Jane Jessell (Children's Literature)
Fortune-tellers, murders, a world-famous detective, the Prince of Wales, missing jewels, the circus, a villain with the delicious name of Orlando Vile, a band of brave street urchins and we are off on an exciting adventure to solve a crime or two in Victorian London. The Baker Street Irregulars, who first helped Sherlock Holmes solve the case in A Study in Scarlett, take the spotlight from Holmes and Watson here and manage to give the famed detective the information he needs to take the credit for recovering stolen jewels and unraveling the mystery at hand. Ozzie, Wiggins, Stitch, Elf, Rohan, and their cohorts are introduced as abandoned children who have become a family and whose natural common sense and love of adventure save the day. Extras include a listing of the cast of characters, a cockney slang dictionary with pronunciation help, and chapters on the science of deduction and the art of disguise. A secret message embedded in the text is a treat for budding cryptologists and reveals a wonderful gift to the solver. The solution of the mystery will keep readers guessing and may entice some to investigate Sherlock Holmes and the original Irregulars in Conan Doyle’s stories. 2006, Orchard Books/Scholastic, $16.99. Ages 8 to 12.

Uma Krishnaswami (Children's Literature)
In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet, we first meet the Baker Street Irregulars as Watson describes them with amusement: ”six dirty little scoundrels stood in a line like so many disreputable statuettes.” Holmes adds, “The mere sight of an official-looking person seals men’s lips. These youngsters, however, go everywhere and hear everything. They are as sharp as needles, too; all they want is organization.” Consider this book from Mack (Birdland) and Citrin as the organizing of this lovely band of ruffians. In homage to tradition, the story is told in first person by someone other than the protagonist. It is not Watson, however, but an anonymous narrator who seems admiring of Holmes and dismissive of Watson. A circus accident opens the book. Well, the good Inspector Lestrade thinks it’s an accident, but what does he know? Holmes considers the problem, but it’s the Irregulars the reader is drawn to as they circle the scene of the crime, demonstrating the sleuthing abilities we always knew they had. Examples of setting and context abound; for example, the band skewering potatoes around a fire pit, and scenes explicating Holmes’s gifts of deduction and penchant for disguises. Elliot’s facility with needle and thread, the leadership of Wiggins, Ozzie’s careful and expert forgeries--these and other touches bring the Irregulars into focus as individuals. Rohan the gentle giant, personifies the colonial connection. Wait, though. Is he of Punjabi or Bengali heritage? The conflation is mildly jarring. Nevertheless, his placement in the story, like that of Pilar the fortune-teller’s daughter, brings the genre of Baker Street homage fiction into postmodern mode. In places the narrative feels driven by authorial intent, and the writing is occasionally overwrought. Even so, there is enough in this book to draw young readers to the canon, including the witty concealment of an encoded message in the text. Greg Ruth’s atmospheric illustrations, period endpapers, and the “Facts and Practicals” in the back matter, enhance the presentation. Part of the “Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars” series. 2006, Orchard Books, $16.99. Ages 9 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 17))
In a fresh go at an angle taken by Robert Newman back in the '80s, Mack and Citrin present a hitherto-undocumented case from the point of view of the squad of street children Holmes occasionally employed. Here, the theft of a hidden treasure from Buckingham Palace and the deaths of three high-wire acrobats in a seeming accident are linked and the culprits identified. This is thanks to sharp detective work by lead urchin Wiggins; his new young associate Ozzy, an asthmatic, newly orphaned apprentice forger; and (to the discomposure of the misogynistic Holmes) Pilar, a Romany fortuneteller's daughter with the handy ability to read lips. The authors fold in plenty of characters and references from the Holmes canon, as well as an embedded code that hints at sequels. They close with various notes on period hats, transportation and other topics. Comics artist Ruth provides a few atmospheric illustrations to this fast-paced, authentically styled caper. (cast list, endpaper map) 2006, Orchard, 272p, $16.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 13. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Louise A. Capizzo (Library Media Connection, March 2007)
Lovers of the whodunit will be overjoyed to discover this new series. Set in Victorian England, the Baker Street Irregulars are nine homeless boys who often work for the illustrious detective Sherlock Holmes. Holmes employs the boys after a family of tightrope walkers fall to their deaths during a performance. Though the story's twist and turns are predictable, readers will enjoy the action. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy the many references to his other famous cases. Observant readers will find a message hidden throughout the text in bold letters. Pen and ink illustrations are scattered throughout the book. Additional Selection. 2006, Orchard Books (Scholastic, Inc.), 192pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 8 to 13.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2006 (Vol. 60, No. 4))
Dr. Watson evidently did not chronicle all of Sherlock Holmes’ cases, because here is one he missed. When an entire family high-wire act plunges to its death before a horrified audience, Holmes is summoned to ferret out the truth where Inspector Lestrade is, of course, unable to discover it. But even the master of disguise can’t get into the nooks and crannies of circus and dockside life that street urchins can, so he employs the youthful Baker Street Irregulars, under the direction of Wiggins and newcomer Ozzie, to sniff out the gossip. The crime is even more heinous than it first appears: Professor Moriarty (pre-Reichenbach Falls, evidently) himself is not only behind the murder, but also inveigled into the theft of a royal treasure dating back to Charles II. Holmes spinoffs inevitably remind one of the pleasure of the originals—the delightful economy of clues and the riveting interplay of the master and his well-meaning sidekick—and the forced interjection of a full cast of extra characters and a drawn-out plot is bound to be disappointing in comparison. Most young readers will be unburdened by firsthand familiarity with Conan Doyle, though, and they can simply enjoy the resourcefulness of the scruffy Irregulars and their foggy, gaslit milieu. A host of black-and-white illustrations, an easily deciphered hidden code, and a load of enticing end matter ranging from a slang dictionary, Cockney rhyming schemes, and an excerpt from “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” are surefire kid-pleasers. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Orchard/Scholastic, 259p., $16.99. Grades 4-7.