Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong (Sherlock Sam #1) by A.J. Low

Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong (Sherlock Sam #1) Reviews

• 
  Abigail

  Samuel Tan Cher Lock, a young Singaporean boy who takes the name of his favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes, as a nickname, sets out to solve his first mystery in this novel for beginning chapter-book readers. When Auntie Kim Lian, the mother of his schoolmate Jimmy, discovers her treasured collection of traditional family recipes has gone missing, Sherlock Sam kicks into overdrive, determined to track down the lost volume and restore it to its rightful owner. Together with friends, family (including older sister Wendy) and Watson - the robot Sherlock himself created - the young sleuth triumphs in the end, revealing the thief and setting everything to rights...
  
  The first volume of a twelve-book (and counting) mystery series originally published in Singapore, Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom of Katong was published for the American market by the Kansas City-based Andrews McMeel Publishing, and is the first Singaporean children's book I have read. I was fascinated by the cultural details here, from the traditional dishes mentioned throughout to the various Singaporean locations discussed, as they were all hitherto unfamiliar to me. I appreciated the fact that a glossary of terms was included at the rear, as it was quite helpful to consult it, from time to time. The author name, "A.J. Low," is actually a pseudonym for husband-and-wife team Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. Recommended to young mystery lovers who are just getting going with chapter-books, as well as to anyone looking for children's books from and/or set in Singapore.
• 
  Wayne McCoy

  'Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong' by A.J. Low and Felicia Low with art by Drewscape is a fun new young reader series that introduces a smart young man who likes to solve mysteries.
  
  Sherlock Sam lives in Singapore. His name is similar to Sherlock Holmes, so that is one of his favorite characters. He also likes to eat, and when his Aunt Lian's family cookbook goes missing, it might mean Sherlock Sam doesn't get his aunt's ayam buah keluak anymore, which is his favorite. Along with his robot sidekick Watson and his family members, he sets out to find the missing cookbook.
  
  I found this a delightful new character and I feel lucky enough to read the second book soon. It's a chapter book with some wonderful illustrations. I loved that the resolution of the mystery wasn't completely obvious. A funny, brave new hero and his loving family made this a win for me.
  
  I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
• 
  Jessica

  |
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  Instagram As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.
  
  Now that one of my best friends' daughter is at an age where she is beginning to develop her own interests in entertainment, I was more than ready to pick out some children's books for her to enjoy with the help of her mother. She is not quite at the age where she can read on her own, but she is certainly a curious mind--and when I was sent a galley of Sherlock Sam's first two novels, I was thrilled to give it a go and pass it on to my friend. The first thing you should know is that it is an incredibly warm and mysterious take on Sherlock--it's not quite a retelling, instead it embraces qualities of the iconic character's crime solving skills and adapts them sweetly for a younger audience. The Missing Heirloom in Katong is fresh and sweet and will leave children feeling satisfied that they walked right into solving the mystery with our lead character.
  
  The most important part about Sherlock Sam is that it doesn't treat its audience like it is oblivious nor does it indicate the mystery is for children. Parents will fall in love with the overall sweetness and diversity of it and, in fact, learn a thing or two themselves. Sherlock Sam is diverse and beautifully told, simple and to the point in a way that will leave kids giggling. It's smart enough for adults to not go mad while reading it and it's silly enough to keep anyone on their toes. Who can resist a food-obsessed boy and his pet robot (yes, Watson is a robot!) solving the greatest mystery of his day--a missing cook book!
  
  Continued:
  BOOKEDJ
• 
  Marian Virtudazo

  I won a copy in Goodreads giveaway :) and i must say that i really love the visuals of the book, great drawing and i love the font. The story is also really funny and interesting, my nephews and nieces loved it when i read it to them. The story has a number of moral lessons, and it made me know more about the culture of Singapore.
• 
  Arline

  Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong is a children’s book. I am very exited to read this book. Felicia Low – Jimenez make the giveaway on goodreads and I have entered for the giveaway. And then I am the winners of the ten people to win copy this book. Felicia Law to send this book for me from Singapore. Felicia was born and raised in Singapore. She started work in the book industry after completing her degree in Business Administration. She also attained her graduate degree in Literary Theory from the University of New England in New South Wales, Australia. The Sherlock Sam series is Felicia’s debut writing effort, after accumulating years of experience buying, selling and marketing books.
  
