Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set in 1889 largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. Holmes and Watson investigate the case. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival. One of the most famous stories ever written, in 2003, the book was listed as number 128 of 200 on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's "best-loved novel". In 1999, a poll of "Sherlockians" ranked it as the best of the four Holmes novels.
Is The Hound of the Baskervilles appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
Classic mystery with mild peril and supernatural atmosphere but no graphic content. An attempted murder plot involving a legendary supernatural hound creates suspense and tension, with some off-page deaths, but no explicit violence or mature themes.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include murder, animal death, and death.
Who'll love this
Middle grade readers will enjoy the atmospheric mystery of a supernatural hound, the clever detective work of Holmes and Watson, and the spooky moors setting.