WRITTEN BY - ALEX WOOLF & ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
PUBLISHED BY - ARCTURUS PUBISHING
PUBLICATION DATE - 1ST JULY 2022
This charming little book is such an obvious idea, it’s surprising that nobody has thought of it before.
The Sherlock Holmes stories (16 in the series) have been adapted for children, complete with Eve O'Brien's delightful illustrations, by Alex Woolf. Here, the famous story “The Adventure of the Dancing Men” is retold in a much simplified version, but this doesn’t harm the tale: it still manages to be a complete story with a beginning, middle and end.
Narrated, as usual, by Doctor Watson, the story is engaging and should keep the little ones guessing until the end. Holmes’ explanation of the true meaning of the dancing men is so clear that it puts Conan Doyle to shame! The chapters are short allowing the book to be read and enjoyed by parents and children in one go. It is slightly violent but not in a gratuitous way. Alex Woolf has a good command of the story and it doesn’t have any obvious triggers.
Overall, “The Dancing Men” is a triumph and it is a book every child over seven will enjoy. I’m so interested to see how the other stories such as “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and “The Final Problem” are handled that I may end up reading them all myself!
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