Sherlock Holmes is one of the world’s most famous fictional detectives. He, along with his accomplice Dr. John Watson, solves mysteries and cracks incredibly intricate cases. In The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, however, Holmes finally meets his match in 15-year-old egotistical Mary Russell in this story of mystery. The novel is an enticing adventure about looking behind the obvious to see what lies behind the seemingly coincidental whodunit. Set in 1915, in Britain, Mary has her nose in a book while accidentally stumbling upon Sherlock Holmes, who, tired of the constant adventure in London, had decided to take up raising bees in a quiet Sussex estate. Over time, Holmes and Mary start to grow closer, creating a mentor-tutor bond between the unexpected duo. Russell, intellectual as much as she was gawky, had been accepted to Oxford in the year of 1917, fresh from Holmes’ lessons. In 1918, the American senator’s daughter Jessica Simpson had been kidnapped and there was no one better to call on the case than Holmes, who takes Mary on her first international case. However, while rescuing her, they start to realize this plot ran much deeper than they thought. They start to follow a mystery that takes them across the world, across cryptic codes for them to uncover a tale intertwined in the middle of forbidden fate. The setting is rich and vivid, filled with lots of details about life in the early 1900s. Every scene is packed with action, either emotionally or physically. I especially enjoyed the point of view and the distinct personalities of the characters, Mary’s especially strong personality resonating with me and many other coming-of-age adolescents, not to mention being especially empowering for young girls such as myself. Being a mystery genre aficionado, I went into this expecting to find many hints and this book failed to disappoint. The foreshadowing towards the end of the adventure was expertly done, with little clues being dropped in the most unexpected of places. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With its witty conversations and monologue, engaging prose, and relatable characters, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice will leave you hanging tight on to the edge of your cover until the very last reveal. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King. Picador USA, 2014. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Book Reviews
Redwall, Reviewed by Daniel Zhu
In his novel Redwall, Brian Jacques pits a fearful rat named Cluny, who was thought to be a myth, against a relatively small community of peaceful creatures. However, in these dire times, the creatures of the Abbey surprised Cluny with unexpected strength and will. What Cluny thought would be a swift victory ended up being a slow, gruesome defeat. The transformation of the peaceful creatures of Redwall into formidable fighters was quite amazing and inspiring to see. The qualities that they came to possess seemed to directly combat the dirty tactics deployed by Cluny, and allowed them to achieve victory. The creatures of Redwall were quite formidable, but because the Abbey had preserved peace for so long, that formidability lay dormant for many years. The main character of the book, Matthias, has been aspiring to be like his hero Martin the Warrior, a legendary warrior mouse, since the beginning of his book. However, because of the long-lasting peace that the Abbey has preserved, Matthias was told to push that aspiration aside. Unfortunately, this was soon changed by Cluny’s sudden attack on Redwall. Luckily, Cluny completely underestimated the Redwall Abbey, and perhaps his inflated ego at the start of the conflict is what caused him to lose the war. By not immediately overwhelming the Abbey by force, precious time was bought, which allowed the defenders to set up proper defense; the wall defending the Abbey also contributed to Cluny’s defeat. Under the lead of Matthias, the creatures of Redwall were able to mount a strong defense force that was not only trained in strength but also in will and confidence. With encouraging leaders like Basil Stag Hare, a loquacious hare, the creatures of Redwall were able to keep their spirits up even with immense danger looming in front of them. On the contrary, Cluny’s forces were driven by fear, a bond that was destroyed the instant the fear-instiller – in this case, Cluny – was vanquished. A major reason for Cluny’s loss was the way his army, and that of Redwall, was controlled. The entire reason that Cluny’s army held together was the menacing reputation Cluny had built for himself. Using fear as a cruel form of motivation, it was soon apparent that none of the horde cared for each other; they were like zombies, controlled by the fearsome image of Cluny. The Redwall Abbey, on the other hand, was held together by friendship and trust. There was no one person who controlled them; rather, they