The Hound of the Baskervilles

This is arguably the best introduction to detective fiction kids can get. The quality of writing and plot construction deserve attention in themselves, but equally noteworthy are the characters, settings and plot devices that have become mainstays of the genre ever since: from Holmes and his faithful, obtuse, long-suffering Watson to the lonely house on the windswept moor, the fresh-faced heir from foreign parts, the mysterious family curse. It is also a good introduction to the views and mores of the later Victorian era.

Holmes himself, not merely brilliant but also ingenious and diligent in his client's service and a true friend to Watson, has become an icon through the years but appears especially well here. Likewise Watson, tenaciously loyal both to Holmes and to his appointed task. Sir Henry Baskerville, newly arrived from North America to the strange, accursed family estates, shows courage and a generous spirit, particularly in dealing with his longtime family retainers the Barrymores, who turn out to have a family secret of their own and repay him with their own loyalty.

Besides being a murderer, the villain is both a wife-beater and a cad, as we learn by the end of the story that he's been making false promises of marriage to a woman in the district to advance his plans. However, while the disapproval of Doyle, Holmes, and Watson is evident, salacious details are not.