Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Her name is "Alone" spelled backwards, and was given to her by her mother, whose favorite encouragement was, "You can do very well on your own." On Enola's 14th birthday, her mother runs away, but not before leaving Enola clues where to find a substantial amount of money. When Mycroft, who is Enola's legal guardian, tries to put Enola in a boarding school, Enola runs away to London. There she sets herself up as a finder of lost people. Like her older brother and idol, Sherlock, she uses deductive reasoning, inside informants, and disguises to pursue her cases and avoid her brothers. She manages to stay one step ahead of them, using one asset she has that they don't, her knowlege of the feminine world.
My husband and I watched the Netfix Enola Holmes movies last month, so I decided to read the books again. They really are a delight but also very insightful and thought-provoking. Enola is a spunky and clevor protagonist. Springer portrays London of 1889 with all its nasty underbelly, and also riffs on the oppression of women and minorities. Although both the libraries were I used to work put the Enola Holmes books in the middle grade section, they really are more YA, even though they are short. They are good choices for reluctant reader teen-age girls.
The Case of the Missing Marquess (2007, 215 p.)
The Case of the Left-handed Lady (2008, 256 p.)
The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (2009, 170 p.)
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