The Clockwork Scarab, written by Colleen Gleason is a perfect book for both middle and high schoolers. It combines the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker to create a thrilling mystery. When a boy from the future arrives in 19th century steampunk London, Alvermina Holmes and Evaline Stoker aren't sure what to expect. The two girls are as different as they can be, but when they are called upon to solve the mystery of dead and missing girls, can the two work together?
Reading this book was, for me, very interesting. It was really cool to see the relatives of two characters portrayed in such an interesting way. In Sherlock Holmes, Holmes does mention having a brother but never a niece, and it was really clever how the author used this tiny piece of information to basically create a story. Describing Bram Stoker through the eye of his niece as he was writing Dracula was also fascinating, how the characters 'accidentally' changed the book just by making a sarcastic comment. Just these little details that the author added really made this book memorable. She even managed to fit some Egyptian mythology into the plot as well!
If any of you reading this are from Maryland, this is also a high school Black Eyed Susan book, one of the ten handpicked books of the year.
Happy Reading!
