Best for readers ages 8 and up, spanning grades 4–7. The Kid Classics edition is specifically designed to bring Doyle's Victorian mystery within reach of this age range — the chapter storybook format and Maïté Schmitt's illustrations scaffold the complexity of the original text, making it navigable for younger readers. A Guardian young reviewer noted that the unabridged Doyle works best for confident readers from about age 11, so 8- and 9-year-olds may find the Kid Classics adaptation lands more smoothly with some parental support, given that even a faithful retelling carries traces of Doyle's more measured, formally structured storytelling.

Arthur Conan Doyle

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Reviewed

March 5, 2026

Read Time

9 min read

Age & reading levelAges 8+ · Middle grade

Reader rating

4.3 · 26 Amazon ratings

reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

$9.58 on Amazon Audiobook

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Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles – Kid Classics by Arthur Conan Doyle Review: A Worthy Gateway to Classic Detective Fiction

by Arthur Conan Doyle

This illustrated chapter storybook from Applesauce Press's Kid Classics series adapts Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic mystery for readers ages 8 and up, abridged and retold by editor Margaret Novak while remaining true to Doyle's original text, with illustrations by Maïté Schmitt — making one of literature's most celebrated detective stories genuinely accessible to a new generation.

$9.58 on Amazon

Back cover featuring synopsis, a hound illustration, two figures, and publisher branding.

Image from the Amazon listing for Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles) - Kid Classics: The Classic Edition Reimagined Just-for-Kids! (4) by Arthur Conan Doyle

Contents page listing fourteen chapters with decorative botanical illustration in the upper right corner.

Tap to enlarge

Ages 8+Gothic supernatural atmosphere (glowing, howling hound) · death and ancestral curse

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Young mystery lovers aged 8–11 who are ready for genuine suspense and puzzle-driven plotting but are not yet equipped — or not yet motivated — to tackle unabridged Victorian prose, and for parents or teachers wanting to introduce Sherlock Holmes in a structured, illustrated chapter-book format.

Worth it if

The reader is a curious 8-to-11-year-old who loves mystery and wants a first, properly scaffolded encounter with Holmes and Watson — or a caregiver looking for a bridge title that can be shared across generations before the unabridged original becomes accessible.

Skip if

Readers who want the full complexity of Doyle's plotting, or those expecting the pacey prose of contemporary middle-grade fiction, will find this abridgment a reduced experience and should seek out the unabridged text directly.

What readers & critics say

The Guardian's young reader reviewer of the original Doyle found the story "gripping with a good sense of mystery" but noted the Victorian language is formal, at times slow-moving, and best suited to confident readers from around age 11 — context that gives the Kid Classics abridgment real purpose for its younger target range. Wikipedia's entry on the source novel underscores its canonical weight, noting it is "one of the most famous stories ever written" and ranked by Sherlockians as the best of the four Holmes novels, lending meaningful cultural authority to any edition that brings it to new readers.

“The story was very good; gripping with a good sense of mystery — I could see that modern kids books share the same basic plot structure.”

— The Guardian

“The language was very formal; at times I found the writing a bit slow moving — but Sherlock Holmes is a fascinating character.”

— The Guardian

Sources: The Guardian, Wikipedia

4.3from 26 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score; an early, small sample

Preview the book

Chapter 1 opening spread with illustrated scene of figures in a Victorian interior and facing text page.

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The Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles) — Kid Classics edition is an abridged, illustrated chapter storybook that retells Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic Gothic mystery for readers ages 8 and up, adapted by editor Margaret Novak with illustrations by Maïté Schmitt. It offers a purposeful on-ramp to one of literature's most celebrated detectives, preserving the cursed-hound premise and puzzle-driven tension of the original while making Victorian prose navigable for grades 4–7. The key caveat: as an abridgment, it necessarily omits some of Doyle's full complexity, and even a faithful retelling may carry traces of his more measured, unhurried storytelling rhythm.

