Photo of the Week with Alex Simmons

This week, Alex Simmons offers his thoughts on a classic favorite that you have probably read and loved too.  But if you haven’t here’s hoping that his post will inspire you to pick this book up too.  Because this is something that everyone should read and enjoy.

Alex says, “I’ve read Holmes since I was a kid and certainly have seen 90% of the films. His philosophy about careful observation and deduction has been part of my thinking process all these years.  Just ask my kids (family and students).“

Alex Simmons isn’t alone in his love for Doyle’s stories about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.  The famous detective has a vast, international fan base and a special society, devoted to studying these great books and most importantly, connecting all the people who love reading about Holmes.  Before Arthur Conan Doyle published his famous stories, the detective novel had not yet solidified into a distinct genre, but with the Sherlock Holmes stories, the genre took off and became a mainstay of literature.  In a time when the literary market was split between dense highbrow works and penny horror novels, Sherlock Homes showed that popular fiction can be smart and intensely interesting, and you don’t have to be an English professor to enjoy great books.  The stories of Sherlock Holmes inspired many people to read, and for that we thank Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  

Be sure to check out last week’s Photo of the Week with Tony Medina. Happy Reading!

Back to School and off to Brazil

A 5th Grade class at PS 165 on the Upper West Side began the year with a unit on mysteries. Class teacher Ms. Morales invited Behind the Book into the room to help create a mystery writing program for which we brought in prolific children’s writer Liz Levy and her book Danger and Diamonds: Mystery at Sea. Over the course of three visits with Ms. Levy, the class learned first-hand the process of conceiving, planning, and writing a mystery. They even had the opportunity to meet Ms. Levy’s editor, Nancy Mercado of Roaring Brook Press, and to talk to her about various other facets of the writing process, such as collaboration, rewriting, and editing.

Liz Levy talks to the class about her book