Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes' mother has disappeared. Enola's initial search of the grounds at Ferndell Hall, the Holmes family estate, has turned up one fact; Lady Eudoria Vernet Holmes walked into the woods early in the morning and simply vanished. Enola, desperate to find her mother, wires her older brothers Mycroft and Sherlock for help.
Unfortunately, when the brothers arrive, their anger at Enola's lack of schooling in the social niceties of Victorian England far outweigh any concern for their missing mother. Enola, whom the brothers have not seen for ten years, has been allowed to run wild. Riding her bicycle around the village, showing her ankles, and obviously not wearing a corset; she is a disgrace to the Holmes family name and must be made into a lady without further delay.
Enola, however, has other ideas. The ladies of Victorian England have no rights, no voice, and are expected to dress in nightmarishly uncomfortable clothing. Following clues her mother has left for her, and using the same talent for reasoning, deduction, and disguises as her brother Sherlock; Enola plans her escape.
Both The Case of the Missing Marquess and its sequel The Case of the Left-Handed Lady will have you cheering for its intelligent and resourceful heroine; Enola Holmes. The author's use of coded-messages and clues combined with the heroine's refusal to conform to the outrageous strictures placed upon girls and women of the Victorian era will keep teens 6th grade and up mesmerized. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Unfortunately, when the brothers arrive, their anger at Enola's lack of schooling in the social niceties of Victorian England far outweigh any concern for their missing mother. Enola, whom the brothers have not seen for ten years, has been allowed to run wild. Riding her bicycle around the village, showing her ankles, and obviously not wearing a corset; she is a disgrace to the Holmes family name and must be made into a lady without further delay.
Enola, however, has other ideas. The ladies of Victorian England have no rights, no voice, and are expected to dress in nightmarishly uncomfortable clothing. Following clues her mother has left for her, and using the same talent for reasoning, deduction, and disguises as her brother Sherlock; Enola plans her escape.
Both The Case of the Missing Marquess and its sequel The Case of the Left-Handed Lady will have you cheering for its intelligent and resourceful heroine; Enola Holmes. The author's use of coded-messages and clues combined with the heroine's refusal to conform to the outrageous strictures placed upon girls and women of the Victorian era will keep teens 6th grade and up mesmerized. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Missing Marquess. New York: Philomel Books, 2006.
Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady. New York: Philomel Books, 2007.
