by A. J. Low
PSLE—The Primary School Leaving Examination, which all pupils take at the end of Primary 6. It causes a lot of stress.
Quantum pairs—Two subatomic particles that have been paired so that when one particle is changed, the other makes the same change instantaneously, no matter how far away it may be (this is called quantum entanglement). Quantum pairs may hold the secret to science fiction concepts like faster-than-light travel and teleportation.
Queenstown Public Library—The first branch library built in Singapore, it was opened in 1970 by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Red Vines—A delicious strawberry-flavoured liquorice snack. Easily available in the US, not as easily available in Singapore.
Sayang—An affectionate term meaning “dear” or “sweetheart” in Malay.
SIM card—A small circuit board required by all modern handphones to operate. “SIM” means “subscriber identity module”.
Star Trek and Starfleet Officer—A long-running television series and movie franchise, it has also spun into other mediums, including books, comics, and radio. The main characters usually belonged to Starfleet, the exploratory arm of the United Federation of Planets.
“Sweep the Leg!”—A line made famous in the first Karate Kid movie, it was used by a character wanting to injure Daniel, the main character. Wendy is not using it in that manner, she just likes to shout things out.
Tanglin Halt Market—A hawker centre in the Tanglin Halt Neighbourhood Centre that was built in 1967. The Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake and the Tanglin Halt Delicious Duck Noodles stalls are located here.
Virtual reality—Computer-generated realistic 3D images, sounds and other sensations to replicate a real environment. A person can explore and interact with this environment.
Walk-Man—A fictitious fitness device created by AJ Low that is like a FitBit. The name is taken from a Sony portable audio cassette tape player released in the late 70s. If you don’t know what this is, ask your parents.
Wi-Fi—A technology that allows devices to connect to the Internet via wireless means.
Wing Chun—A Chinese martial art developed at the end of the Qing Dynasty, specialising in close-range combat. Famous practitioners include Ip Man, Bruce Lee, Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen and soon Eliza (and maybe Wendy).
Wormholes—A hypothetical shortcut connecting two separate points in spacetime. A wormhole may connect extremely long distances, short distances, different universes, and different points in time. A wormhole is much like a tunnel with two ends, each at separate points in spacetime.
Year of the Tiger, Hunting Hour—In the past, Chinese people believed that a baby girl born in the Year of the Tiger during the Hunting Hour (which was the early hours of the morning) would bring bad luck to their family. These baby girls were often adopted by families who did not share the superstition.
ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
SAMUEL TAN CHER LOCK a.k.a. SHERLOCK SAM
An 11-year-old detective who tends to bite off more than he can chew, Sherlock Sam loves superheroes and comics. His heroes are Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Agent Coulson and his dad. Exceptionally curious and intelligent, Sherlock cannot resist a perplexing mystery, not even when it can get him into trouble.
WATSON
Less than two years old, Watson behaves more like a grumpy old man though he has remarkable similarities to a sulky toddler. He is often reluctantly drawn into Sherlock’s misadventures. Watson secretly wants to join S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Science division and create an army of like-minded robots.
WENDY
Wendy, Sherlock’s 12-year-old sister, can be a tomboy. Her arch-nemeses are mosquitoes and broken colour pencils, She is a talented artist and her favourite colour is green. Her Mandarin is terrible.
JIMMY
Sherlock’s classmate, Jimmy, seems to have the super power to fall down without injuring himself. His enthusiasm for everything is infectious and no one can stay mad at him for long (that might be his other super power).
NAZHAR
Nazhar is a bookish boy who loves reading about history and is the big brother of the group. He is trying to learn more about the outdoors from Eliza but, unfortunately, Nazhar has a horrible sense of direction.
ELIZA
Eliza is an only child. Her parents have recently divorced which was very difficult for her. Though sometimes sarcastic and mean, Eliza has become a true ally of Sherlock Sam and a member of the Supper Club. She really loves My Little Pony and neat hair.
DAD
A brilliant engineer, Sherlock’s dad is constantly working on top-secret experiments. He cannot concentrate unless he is chewing on Red Vines, a twisty liquorice candy. He has never stopped reading superhero comics because he thinks that everyone needs heroes, no matter how old they are.
MOM
Sherlock’s mom is half-Peranakan and a genius in the kitchen. She loves reading books by Jane Austen and enjoys watching superhero movies more than she lets on— especially those featuring Black Widow.
OFFICER SIVA
Officer Siva is an experienced and insightful police officer with the Singapore Police Force, but he cannot work without his morning kopi. A trusted ally of Sherlock Sam, Officer Siva is studying Spanish because he’s addicted to telenovelas. He hopes they’ll be the new Korean dramas in Singapore.
MORAN
Moran used to belong to the Fiendish Mastermind, but now lives with Jimmy, his sisters, his Mama and Auntie Gina. Unlike Watson’s robotic voice, Moran sounds almost human. He also has an amazing moustache.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A.J. Low is a husband-and-wife writing team!
Adan Jimenez was born in the San Joaquin Valley in California to Mexican immigrant parents. He became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after living in New York for almost a decade. He has worked for comic book stores, book stores, gaming stores and even a hoagie sandwich shop once. He loves comics, LEGOs, books, games (analog and video), Doctor Who and sandwiches.
Felicia Low-Jimenez has been a geeky bookseller for most of her adult life. She has bought books, sold books, marketed books and now she is trying her hand at writing books. She loves to nap and eat chocolate. She spends most of her free time reading, and, when she can afford it, she travels, usually to look for beautiful bookstores around the world.
Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong won the International Schools Libraries Network’s Red Dot Award 2013-2014 in the Younger Readers’ Category. Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning took third place in the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards 2013 in the English Children’s Books category.
You can find them at sherlocksam.wordpress.com, facebook.com/SherlockSamSeries and [email protected]
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Andrew Tan (also known as Drewscape) is a full-time freelance illustrator and an Eisner-nominated comic artist. He illustrates for print ads, magazines and also enjoys storyboarding and illustrating for picture book projects. During his free time, he’s always creating his own comics for the fun of it. In his home studio you’ll find an overflow of art tools of all kinds as he loves experimenting with them. He already has too many fountain pens and tells himself that he will stop buying more. Andrew published his first graphic novel, Monsters, Miracles & Mayonnaise, in 2012.
ADVENTURES IN ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS!
Look out for the next book in the Sherlock Sam series as the adventures of the Supper Club continue!
In Sherlock Sam’s Orange Shorts, you’ll get a glimpse of some of these alternate realities yourself, as we visit different versions of the gang throughout space and time, from Onay-359, and an Ancient Land That Was Not China, to the town of Tumbleweed, and a Place That Is Not on Any Map. See Nazhar, Moran, Wendy, Mom and Dad, Officer Siva and Inspector Lestrade, Jimmy, Eliza, Watson, and Sherlock Sam as you’ve never seen them before! Will Sherlock’s orange shorts escape unscathed?!
ntum Pair in Queenstown