Is it worth reading?: For young mystery lovers ready for genuine suspense and a puzzle-driven plot but not yet equipped — or motivated — to tackle unabridged Victorian fiction, LuvemBooks considers this a clear and useful choice. The Kid Classics edition works as a classroom introduction to the detective genre, a bridge title for a confident reader finishing early chapter books, or a shared read for a parent wanting to introduce Holmes in a form both generations can enjoy. The trade-off is that abridgment means reduced complexity, and even a carefully retold adaptation may carry traces of Doyle's more measured Victorian storytelling rhythm.
Similar books: Readers who enjoy this Kid Classics mystery introduction may also gravitate toward other titles that blend classic storytelling with young reader accessibility. Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden offers another piece of atmospheric, Victorian-era fiction reimagined for younger audiences, while Roald Dahl's Matilda shares the satisfying dynamic of a sharp, observant young mind outwitting the world around them. For more mystery-adjacent adventure, Rex Langley's History's Strangest Mysteries: An Investigation For Young Readers delivers puzzle-driven intrigue in a non-fiction format. Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures and David Almond's Skellig both offer the kind of atmospheric, imaginative storytelling that rewards readers ready to move beyond straightforward plotting.
Who should read this?: This edition is best suited for young mystery lovers ages 8 and up — particularly those in grades 4–7 — who are ready for a story with genuine suspense and a puzzle-driven plot but are not yet equipped to tackle unabridged Victorian prose. It works equally well as a classroom introduction to the detective genre, a bridge title for a confident reader finishing early chapter books, or a shared read for a parent wanting to introduce Holmes in a format both generations can enjoy together. Readers accustomed to fast-paced contemporary middle-grade fiction should be aware that even a faithful retelling of Doyle may carry traces of his more measured, unhurried storytelling rhythm.
What age is it for?: Best for readers ages 8 and up, spanning grades 4–7. The Kid Classics edition is specifically designed to bring Doyle's Victorian mystery within reach of this age range — the chapter storybook format and Maïté Schmitt's illustrations scaffold the complexity of the original text, making it navigable for younger readers. A Guardian young reviewer noted that the unabridged Doyle works best for confident readers from about age 11, so 8- and 9-year-olds may find the Kid Classics adaptation lands more smoothly with some parental support, given that even a faithful retelling carries traces of Doyle's more measured, formally structured storytelling.
About Arthur Conan Doyle: Born in Edinburgh in 1859, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle transformed from a struggling physician into one of literature's most celebrated storytellers.
What's the reading level?: The Kid Classics edition is designed for grades 4–7, placing it in the middle-grade chapter book range. The chapter storybook format and Maïté Schmitt's illustrations scaffold the reading experience, making a complex Victorian mystery navigable for this level. That said, the review notes that even a carefully retold adaptation carries traces of Doyle's more measured, formally structured Victorian storytelling — meaning confident readers within the grade 4–7 band will get the most out of it, while less confident readers at the lower end may benefit from reading alongside a parent.

Summarize this book

Is it worth reading?

Who should read this?

What age is it for?

About Arthur Conan Doyle

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Summarize this book

The Kid Classics edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles is an abridged illustrated chapter storybook adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's original Victorian mystery, retold by editor Margaret Novak and illustrated by Maïté Schmitt. It follows Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they investigate the ancient curse said to haunt the Baskerville family — a giant, ghostly hound that glows eerily and howls outside the family's Devonshire estate. Published by Applesauce Press in June 2022 as the fourth entry in the Kid Classics series, it targets readers ages 8 and up, with the stated aim of remaining true to Doyle's source text while making the story accessible to a modern young audience.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

4.6

/ 5

The Hound of the Baskervilles: 150th Anniversary Edition (Signet Classics) presents Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most celebrated Sherlock Holmes novel — in which Holmes and Dr. John Watson investigate the death of Sir Charles Baskerville and the legend of a monstrous hound haunting his family — alongside an afterword by bestselling mystery writer Anne Perry. It remains an indispensable entry point for anyone discovering the Holmes canon.

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A purposeful, well-positioned adaptation that brings Doyle's Victorian gothic mystery within reach of young readers without discarding the story's essential drama or its famous detective.

What This Book Is and What It Contains

Back cover featuring synopsis, a hound illustration, two figures, and publisher branding.

The Kid Classics edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles is an abridged illustrated chapter storybook, not a novelization or a new work of fiction. It adapts Arthur Conan Doyle's original mystery novel — written more than a hundred years ago — for a young modern audience, with the stated aim of remaining true to Doyle's source text.

The adaptation was prepared by editor Margaret Novak and is illustrated by Maïté Schmitt. Published by Applesauce Press in June 2022, it is the fourth entry in the Kid Classics series and is aimed at readers ages 8 and up, spanning grades 4 through 7.

The story at its core follows Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr. Watson as they investigate the curse said to haunt the Baskerville family — a giant, ghostly hound that glows eerily and howls outside the family's Devonshire estate. That Gothic premise, set against what Doyle's original describes as the "melancholy moor," forms the engine of the mystery, and the adaptation preserves it as the central conflict young readers are invited to solve alongside Holmes.

The Significance of the Source Material

Contents page listing fourteen chapters with decorative botanical illustration in the upper right corner.

The Hound of the Baskervilles holds a foundational place in detective fiction. As a young reader reviewing the original for The Guardian noted, Sherlock Holmes stories were among the first detective novels written, and their basic plot structures have echoed through children's mystery books ever since.

