A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Jamie Watson is reluctant to leave London and enter Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school. However, he is interested in meeting Charlotte Holmes, great-great-great granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes. He dreams they will be a mystery solving pair like their famous great grandparents, but Charlotte has different ideas. When a murder occurs on campus and Charlotte and Jamie are framed for it, the two are forced to repeat history and solve the mystery to clear their names.

With plenty of Sherlock nostalgia, Cavallaro manages to create new characters while still harkening to the classic mysteries. The story and setting is modern, so it deals with some harsh issues (best for older readers), but I enjoyed this new Holmes and Watson (I’m always a sucker for a twist on a classic or fairy tale). We get the same brilliance in Holmes, but a little more human emotion and sentiment. I look forward to future books in the series.

Recommended ages--13 and up

Red Butterfly by A.L. Sonnichsen

As a baby, Kara was abandoned by her Chinese mother she doesn’t remember. Now she lives with her Mama, an elderly American woman living in China. The two of them rarely ever leave the apartment and Kara wonders why they can’t leave China and live with Daddy in Montana. Mama tells Kara to wait and be grateful for what she has, but there are so many secrets that Kara wishes she understood. When trouble enters her world, Kara has to learn about strength and courage. She also learns that love and family can be found in places where you least expect it.

Red Butterfly is told in verse from the perspective of eleven-year-old Kara. Her experience as a Chinese orphan raised by American parents without legal adoption gives insight into a unique culture and situation. Kara’s life may be different, but readers will connect to her experience of growing up and finding her place in the world.

Recommended ages--10 and up

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Set in the forests of medieval Russia, Hunted gives new flavor to the old tale of Beauty and her Beast. Yeva and her sisters enjoy comfort and wealth living with their father in the city. However, Yeva longs for the days she used to hunt with her father in the forest. When financial ruin reaches their family, they are forced to retreat to the old hunting cottage. Yeva prefers this life, but their father is acting strange. When he goes missing, Yeva searches for him.

In her search, Yeva encounters the mythical Beast. Riddled with Russia folk tales, Hunted presents a very different and more complex relationship between Beauty and the Beast. This fairy tale retelling is multilayered and a well-written adaptation of an old tale.

Recommended ages--12 and up