Text-to-speech ebooks, phonological awareness game apps, and beginner reading assistance apps are all good resources for young students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities. But older students with dyslexia might not be challenged enough with these beginning reader applications, yet still want supplemental material while reading. Sherlock: Interactive Adventure, an application for the iPad, is an interactive ebook for students ages 14+ that contains the original text of Sir Arthur Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Red-Headed League”. This application takes the idea of an interactive ebook and expands it to fully engage and submerge the reader into the stories of Sherlock Holmes.

There are two reading modes for this application. Orient the screen vertically and there will be text on the lower half of the screen as well as a 3D interactive picture of the scene on the upper half. Turn the screen horizontal and the app will go into audio mode, expanding the visual depiction of the scene while the text is read out loud. Older students may not need the audio assistance to help with strictly reading the text, but may still struggle with reading comprehension. The application’s additional features-- like character files, an interactive map of London which identifies scene locations in the novel, and evidence collection lists-- all help to keep the reader engaged and informed as the story unfolds, ultimately improving their reading comprehension. These beyond-the-text features expand the limits of traditional paper books or ebooks, keeping students interested and informed throughout their reading experience.

Go to the Apple store to download the application.