Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong: book one Page 5
Kaya—Coconut jam.
Kaypoh—Nosy or meddling. A busybody.
Kebaya—Traditional dress of a Peranakan woman consisting of a translucent, embroidered blouse and a batik sarong.
Khong Guan—A classic Singaporean biscuit brand, famous for its cream crackers and cream sandwich biscuits.
Kong Cho—Great-grandfather.
Kueh lapis—A cake consisting of thin layers made of butter, eggs, and sugar, piled on top of one another. Each layer is laid down and baked separately, making the creation of a kueh lapis an extremely difficult and time-consuming process.
Kueh pie tee—A thin and crispy pastry tart shell filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns.
Lah—Singaporean slang often used to end a sentence and to add emphasis. For example, “Cannot, lah!”
Logicomix—A graphic novel about the foundational quest in mathematics, set between the late 19th century and present day. It is narrated by noted philosopher Bertrand Russell.
Mak Cho—Great-grandmother.
Mama—Grandmother.
Milo—A chocolate and malt drink that is popular with kids in Singapore.
Nonya kueh—Peranakan cakes and desserts.
Occam’s razor—A principle of logic that can be simplified into the statement: “The simplest solution is often the correct one.”
Otah—Spicy fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping; sometimes also spelled “otak.”
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.
Pi—A mathematical constant that is usually denoted by the symbol π and equals approximately 3.1415. When the circumference of a circle is divided by its radius, it will always equal pi, no matter the size of the circle.
Popiah—A soft, thin paper-like crepe or pancake made from wheat flour that is filled with a variety of ingredients: turnips, bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, grated carrots, slices of Chinese sausage, thinly sliced fried tofu, chopped peanuts, fried shallots, shredded omelette, shrimp, and/or crab meat.
Sarong—A traditional wraparound skirt.
Sayang—An affectionate term meaning “dear” or “sweetheart” in Malay.
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.
Auntie Kim Lian
A Peranakan matriarch, Auntie Kim Lian is renowned for her cooking skills. Fiercely protective of her grandchildren and her family recipes, she loves cooking for Sherlock Sam because he loves her food!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The writers behind the pseudonym A. J. Low are the husband-and-wife team Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. Born in the San Joaquin Valley in California to Mexican immigrant parents, Adan became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after completing his degree in English literature at New York University. He has worked in the book industry and the gaming industry, and has co-written a children’s book, Twisted Journeys #22: Hero City, published in the U.S. in 2012.
Felicia was born and raised in Singapore. She started work in the book industry after completing her degree in business administration. She also attained her graduate degree in literary theory from the University of New England in New South Wales, Australia. The Sherlock Sam series is Felicia’s debut writing effort, after accumulating years of experience buying, selling, and marketing books. You can email the authors at sherlock.sam.sg@gmail.com.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Andrew Tan (also known as drewscape) is a full-time freelance illustrator from Singapore. His work consists of drawing storyboards and illustrating for advertising agencies as well as magazines. He enjoys creating comics just for the fun of it. He loves experimenting with various styles and mediums, hunting for new art tools, and discovering new graphic novels with fresh, interesting drawing styles. His inspirations come from daily life, manga, European comics, and science fiction.
Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong 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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ISBN: 978-1-4494-8078-3
Library of Congress Number: 2015959733
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