The Sherlock Society
James Ponti’s newest middle grade mystery is The Sherlock Society. This story is sure to be a hit with everyone in the family. I absolutely loved the story and the wit throughout. It is not a book that one wants to put down until the mystery is finally solved.
The narrative structure of the story is a bit similar to that of his T.O.A.S.T series. The story opens with the children staying afloat in the bay after a yacht they were on has exploded. Twelve-year-old Alex, and his thirteen-year-old sister are treading water as the police rescue are picking them up. Meanwhile, their seventy-three year old grandfather is trying to evade the police while swimming to shore. Needless to say, he isn’t successful.
Soon, they are being held by the secret service, their mom, an attorney, shows up and tries to negotiate immunity on their behalf. As the agent leaves to speak with his boss about the deal, Alex retells the events leading up to their current predicament.
The story begins with the last hours of school before summer vacation. Zoe is in a bad mood because she cannot attend a glamorous summer camp with her best friends. Alex and his friends Lani and Yadi are working through an escape room in the school library. This activity leads Zoe to come up with a business venture for the four of them in the summer to make money. They will be detectives and try to solve mysteries. Ultimately, Zoe wants to earn money so she can attend expensive camps that her parents will not pay for. The four of them are known as The Sherlock Society and the grandfather of Alex and Zoe is helping them as he is in charge of transportation. However, it isn’t long before Alex and Zoe’s mom shuts down their summer business for legal and safety reasons.
Bummed, Grandpa takes them to his storage unit to look at his unsolved mysteries. Grandpa was a newspaper reporter and throughout the story, he teaches the children some tricks of the trade. Here, they uncover a story about Al Capone’s hidden treasure and a bulk of the story is their attempts to find Capone’s treasure. In the midst of their investigation, they come across toxic waste dumped at an Indian Reservation. This is where the story turns, and the children are no longer seeking Capone’s treasure. They are determined to uncover who is dumping toxic waste in the Everglades.
The story is a rollercoaster of mystery and suspense that young readers and parents alike will enjoy with their family. The story is clean, the children funny, and strong parental influence and instruction of the children is highlighted in Alex and Zoe’s home. There isn’t anything not to like.
There were so many funny quips in this book that made me laugh out loud. I’ve included a few below in addition to some other things worthy of note:
“Sharks aren’t a concern. [...] The apex predator that worries me here is your mother. She’s going to blame me for this” (3).
On page 14 the grandpa makes a joke about an attempt to run for it while they are being taken in custody.
While the mom negotiates immunity for her children and father, before the children tell her the day’s events, Zoe bargains for immunity on their behalf from her (19).
Yadi is into conspiracy theories, so he has lots of funny things he brings up periodically. On page 40 is talking about school lunch and claims the containers are labeled “alternative food substance” that is shaped into actual food using molds.
There is one mention of grandfather doing Yoga on page 89.
The grandfather is giving the children notebooks to take their investigative notes in. This becomes a joke throughout the story as Zoe wants to use her phone and there are times when it comes in handy. About the notebooks, the grandfather says, “The reason we have access to decades of notes is because I took them on pen and paper” [...] “I’ve got no problem with technology, but there’s value to something you can hold in your hand” (90).
Positive message quote - “It turned out there was one thing Capone couldn’t buy,” Grandpa said. “Character” (96).
There is a lot of tension between Zoe and her parents, but both of her parents handle it well and utilize the situation to grow and guide her. The dad particularly has a good talk with her about how friends influence in a negative way and he calls Zoe out for being cruel (196). It ultimately ends well between them.
Readers discover on page 147 that Lina’s parents are divorced.
“Did you look on Facebook?” Zoe asked. “Old people love Facebook” (155).
“The reward is doing what’s right, not what’s easy” (185).
“Well, if it isn’t America’s Most Wanted: Middle School Edition,” Dad joked. [...] “The only crime I’ve committed is grand theft bacon” (314).
I really enjoyed this story, and I truly hope that is the beginning of another series by James Ponti. He is a fantastic author of middle school fiction that is clean, has relatable characters, and is highly engaging with great themes. Book Six of City Spies entitled London Calling is set to release February 2025. I will definitely be adding that to my “to read” pile, so definitely check back in for more by him in 2025.
