by A. J. Low
Guĭ Pó—A ghost that supposedly takes the form of a kind and friendly old woman, usually a domestic servant of a rich family who returns to help the family with housekeeping and childcare.
Hantu Galah—A very tall and thin ghost found among trees and bamboo. To defeat it, one picks up a stick and breaks it.
Hungry Ghost Month—During this traditional Chinese festival, celebrated during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, it is believed that ghosts, including those of deceased ancestors, visit the living. Offerings of food are made, and joss paper is burned for the benefit of the ghosts.
Jembalang Tanah—An earth demon that supposedly resembles a goblin and is thought to be very dangerous if not properly appeased.
Jenglot—A mythological vampire found in Malaysian and Indonesian folklore. It looks like a tiny living doll.
Kaypoh—Nosy or meddling. A busybody.
Lemak—Malay for “rich and creamy.”
Lemongrass—Widely used in Asian cuisine, this herb has a citrus flavor and is used in teas, soups, and curries.
Mama—Grandmother.
Milo—A chocolate malt drink that is popular with kids in Singapore.
Nasi Lemak—A Malay dish of rice cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaf, commonly served with cucumber slices, dried anchovies, roasted peanuts, a hard-boiled egg, and chili paste.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Dr.—An astrophysicist and science communicator, Dr. Tyson is currently the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He is a fierce proponent of “science literacy.”
Orang Minyak—Malay for “oily man,” this spirit is believed to reside near bodies of water and goes after women almost exclusively.
Pandan—A tropical plant with leaves that are often used as flavoring in Southeast Asia cooking.
P4—Short form for Primary Four.
Peranakan—Straits Chinese. Descendants of Chinese settlers who settled in Malacca, Penang, and Singapore. Peranakan culture is a hybrid culture incorporating Chinese and Malay influences.
Poltergeist—An invisible but disruptive ghost that throws objects and makes noises, such as knocking. Occasionally, a poltergeist will pinch the living.
Primary Four—Fourth grade.
Rochor Original Beancurd—Arguably the most famous bean curd stall in Singapore. Celebrities such as chef Anthony Bourdain, actress Michelle Yeoh, and photographer Russel Wong have tried the bean curd sold at this stall.
Sally Port—Small, secret doors that lead in and out of military forts. They help people enter and leave undetected. Fort Canning has three known sally ports. The “Jimmy port” in this story is fictitious.
Shuĭ Guĭ—Chinese for “water ghost,” this is supposedly the spirit of someone who has drowned.
Supper—A late-night meal, taken around 11:00 p.m. in Singapore.
Tau Huay—A dessert made with very soft bean curd served in a clear sweet syrup.
Upper Primary—Fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.
World War II—Also known as the Second World War (1939–1945), this was a global war that involved a majority of the world’s nations, which were split into two opposing factions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Japan, an Axis power, occupied Southeast Asia, including Singapore, during World War II, from 1941 to 1945.
You Char Kway—A long strip of dough that is deep-fried until golden brown. It is usually eaten for breakfast or supper, as an accompaniment to congee, soy milk, or tau huay.
Yuān Guĭ—This is supposedly the spirit of someone who has died a wrongful death and roams the world seeking justice.
Zombies—Reanimated corpses that supposedly like eating brains. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a zombie preparedness website (www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm), but it is really to help you prepare for possible real-life emergencies, as zombies are not real.
ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
Samuel Tan Cher Lock a.k.a. 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 or small. He loves comics and superheroes!
Watson
Built by Sherlock to be his trusty, cheery sidekick, Watson is, instead, a “grumpy old man” who is reluctantly drawn into Sherlock’s adventures, or, as Watson perceives them, his misadventures. Watson is environmentally friendly.
Wendy
Sherlock’s older sister. A year older than Sherlock, Wendy is a very talented artist, but she is terrible at Chinese. Sherlock would like to be taller than her one day soon. She doesn’t like wearing dresses or skirts.
Jimmy
Sherlock’s classmate Jimmy is the only boy in a Peranakan family with four sisters. He seems much younger than his actual age, because everything is exciting and magical to Jimmy. He has terrible handwriting.
Dad
An engineer, Sherlock’s dad is a scientific genius, but is rather forgetful and bumbling in real life. He has never stopped reading superhero comics—a love he’s passed on to his son.
Mom
A homemaker, Sherlock’s mom is half-Peranakan and is constantly experimenting in the kitchen. Sherlock often wonders why she tempts him with food, then does not allow him to eat his fill.
NAZHAR
Nazhar is the big brother of the group. Usually shy and quiet, Nazhar will stand up for his friends when they are threatened. Sherlock admires him for his knowledge of history, which Nazhar picked up from his dad.
ELIZA
One of the prettiest and most popular girls in school, Eliza often bullies kids she sees as weird or geeky—for example, Sherlock Sam and his friends. Eliza spends a lot of time in front of the bathroom mirror, making sure her hair is neat.
Officer Siva
A deputy superintendent in the Singapore Police Force, Officer Siva is an experienced policeman who is extremely impressed by the intelligence he sees in Sherlock Sam. He loves kaya toast and coffee from Chin Mee Chin, a bakery in Katong.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The writers behind the pseudonym A. J. Low are the husband-and-wife team of Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. Born in California to Mexican immigrant parents, Adan became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after graduating from New York University with an English literature degree. He previously cowrote a children’s book, Twisted Journeys #22: Hero City. He loves comics, LEGO, books, movies, games (analog and video), Doctor Who, and sandwiches, and one day hopes to own a store that sells all these things. Felicia was born and raised in Singapore. She spent most of her childhood with her head in the clouds and her nose buried in a book, and now daydreams of owning her own bookstore. She has a graduate degree in literary theory and the Sherlock Sam series is Felicia’s debut writing effort, after accumulating years of experience buying, selling, and marketing books.
You can contact the authors at [email protected] or by visiting sherlocksam.wordpress.com and facebook.com/SherlockSamSeries.
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 and magazines, and also enjoys storyboarding and illustrating for picture-book projects. During his free time, he creates 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.
LOOK OUT FOR SHERLOCK SAM’S NEXT ADVENTURE!
Get ready for Sherlock Sam’s next adventure, this time, in an international school in Singapore!
In Sherlock Sam and the Sinister Letters in Bras Basah, Sherlock Sam is all set to discover what an international school is rea
lly like, but one of the students is receiving strange letters that are causing grave concern. Can Singapore’s Greatest Kid Detective use his super intelligence to help his new friend?
Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning copyright © 2012, 2016 by Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. Illustrations copyright © 2012, 2016 by Epigram Books. Illustrations and cover design by drewscape. Original English edition published by Epigram Books Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.
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Andrews McMeel Publishing
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ISBN: 978-1-4494-8075-2
Library of Congress Number: 2015959868
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