Holmes himself — intelligent, unpredictable, a master of deductive reasoning — remains one of the most recognizable characters in all of English literature, and this Kid Classics entry gives readers aged 8 and up their first structured encounter with him in chapter-book form. That cultural weight makes the adaptation's existence meaningful: rather than asking younger readers to wait until they can wrestle with Victorian prose, the Kid Classics series brings the story to them at an age when mystery and suspense can genuinely ignite a lifelong reading habit.

What the Adaptation Is Designed to Do Well

The edition is specifically designed as an on-ramp to the original. Publisher descriptions across multiple retail channels emphasize that the retelling is abridged for accessibility while remaining true to Doyle's text — a balance that distinguishes it from retellings that freely reimagine the story.

The chapter storybook format structures the mystery in digestible sections, and Maïté Schmitt's illustrations accompany the text throughout, giving visual support to the atmospheric Dartmoor setting and its supernatural menace. The publisher positions the book as delivering the mystery at "just the right amount of thrilling" — calibrated for younger sensibilities without evacuating the tension that makes the story compelling.

For readers who have never encountered Holmes, the adaptation also serves as an introduction to one of fiction's most durable character archetypes: the analytical detective who reasons where others merely react. That introduction, scaffolded by an editorial hand and visual storytelling, is precisely what the Kid Classics format is designed to provide.

Genuine Limitations to Consider

Any adaptation of this kind involves trade-offs, and the original source material itself presents a specific challenge worth naming. A Guardian young reader reviewing the unabridged Doyle noted that the language is formal, at times slow-moving, and demands real concentration — reflecting the Victorian register in which it was written.

While the Kid Classics edition abridges and retells the story to ease that burden, readers and caregivers who expect the prose to read like contemporary middle-grade fiction may find that even a faithful adaptation carries traces of Doyle's more measured, unhurried storytelling rhythm. The same Guardian reviewer suggested the original works best for confident readers from about age 11; the Kid Classics edition targets a somewhat younger range, which means the adaptation's editorial choices bear meaningful weight in determining how smoothly the story lands for an 8- or 9-year-old.

It is also worth noting that as an abridgment, this edition is by definition a reduced version of the original. Readers who come to it hoping for the full complexity of Doyle's plotting will eventually need to seek out the unabridged text.

Who This Book Is genuinely For

The Kid Classics Hound of the Baskervilles sits at a clear and useful intersection: it is for young mystery lovers who are ready for a story with genuine suspense and a puzzle-driven plot, but who are not yet equipped — or not yet motivated — to take on unabridged Victorian fiction. It works equally well as a classroom introduction to the detective genre, a bridge title for a confident reader finishing early chapter books, or a shared read for a parent who wants to introduce Holmes in a form both generations can enjoy together.

Readers who discover they love Holmes here have a clear and rewarding path forward: the original novels and stories await them as their reading stamina grows.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

Cited in this review
1
Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles) - Kid Classics: The Cl – Cider Mill Press
cidermillpress.com
2
Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles) – Kid ...
harpercollinsfocus.com
3
Sherlock (The Hound of the Baskervilles) – Kid Classics: The Classic Edition Reimagined Just-for-Kids! (Kid Classic #4)
harpercollins.co.uk
4
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - review | Children's books | The Guardian
theguardian.com
Further reading
5
Arthur Conan Doyle — author profile
Arthur Conan Doyle, LuvemBooks
6
Sherlock (The Hound of the Baskervilles) - Kid Classics a book by Arthur Conan Doyle, Margaret Novak, and Maïté Schmitt - Bookshop.org US
bookshop.org
7
Wikipedia
Wikipedia

Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 8+

Reading level

Middle grade

Browse all middle-grade (8–12) books

2 content notes · who it suits

Content to know about

Gothic supernatural atmosphere (glowing, howling hound)

death and ancestral curse

Best for: Ages 8+ — abridged chapter storybook format and illustrations support the reading level, though traces of Doyle's formally structured Victorian storytelling suit confident readers best; less confident readers at the younger end may benefit from a shared read with a parent.

Skip if you're looking for fast-paced, action-forward contemporary middle-grade fiction.

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A Study in Scarlet

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Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes novel — meet Watson and Holmes for the first time, with a mystery that spans continents and two timelines.

This is where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson first cross paths, making it a natural next step for any young reader who enjoyed the detective duo's dynamic on Dartmoor. The plot pivots between a London murder investigation and a gripping backstory set in the American frontier, offering more variety in setting than Baskervilles. It suits readers who want the full, unabridged Holmes experience after getting a taste through the Kid Classics edition.

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Real-world unsolved cases presented as investigations — gives puzzle-hungry Holmes fans the same deductive thrill in a non-fiction format.

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Tom's Midnight Garden

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Gothic atmosphere, a mystery rooted in the past, and a child protagonist piecing together clues — emotionally richer but tonally close.

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