The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye

The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye: An Enola Holmes Mystery
by Nancy Springer
Philomel Books, 2010

Genre: Mystery

Honors:

• Booklist starred 05/01/10
• Horn Book 10/01/10
• Horn Book 07/01/10
• School Library Journal 06/01/10
• Wilson's Junior High School 09/01/11

Review: The smart-spoken younger sister of Sherlock Holmes is still in hiding from her two older brothers, evading boarding school and the bleak possibility of being married off to the first taker. While treading through the streets of London in disguise, Enola becomes part of a search for a missing--possibly kidnapped--duquessa. Meanwhile, Sherlock has happened upon a parcel addressed to his sister that may have a clue to the whereabouts--or the fate--of their mother, who disappeared, abandoning Enola and leaving no word with her brothers. This novel is filled with suspense, humor, and two enthralling mysteries involving two entirely different missing women. Will both be found? Will Enole be reunited with her mother? And will she be found out by her brothers and have to face her doom as a young woman?

Opinion: I feel like I am finding more novels recently that turn out a female counterpart to classic fairytale and literary characters, or vice versa. I figured sooner or later there would come along a Holmesian female detective, but I didn't imagine that that detective would be written as a sassy sister of Sherlock himself, or that she would appear in a series for children. I think, even though the original detective has been around for quite a while and his stories are written for older audiences, Springer does a great job uniting his stories with the mysteries solved by Enola Holmes, bringing the two siblings together, and designing detective stories that are more fitting for a younger audience. I had a lot of fun with this book and would love to read the rest of the series thus far.

Ideas: I like it when libraries do a Guys Read theme and one for female heroes as well. This book would definitely go in the female heroes display.