  Sherlock Sam, Singapore’s greatest kid detective. Sherlock Sam will stop at nothing to solve the case, no matter how big or small! Sherlock Sam, a ten year old boy with eyes bigger than his tummy, Sherlock’s heroes are Sherlock Holmes, Batman and his dad. Extremely smart and observant, Sherlock often takes it upon himself to solve any and all mysteries-big aor small. He love comics and superheroes.
  
  Watson, built by Sherlock to be his trusty, cheery sidekick, Watson is, instead, a grumphy “old man” who is reluctantly drawn into Sherlock’s adventures; or as Watson perceives then, his misadventures. Watson is environmentally friendly.
  
  Wendy is Sherlock’s older sister. Jimmy is Sherlock’s classmate, Jimmy is the only boy in a Peranakan family with four sisters. Dad, an engineer, Sherlock’s dad is ascientific genius, but is rather forgetful and bumbling in real life. Mom, a homemaker, Sherlock’s mom is half-Peranakan and is contstantly experimenting in the kitchen. Auntie Kim Lian, a Peranakan matriarch, Auntie Kim Lian is renowned for the cooking skills. Fiercely protective of her grandchildren and her family recipes, she loves cooking for Sherlock Sam because he loves her food.
  
  “Sam, are you ready? It’s Saturday! We are having breakfast with Jimmy and Auntie Kim Lian at Chin Mee Chin, remember?”
  
  “Of course I do!” I said, kicking the last crumb beneath the bed. I loved eating breakfast at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery. It was my favourite place in Katong, but Mom said I could not go too often.
  
  The little bakery along East Coast Road was very crowded. Jimmy and his grandma, Auntie Kim Lian, were already there and had saved us seats. Auntie Kim Lian was Pearanakan, like Mom and her family had lived in Katong for generations.
  
  Chin Mee Chin was special to Mom because the bakery still looked like it did in the old photographs her family had taken when she was a little girl.
  
  “Do you want to come over to Auntie’s house later? I am thinking of making your favourite ayam buah keluak.”
  
  Of course I did! Auntie Kim Lian’s ayam buah keluak was legendary! “Auntie Kim Lian has been cooking ayam buah keluak since before I was born!” Mom said.
  
  “Hello, Auntie Kim Lian! Nice to see you here. I wanted to thank you for your help that day! I couldn’t have finished my project without your precious family recipe book,” he said.
  
  “Oh, hello, dear,” Auntie Kim Lian replied, smilling. “It was no problem at all Your mom is my good friend, of course I will help her soon.”
  
  “Next time, Auntie will cook for me, right?”
  
  Auntie Kim Lian laughed and agreed.
  
  ***
  
  Family recipe book is so precious, consider it a family heirloom. This recipe book has been in my family for many generations. Even before my grandparents came to Singapore from Malacca. Mak Cho is grandmother Auntie Kim Lian. Mak Cho started writing her home-cooked recipes when she married my Kong Cho. It was very important for Peranakan women to learn to cook well for their husbands back then.
  
  Auntie Kim Lian can’t find recipe book.
  
  “let’s retrace your steps, Auntie. When was the last time you had the recipe book?” Sherlock Sam asked.
  
  One of the first rules of detective work is to start from the very beginning. People often forget important details that seem small to them. It’s my job to find out what they are.
  
  “Sherlock-should-ride-a-bicycle-before-dinner,” Watson Said.
  Two weeks ago Auntie Kim Lian haven’t used it since. It was a Sunday. Auntie Kim Lian did bring it to Katong Antique House that day. The young man was going to photograph it along with other Peranakan family heirlooms for this project.
  
  ***
  
  When Auntie Kim Lian’s precious Peranakan cookbook disappears, Sherlock Sam cannot eat her delicious ayam buah keluak anymore! Will Sherlock Sam be able to use his super detective powers to find this lost treasure?
  
  To find it so read this book 
  
  Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong is a children book, a thrilling kid’s detective romp and this book so funniest. If you have a little brother or little sister so can you give this book, it’s very interesting to learn English for children and interesting to read a story Sherlock Sam, Singapore’s greatest kid detective.
  
  
• 
  Pranta Ghosh Dastider

  I received a digital copy of this book for reviewing.
  
  Sharlock Sam ... Nice title, and a fitting one. This book ways of course of the junior audience and they will enjoy it much more than full adults. As for me, I enjoyed it quite a lot, and there is a good reason for that too!
  
