Final Problem

    I have a couple of H.G. Wells (a dangerous Fabrian-Socialist, but fabulous author) books he wants to read first: War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine. I read these when I was his age, too. Even though I own the SH book, I never read it, but I really think he would enjoy it immensely!

    Thanks to your Sherlock-expert for his input!

     

    February 12, 2012 at 8:20 pm
    Bookworm
    Participant

    OK.  My son remembered a lot and then he checked also on wikipedia; he says you can see synopses of the stories there if you have more questions.  Most of these are OK as long as you remember most are murders and Holmes also was a recreational cocaine user–this was not a criminal activity at the time but you ought to know it’s there.  He does stop using it later but Evan doesn’t remember if it’s in this book or not–there will be occasional references in stories. 

    Specific stories—A Scandal in Bohemia involves a German wanting to cover up evidence of a premarital affair.  The Final Problem contains Holmes’s “reported” death.  (He’s not really dead, Conan Doyle was making too much money, lol).  Ds really recommends Adventure of the Speckled Band as an especially good story.

    He liked the H.G. Wells books OK, but preferred Jules Verne (read them about the same time-he liked the more “science-y” parts. 

    February 12, 2012 at 9:12 pm
    SueinMN
    Participant

    I’ve been reading Sherlock Holmes for my college English class. IMHO there is nothing inappropriate for an 11 yo in Sherlock Holmes. At the time using cocaine was like taking an anti-depressant now. So you should explain that to your child that they didn’t know as much about it as they do now. There is nothing about a premarital affair in A Scandal in Bohemia. It is all very vague and only mentions a picture of the king with a woman. Sherlock Holmes is classic murder mystery where the emphasis is on solving the crime not talking about gory stuff. It is definitely not forensic science TV like you find on every channel these days.

    February 12, 2012 at 9:53 pm
    Rachel White
    Participant

    Thanks ya’ll. I think I will look at the summaries, at least I’ll know what he’s talking about when he talks to me about them-he always does.

    Thanks for the cocaine heads-up; that can easily be discussed contextually.

    He isn’t interested in gory, nor am I, obviously. I don’t think gore is healthy for the mind and spirit. He’s a Trekkie, like his grandmother, too; so it’s not about gore, but the story-sort of cerebral. In his free time, he reads the Star Trek Encyclopedia for cryin-out-loud.

    Jacob read 2000 Leagues Under the Sea when he was 9- it’s one of his favorites. I have to get the other ones to him as well, thanks for the reminder! Verne is definitely has more of the science in science fiction than Wells.

    I have to share: he just finished Treasure Island and though it started slowly, he really enjoyed as he went along. Then we found a great celtic radio station and they played the pirate/drinking song, “The Derelict” printed in T.I.; so I have a son who can readily sing “Ho Ho Ho and bottle of Rum!”, every verse! Yep, I’m proud! How many other moms of 11 yr. olds can say that these days!Laughing

     

    February 12, 2012 at 10:16 pm
    Bookworm
    Participant

    LOL, isn’t it fun!   Sounds like he’s a fine pirate in his imagination.  🙂

    Sue, I know it doesn’t SAY the words “affair” but it clearly IS that–why would he want to cover up an innocent picture with that nice actress he ran into one day?  That would make no difference, unless he’d done something wrong.  We discussed this when it came up.  I just don’t want some parent caught flat-footed if a child asks “Buy WHY did he want to hide the picture?”  And I must reiterate that I do not believe A Study in Scarlet to be appropriate for children; we own every Sherlock Holmes thing we could scare up, EXCEPT we destroyed that one.  Didn’t even want to pass it on.  I don’t recommend it for children. 

    February 13, 2012 at 1:41 am
    RobinP
    Participant

    If you’d like a brief intro to a few SH stories, Jim Weiss has a CD that is great.  My 8yos loves it.

    February 13, 2012 at 1:58 am
    Rachel White
    Participant

    That’s a good idea, Robin; I’d forotten about that one.

    Is the reason A Study in Scarlet is a no-no, due to the Mormon massacre? Or just the complex and mature themes in the plot line?

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