From the Publisher
"Stylishly written and briskly plotted, Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche will scoop up movie fans looking for further adventures with Enola." Bookpage
"This latest novel continues the chronicle of this capable, ingenious, and fiercely independent young woman." Booklist
"An altogether delightfully engaging romp about Victorian London...Enola’s voice is wholly charming, prone to just the right bit of humorous snark." Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Nancy Springer:
"Flat-out among the best mysteries being written for young people today." Booklist (starred review) on The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye
"Sweet god, how I love these books!...the best Sherlock Holmes series for kids I've ever been lucky enough to read." School Library Journal
"Enola is clever, intelligent, indomitable, and plucky...with precise characterization, fast pacing and keen observation." Kirkus Reviews on The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
School Library Journal
08/01/2021
Gr 6 Up—In 1889, 15-year-old Enola Holmes has reached a détente with her much older brothers, having amply proven that she can outwit them both and take care of herself. So when Tish Glover seeks to consult an indisposed Sherlock, Enola offers her services instead. Tish's identical twin, Flossie, has been reported dead by her aristocratic husband, but Tish refuses to believe it; rumors hint that the Earl of Dunhench's first wife, also reported dead, was actually taken away in a "black barouche." Not knowing what that means, Enola decides to investigate by going to Dunhench herself. Soon she, her aristocratic friend Tewky (Viscount Tewkesbury), Sherlock, Tish, and Dr. Watson all become involved in a harrowing adventure to expose the truth behind the black barouche—and Flossie's disappearance. Springer's historical worldbuilding is exemplary. Evocative sensory descriptions paint vivid pictures of Enola's England, from the Earl's elegant manor to Bedlam's abject misery, and character interactions reflect Victorian treatment of women. Echoing Conan Doyle's prose style, the author's dry wit and sophisticated vocabulary ("scagliola," "crepuscular," "erinyes") will delight some readers, but may confound others. Moving at a speedy pace, the story offers more adventure than mystery, since Enola discovers the truth in the first half of the book. Although characters are distinctive, the adventurous and fashion-loving Enola has the most depth. Characters' ethnicities are generally not described. VERDICT Hand Enola's lively new adventure to fans of Sherlock Holmes, historical fiction, or Netflix's Enola Holmes.—Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA
Kirkus Reviews
2021-06-16
Teenage sleuth Enola Holmes is back in a follow-up to earlier, middle-grade offerings.
A self-described “Scientific Perditorian,” grandiloquent Enola Holmes arrives at Baker Street to find her brother, Sherlock, nearly catatonic due to a fit of melancholia. However, when Miss Letitia Glover shows up, convinced that news of her twin sister Flossie’s death cannot be true, the puzzle-loving Holmes siblings can’t resist taking on the case. Flossie’s husband Caddie Rudcliff, the Earl of Dunhench, sent word that a fever had quickly overtaken Flossie and that she was immediately cremated without so much as a funeral—the same fate as his first wife, Myzella. As Sherlock and Enola investigate, readers are treated to an altogether delightfully engaging romp about Victorian London through visits to horrifying asylums and sprawling manor houses, the antics of a fractious horse, and lush sartorial descriptions. Women’s agency—or the lack thereof—is brought to the forefront as Enola repeatedly encounters difficulty due to her gender. With nearly a decade having passed since Springer penned a case for Enola (with a graphic novel and a film being released in the interim), this is an excellent entry point for both established fans and newcomers, and it includes a helpful recap in a prologue from Sherlock’s point of view. Enola’s voice is wholly charming, prone to just the right bit of humorous snark and a penchant for lists. All characters are presumed White.
A clever whodunit with broad appeal. (Mystery. 12-18)