Sherlock Holmes – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Sherlock Holmes

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2020

84%

WISE Score

4.7

Amazon

The original 'smartest guy in the room' who makes modern detectives look like they're playing with Duplo blocks.

Sherlock Holmes

book

2020

84%

WISE Score

4.7

Amazon

The original 'smartest guy in the room' who makes modern detectives look like they're playing with Duplo blocks.

4.7

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Screenwise Verdict

Sherlock Holmes is the OG for a reason. While some of the 19th-century attitudes haven't aged perfectly, the core of the stories—using your brain to solve impossible problems—is timeless.

Don't start with the novels like 'A Study in Scarlet' (the middle section is a weirdly long tangent about Mormons in Utah); go straight for 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' short stories. They’re punchy, clever, and much easier for a modern kid to digest without getting bored.

Just be ready to explain why the world’s greatest detective is casually shooting up 'tonic' in his living room—it was a different time, and a quick 'don't try this at home' talk covers it.

Age Fit

Best for ages 10 and up. Younger kids might enjoy the stories if read aloud, but the vocabulary and Victorian pacing are a steep climb for solo reading before middle school.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The Holmes/Watson dynamic is the ultimate blueprint for a functional partnership, but Sherlock himself is a cold, clinical protagonist who occasionally injects cocaine when he's bored. It's not exactly 'moral of the story' material, but the commitment to justice is solid.

Imaginative

The 'Science of Deduction' is basically a superpower for people who pay attention. It turns the mundane world into a giant puzzle, which is great for sparking a kid's curiosity about the details around them.

Safe

You're dealing with Victorian-era murders. There’s some grit—poisonings, hounds from hell, and the aforementioned drug use—plus the occasional 'cringe' colonialist attitude typical of the 1890s. It’s safe for a middle-schooler, but maybe not as a bedtime story for a 6-year-old.

Enriching

This is a vocabulary goldmine. Beyond the words, it teaches logical sequencing and critical thinking. It’s the antithesis of brain rot; you actually have to keep your brain turned on to follow the thread.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Teaches kids that being the 'nerd' who notices things is actually a superpower.
The short stories are bite-sized and perfect for kids with shorter attention spans who can't commit to a 400-page novel.
Atmospheric as heck—it makes Victorian London feel like a character of its own.
Dr. Watson is the loyal, grounded friend every kid needs to see modeled.

⚠

What to Watch For

Holmes’s '7% solution'—he uses drugs to combat boredom in several stories, which requires a conversation about the 1890s vs. now.
The language is thick. If your kid isn't a strong reader, they’ll be asking 'what does this mean?' every three sentences.
Some period-typical racism and sexism pop up, especially regarding characters from the colonies.

Conversation Starters

"Why does Holmes think being emotional gets in the way of solving a crime?"
"If you had to solve a mystery in our house right now using only clues from this room, what would you look for?"
"Why do you think Watson stays friends with someone as difficult as Sherlock?"
"What's something we do today that people 100 years from now will think is as weird as Sherlock's pipe smoking?"

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