THE PRIVATE NOSE

 Jack Watson has never heard of Sherlock Holmes until a new girl moves in next door; her name is Saturday Holmes; and since she has a ``nose'' for solving mysteries, she loves practicing her skills as a detective. Becoming (inevitably) this Holmes's sidekick, young Watson helps her solve three mysteries concerning some missing teddy bears and neighborhood ghosts. In his first book for younger readers, Taylor--who writes adult mysteries- -imbues both his characters and his writing style with a quaint, rather old-fashioned charm that is nicely extended in Schongut's appealing pen drawings--which reveal that this is an interracial friendship. Accessible language and the story format make this an equally good choice for reading aloud or for encouraging reluctant readers. (Fiction. 7-9)