The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall: The Valley of Lies

Gr 4-8–Rife with nods to the world of Sherlock Holmes, this action-packed quest follows a group of friends searching for the Brazen Head of legend while on a school field trip. Professor Sherlock Holmes is a teacher and mentor to Arthur Conan Doyle, a student at Baskerville Hall. Doyle keeps to himself that his sister has been kidnapped by a former teacher who is manipulating him and holding his sister hostage. The kidnapper wants the Brazen Head, the search for which is one of the reasons Holmes has arranged this class trip to Lake District. Friendships are tested and lessons learned as it is clear that less problems would have arisen if there was more trust, transparency, and opportunity for teamwork in the group. With nods to Virgil and Wordsworth embedded in the clues, the quirks and skills of Doyle and Holmes are highlighted here. The relationships and backstory clearly have been developed previously, but this installment works as a stand alone. Holmes and Arthur are cued white; the cast of secondary characters is diverse.