A Study of Charlotte

Bibliographic Information:  

• Title: A Study of Charlotte  
• Author: Brittany Cavallaro  
• Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books  
• Copyright Date: 2016  

Genre: Teen, Mystery  

Awards or Honors: None 

Reading Level: Teen, Young Adult  

Plot Summary: The mystery story follows Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson, members of the Holmes and Watson family. Jamie is studying at Sherringford, a Connecticut boarding school, and is on the Rugby team, all while learning a new school and making friends. After getting into a fight with a student at school named Lee Dobson, Dobson is murdered, marking Watson as a suspect. Charlotte and Holmes team up to try and figure out who murdered Dobson. More students are attacked as Holmes and Watson team up to try and solve the mystery. Their findings eventually lead them to discover that the school nurse is trying to exact revenge on Holmes for mistakes from the past. The findings lead to a showdown between Holmes, Watson, and the villain, who has connections to the Moriarty family. Holmes and Watson battle wits against the villain to survive, with Watson desperately sick after being poisoned.   

Author Background: Brittany Cavallaro is the author of the popular Charlotte Holmes book series. She is also the author of Hello Girls and has also written poetry. She has an MFA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She attended the Interlochen Arts Academy as a teenager and now teaches at the school. She has also taught writing and literature classes. She grew up in Springfield, Illinois. She is married and has two pets (Cavallaro, 2020).   

Critical Evaluation: The story is told from the perspective of Jamie Watson, like the Sherlock Holmes stories. Taking place in modern times, it has references to Sherlock Holmes and life updates for both families over the last 100 years and references to Victorian-era norms and customs. However, it has a modern plot and issues discussed in the book. The writing style is like a diary entry, giving a chronological plot to the story. Most of the writing is a dialog between Charlotte and Jamie. It is often sharp and biting, as the two characters have distinct personalities that clash. There are no illustrations or drawings in the book. The writing is clear and decisive, and readers will follow along easily. Some books are convoluted and bounce around, but this book does a good job organizing sequence of events and capturing the reader’s attention. Young adults will be drawn to the book because the teens are the protagonists, are independent, and often see things adults miss. The author does a good job making sure the teens are the stars of the books.   

Creative Use Library Program: Our library will host a Sherlock Holmes day. We will provide all sorts of book materials throughout the years of other authors who have written stories for the Sherlock Holmes universe for teens and kids to read. We will set up a section within our library on the day with all the materials. We will also have movie materials available for Sherlock Holmes for teens to watch. We will also buy a Sherlock Holmes video game from Steam and provided it for teens who want to play.   

Book Talk: 100 years after the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes now go to the same boarding school in New England. Neither knows each other well until the murder of a fellow student brings them together as suspects in the case. Jamie and Charlotte must follow their ancestor’s path and team up once again to catch a killer and ensure justice.    

Potential Challenge Issue: There are no potential challenge issues at this time.   

Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because it is part of a popular series in the Sherlock Holmes universe. Sherlock Holmes is a popular mystery series, and I thought this series was a good reincarnation of the legacy. The book was easy to read and fun, and I think younger teens will enjoy the book and the series. The books in the series are separate enough that the reader doesn’t need to read them all if they don’t want to.   

About. (2020). Brittany Cavallaro. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from http://www.brittanycavallaro.com/about/  

Cavallaro, B. (2016). A Study of Charlotte. [eBook edition]. Katherine Tegan Books. https://dalycity.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2575536076