  Around two years ago I also wrote a novella about some wannabe detective guy, trying to find something that was lost. That has almost nothing common with the theme of this book. I tried to make it a funny story and in this book A.J.Low (both authors) made it funny as well. Which I liked very much. Best character of this book is undoubtedly Watson! His dialogs are stupidly funny! His naming was also a great event!
  
  Apart from Watson, Sharlock Sam was quite good, he is hungry for food and for mystery. Not many serious mystery comes to his way, but he manages with what he gets. Sam's dad was another great character. His sister was very relate-able. His mom, friend, auntie all were cool!
  
  The only problem I had with this story was the Singapore style naming of things! Although authors put a glossary at the back of the book, it felt troublesome while reading the story! Simple English naming of some characters and foods could have make the story easier to read at places. Then again, the storyline is strictly based on these things, so perhaps it was impossible to ignore.
  
  Book illustrations added a fine touch over all. I liked the artworks very much, they fitted the book very well.
  
  Overall this was a quick and fun read. If you are in the mode for some light read, try this.
• 
  Brenda

  Sherlock Sam is a great rendition of Sherlock Holmes; a kid in an environment that has me learning about other cultures as well as having a grand time seeing him solve mysteries. Since he's a kid living in Singapore we get all kinds of words that help shape the culture--I actually went and looked up who they were so I could get a little more information about their lives. Turns out a lot of their words are similar to Tagalog (or Filipino). I was caught off-guard when I recognized some of the words....well okay, like two. Out of fifty.
  
  It's just a fun book though. Sherlock Sam and his robot What-son (Watson--geddit?) are quite adept at solving mysteries, with a little help from Sam's sister Wendy. It's geared toward a younger audience but is fun, fast-paced, and surprisingly original despite being a retelling.
• 
  Georgette

  Part of what makes me squee in delight is that this takes place in Singapore, which is close enough to Malaysia geographically and culturally for me to relate and not have to keep checking the glossary. It is a cute mystery story with a smart but perpetually hungry kid and his wisecracking robot sidekick. In this first book, Sam invents Watson the robot, who immediately embarks with him to solve the mystery of a missing cookbook while traipsing all over Singapore's food heritage.
  
  I found that there's actually a lot of books in this series already, so congratulations to the authors AJ Low getting picked up by Andrews McMeel!
  
  This digital copy was courtesy of NetGalley.
• 
  Rena

  I won this from Goodreads for my kids. The book is best for 3rd grade readers, but my 10 and 13 yr old kids read it and this is what they thought. The book is really funny and the mystery is good since they didn't figure out the ending. They both liked the main character and the humor. The book is set in Singapore, so that's interesting as well.
• 
  Katie Day

  Good candidate for our Red Dot Book Awards - younger readers category. Not only is it set in Singapore, but it features a public library (one many of my students probably go to -- at Marine Parade). Also thinking that the Grade 3s do a unit on mysteries which this would be good for. Sequels as well. Like how there's a glossary at the back.
• 
  Aditi Shiva

  The characters are super lovable! And I love the illustrations. This book will make you smile. And may also make you crave kaya toast or kueh lapis. :D
• 
  Maranna Chan

  Cute! Enjoyed the book. Singaporean kids would love this!
• 
  ISLN (Int'l School Library Network) Singapore

  "Meet Sherlock Sam, Singapore’s greatest kid detective. With his trusty robot Watson, Sherlock Sam will stop at nothing to solve the case, no matter how big or small!" (Singapore)
• 
  Jen

  A solid start to a quirky series kids are going to love! Sherlock is a charming hero.
• 
  Beck

  Benji says he liked the mystery and the characters. He wants to read the whole series!
• 
  Lynda

  Cute.
• 
  Irene Jung

  Really cute kids mystery story. Its pretty short and light and easy to follow for kids. I enjoyed it and will read the rest of the series 🤗
• 
  Christian Kali

  I like the emphasis on using deductive reasoning. It made being smart as a kid cool the way the story was written. The text to text connections with the Charlie and Chocolate Factory brought a certain nice post-modern spin to the story. The story had certain elements to present the post-modern with traditional Chinese cultural elements making for an interesting blend. The plot was simple yet not too simple. I thought the build up of the conflict was just right in neither being too intense yet have certain stakes such as the ability to pass on the family recipes and heirloom. One got a sense of the tragic of this without it being too shocking for the younger readers the plot is built for. The cultural descriptions of food and recipes added a certain cultural flavor that was both distinct and accessible especially with the glossary at the end. The characters were relatable from a universal standpoint as the action progress while presenting a unique look into their culture. Watson as the robot constructed in the protagonist bedroom added an element of science fiction and fantasy but the flow of events kept the plot mainly in the realm of realistic fiction in an enjoyable blend of genres.
• 
  Hestia Istiviani

