Springer, N. (2006). The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery. New York: Philomel.
Summary
Enola Holmes, much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock, faces the mysterious disappearance of her mother on her birthday. The chauvinistic Holmes brothers, long estranged from the artistic, ciper-loving Mrs. Holmes, arrive at their ancestral home ready to make Enola into a proper Victorian young lady and to pack her off to finishing school. Though hurt by their attitude, Enola makes her own clever escape and divines from her mother's cryptic birthday gifts a wish to provide her daughter with a certain amount of freedom and independence foreign to most Victorian females. In the process, she solves the mystery of a pampered young boy's disappearance from his estate. Far from being a passive heroine, intelligent, sensitive, and observant Enola -- "alone" spelled backwards -- carves out her own feminine identity with spirit and aplomb despite the limits of Victorian society's expectations for upper-class women.
Impressions
Oh, how I love this book and cannot wait to read others in the series! I have long been a fan of Sherlock, regardless of his disparaging comments about the female intellect and capacity for reason. I have also enjoyed Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books, in particular. The puzzle of mysteries and challenge of teasing them out excites me as a reader, as it has since I picked up my first Nancy Drew in first grade. Far from buying Sherlock's perspective, I contend that the often highly-intuitive abilities of women bring a lot to the mystery-solving table. Nancy Springer's invention of Enola Holmes gives brilliant voice to gender roles in Victorian society, challenges the stuffy Mycroft and Sherlock, and provides readers with a spunky, yet vulnerable character who deciphers her mother's puzzles and her own inner workings.
Review
Gray, A., et al. (2006). The case of the missing marquess: an Enola Holmes mystery [book review]. School Library Journal, 52(2), 137-138. Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Gr 4-8-- In what is hopefully the start of an exciting new series, Missing Marquess features the intriguing, much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Enola was a late-life baby, causing something of a scandal in society. Her rather vague mother is a 64-year-old widow who disappears on Enola's 14th birthday. It takes the girl a short time to realize that her mother left her some ciphers that indicate why she went away and how she is faring. The teen reluctantly enlists the services of her adult brothers, who quickly determine that Lady Holmes has been padding the household accounts for years. When they decide that their sister belongs at a boarding school, Enola escapes and heads for London dressed as a widow. There she is able to solve a mystery involving the disappearance of young Viscount Tewksbury. She decides to stay in the city, adopting a number of disguises, and become a "Perditorian," or finder of lost things or people. Springer focuses a great deal on the restrictions placed on Victorian females by showing how unusual Enola's bravery and common sense are, even as she often struggles with conventional reactions. She wants her brothers' affection, or indeed anyone's, but knows that a socially accepted life will strictly limit her freedom and learning. Enola's loneliness, intelligence, sense of humor, and sheer pluck make her an extremely appealing heroine who hopefully will one day find the affection for which she so desperately longs.
Suggestions for use
This would be an excellent book to use in late elementary classrooms and libraries. One use of the book would be to incorporate Enola's capacity for writing and solving ciphers into an interdisciplinary lesson: students read the book as a class and then devise their own code or cipher. Then, students exchange these ciphers with each other and attempt to solve the codes. Perhaps the Navajo Code Talkers could be an added dimension to this lesson as part of an integrated unit.
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