naturally banded with each other. While Cluny had all of his soldiers chained to him, Redwall had their creatures bonded with each other. Cluny’s army lacked confidence and will, seeing as Cluny scarcely ever encouraged anyone, but by encouraging each other, the creatures of Redwall were able to edge Cluny’s army out of their beloved Abbey. While Cluny’s army began to despair, for example, after Cluny was forced to rest for three weeks after an injury, even after their tapestry of Martin was stolen and the gates of Redwall were opened, Redwall remained firm. Every person knew they were cared for and had an important role to play, and that increased their motivation and strength. This strategy was far more effective than the cruel, torturous methods of Cluny. In conclusion, the main contributing factor to Cluny’s loss was the way his forces, and those of Redwall, were united. While Cluny’s horde was chained to him, and only him, the creatures of Redwall shared a much stronger bond with each other because they were part of a community; none of which existed with Cluny’s horde. As more and more attacks failed, Cluny’s army began to lose hope and break apart. Many high-ranking creatures in the army were killed off, and the fact that Cluny wanted to have complete control over everyone in his army didn’t make it better. Ultimately, the friendship shared between the creatures of Redwall far outweighed any power fear could invoke. Redwall by Brian Jacques. Firebird, 2002. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Chasing Vermeer, Reviewed by Aviva, 13
If you like puzzles, coincidences, and art, Chasing Vermeer is the book for you, as it’s full of all three. I’ve always liked secret codes and puzzles, so I was hooked from the very beginning, which is a good sign with books. The book starts out when the same anonymous letter is delivered to three different people. The deliveries all happen on the same night, in the same neighborhood, and the letter asks each person to help solve a crime that “has wronged one of the world’s greatest painters.” The painter referred to is Johannes Vermeer, a famous artist from the sixteen hundreds, and the writer of the letter believes that many paintings attributed to him were actually painted by different people. I’ve only read one other book that mentioned art scandals, but the topic intrigued me, and I knew I was going to like this book. Things get stranger when one of the main characters, Petra, finds a book called Lo!, which is full of strange happenings and coincidences. She shares it with the other main character, Calder. Soon the two eleven-year-olds are finding coincidences and unexplainable happenings everywhere, especially things related to Lo! and Johannes Vermeer. So, when a priceless Vermeer painting disappears, they know only they will be able to recover it. This book has challenged the way I think about things. One example of this is its portrayal of coincidences and their relation to the story. The characters treat coincidences with about as much relevance as facts, and I found this surprising, because I don’t believe in coincidences. Nor do I believe that everything that happens is supposed to happen. I like to think that what I do is what I do because of my choices, not fate’s, so I had a hard time understanding why they would think that way. But I like thinking in new ways, and this book is full of new ways to see things. What’s interesting is that Blue Balliett, the author, seems to be suggesting that the coincidences in the book are meant to be, but they aren’t necessarily important to the storyline. So you might notice themes that repeat themselves, and you might think they’re important, but nothing comes of them. It’s sort of like some of the clues don’t matter—still, they’re there, and that’s what matters. Not many books work that way, where some things are just there because, and that’s what I love most about it! Just like some things seem to be clues but aren’t, other things that don’t seem important are often vital to the storyline. I sometimes had to reread certain parts to make sure I understood what was going on, because it’s a very complex story, even if it has fairly simple language. While this story is unpredictable, it is not unbelievable. When a book is so unbelievable it could never happen, I find it hard to identify with the characters. Petra and Calder are realistically rendered, and I could easily understand them and their ways of thinking. Petra loves to write, like me, and Calder likes puzzles and codes, and he daydreams a lot, which I have to admit I do frequently! Both are intrigued by the patterns of coincidence, as many people are. Altogether, this is a very believable yet complicated story, and I’m not sure I’ll ever read anything quite like it again. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Scholastic Corporation, 2004. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