  I read Bahasa Indonesia version and this review is written in Bahasa Indonesia
  
  Awalnya melihat buku ini ketika sedang berkunjung ke Toko Gunung Agung, tetapi aku tidak terlalu memperhatikan hingga salah seorang anggota grup Facebook Sherlockian Indonesia mengunggah informasi tentang buku. Tertarik, aku cek fanpage resminya dan ternyata buku ini adalah buku anak-anak dari penulis Singapura.
  
  
  resensi lengkap
  
  Kalau mau membelikan buku ini untuk saudaramu yang masih di Sekolah Dasar, kamu benar sekali! Tetapi jangan lupa jelaskan pada mereka kalau buku ini berlokasi di Singapura sehingga memiliki perbedaan dengan nilai-nilai yang ada di Indonesia. Tapi, kalau kamu mau membacanya sebagai seorang dewasa, buku ini bisa jadi opsi untuk mencari hiburan dan bacaan yang super ringan karena Sherlock Sam gembul yang hobi makan dan Watson yang suka membocorkan rahasia.
• 
  Leslie Nyen

  Loved the south East Asian localization. Khong Guan biscuits, Milo, intermixing of language... exactly like how Singaporeans/ Malaysians speak. I thought the plot was simple, though the explanation is plausible and leads to that... ya, that makes sense, moment during the reveal. The book is also scattered with interesting cultural tidbits that explain local culture... sometimes this can drag the story a bit longer than necessary, but the short reminder of culture is great for my kid (7 year old). Surprisingly, he enjoys the book a lot. There are some nerdy facts scattered inside like “Quantum Entanglement” with nuanced hinting of Sam being heavier than he should be because of his love of food... great book.
• 
  Percival Buncab

  The book has several puns that would easily be funny both for kids and adults. The etymology of Watson's, the robot, name is remarkably clever!
  
  It has Singaporean food references (and other Singaporean culture) that are quite interesting to know. The problem, however, is that the descriptions are listed in a glossary at the back of the book, so you have to cross-reference from time to time. It would be better if the descriptions are pithily tucked in the narrative, so the reading flows smoothly.
  
  But overall, it's quite a good read—quick and light.
• 
  Jenna

  A cute and fun mystery that carries over the food-driven nature of my childhood books like Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl but set in Singapore. I enjoyed that the family is included in the adventure and the adults, for the most part, don’t seem to be too simplistic.
  
  Wonder if the kids at my library would read this or the glossary at the back of the book would be too difficult for them to access....
• 
  Jennybeast

  Fun mystery set in Singapore, with a smarty kid and his sidekick robot and a whole crew of interesting family members. Some of the family connections are confusing (I think maybe all older ladies are called Auntie? And apparently any child of the family would call an older lady Mama, even is she is grandmama not mom?) but I liked that about the book -- the food focus and the cultural heritage is part of what make it interesting.
• 
  Missy Warner

  I thought it was a very clever book. The author changed the standard location of Sherlock to Shang Hi, made Watson a robot, but Sherlock still solves mysteries! I loved how it used chinese words with a glossary at the back. It made it an interesting read for lower level readers, but with hard words that kids normally wouldn't see for higher level readers. Good job Low!
• 
  Allison Parker

  Sam Tan Cher Lock, AKA Sherlock, loves three things: eating delicious food, building robots, and solving mysteries. So when Auntie Kim Lian loses her precious cookbook, it's up to Sam and his rather lazy robot Watson to crack the case. A funny, clever, and blissfully short mystery for kids set in Singapore.
• 
  Anouk Wittendorp

  I read this book with my youngest brother and we both really enjoy it! The book is definitely more for him than for me (he's 8) but besides it being entertaining you also learn a lot about Asia and specifically Singapore! Recommend it for all parents!
• 
  Pui Ting Chin

  creative ♥
• 
  Sarah

  An early chapter book mystery, it's cute enough. Simple and straightforward. I like that it's set in a different country.