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The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
A propulsive work of narrative nonfiction about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world—and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all.
On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie ! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone!
No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?
Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa , through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa —the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all.
Here is a middle-grade nonfiction, with black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist throughout, written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.
On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie ! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone!
No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?
Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa , through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa —the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all.
Here is a middle-grade nonfiction, with black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist throughout, written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2023
432 people are currently reading
8543 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Day
5 books47 followersNicholas Day is the author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes, illustrated by Brett Helquist, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction; A World Without Summer, illustrated by Yas Imamura; and Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”, illustrated by Chris Raschka. For adults, he’s the author of Baby Meets World, a work about the science and history of infancy, which Mary Roach called “a perfect book.” He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,202 reviews
July 3, 2023
I sense that we are on the brink of something. I’ve sensed it for a while. Do you remember when Smile by Raina Telgemeier came out and all of a sudden the demand for graphic novels and comics for kids reached a fever pitch? Do you also remember that it took another decade before the publishing world could catch up and start to seriously meet demand? Well, this isn’t the same thing, but in terms of timing the Smile saga may provide a bit of a blueprint. Thanks to the work of such writers as Steve Sheinkin, Deborah Heiligman, and more, we are beginning to enter into a new era of informational texts for older kids. I mean, for years schools have been ramming dull nonfiction down the throats of students without cease. It was just a matter of time before authors started creating books that were, I dunno, actually interesting to kids as well. Still, I’ve a sense that nonfiction can be a hard sell to some publishers. But maybe that’s because it’s the gatekeepers avoiding them rather than the kids. I’ll tell you right now that if you handed a kid above the ages of nine or ten a copy of The Mona Lisa Vanishes and told them to read it, they would devour it in mere hours. It has everything! An art heist! Celebrity! Picasso being THE WORST (he really is)! And an indictment of our perpetual fascination with conspiracy theories based on our skewed assumptions and prejudices! It is the MOST enjoyable book you’re likely to read in a very long while. The start of something big?
It happened on a Monday. Monday, August 21, 1911, to be precise. A man in a white coat walked over to the Mona Lisa, a relatively obscure painting at the time. He deftly removed it from the wall, took it from its frame, and after some mild difficulties with a door, left the Louvre itself. What followed were events that would turn the painting from a lesser-known Leonardo da Vinci into the most famous woman in the world. But to understand how this event even came to happen, we must also travel back to the age of da Vinci and meet the man himself. Because when you get right down to it, the very creation of this piece of art was, in and of itself, a near miracle. Deftly bouncing between the early 16th century and the early 20th, Nicholas Day weaves a proper mystery along with a possible explanation of what made the theft of the Mona Lisa so much more than just a painting gone awry.
In the June 26, 2023 issue of New Yorker, a piece called “Now You See It” by Kathryn Schulz discusses at length the art of the heist and asks, “Why, given our overall disapproval of theft, are stories about heists so appealing – to so many of us..?” The answer may lie in the definition of the word itself. She writes, “For the most part, ‘heist’ suggests less a specific illegal action than the form of entertainment that depicts it.” As such The Mona Lisa Vanishes is most certainly a variation on the heist genre, particularly in its play-by-play opening. But Schulz is also quick to mention that the art thief that exists in our mind, of stealing art for art’s sake, is essentially, “a figment of our collective imagination.” So he plays it both ways. He both indulges in the excitement of such a theft (heck, he opens the whole books with it) while, at the same time, makes it clear how desperately we readers want the answer to the mystery to be big and grand and impressive. But the gentleman art thief who also happens to be a genius is as fake as they come. Day examines that fact at length, never sacrificing the fun that comes with the speculation.
Not that this was the only art heist book for kids I’d ever encountered. Until “The Mona Lisa Vanishes” the only other book I’d read to cover this specific crime was the highly amusing, but fictional, Steal Back the Mona Lisa by Meghan McCarthy. Mind you Meghan did mention this actual theft in the backmatter, and for that we are grateful. Still and all, when I think of art theft books for kids, only a couple are out there. There’s Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli. And then there’s the book that Mona Lisa reminded me of the most: The 500 Million Dollar Heist by Tom Sullivan. I was particularly fond of that book when it came out, but beyond the crime itself, Day’s book is an entirely different beast. Day’s is irreverent and funny and less invested in allowing kid readers to try to solve the crime themselves.
Look, you can write a lovely book, but if you’re able to integrate a sense of humor into it then that, to my mind, elevates everything. Nicholas Day has a gift. He knows how to tell a joke. They vary, of course. On the broader side he might write chapter breaks with titles like, “A Couple of Wild and Crazy Guys: In Which Louis Lepine Finds an International Gang of Thieves and a Monkey.” That’s pretty good. Or, later on when he nears the end of the book, he might mention a key place in the story and then write, “The Hotel Tripoli-Italia no longer exists. It is now the Hotel La Gioconda.” Pause. “Tripadvisor ranks it #398 of 428 hotels in Florence.” Ow. Day is, quite simply, a remarkable writer. In one moment, long after the Mona Lisa theft but before she was found again, a man sent art dealer Alfredo Geri a letter saying he had the Mona Lisa. On a lark, Geri conferred with the director of the great Florence art museum, the Uffizi. That man was Giovanni Poggi and the book says of the man, “he would save the museum’s paintings from Nazi looting during World War II. But his obituaries would lead with what happened after Alfredo Geri visited him that November afternoon.” That’s how you do it, son.
But for me, the most impressive thing about this book, even more than the copious amounts of humor, the adept back and forthing between time periods, or even the delivery of the mystery itself, is the way in which Day is able to tie all these elements into his bigger theme. At one point, he writes that even after the true thief, Vincenzo Perugia, confessed to the crime and the Mona Lisa was recovered, the French authorities wanted to believe their criminal mastermind theory anyway. Knowing that the man they sought was just a housepainter didn’t make sense to them. And so Day writes, “The myth was more persuasive than the truth. It was a better story. People will choose the better story every time.” Later, Day tells the tale of reporter Karl Decker, who made up his own gentleman thieves and forgers for his “reporting” in America. After recounting his humbuggery Day says, “In the end, we’re all like the French authorities. We’re all suckers for a better story.” Don’t go looking down your nose at the people who want these stories to be true so much that they ignore the obvious warning signs. We’re no better. But maybe, with the help of books like Day’s, we can start teaching our kids how to be critical thinkers, and less prone to grifters.
“In a conspiracy theory, belief matters more than facts. Belief in a conspiracy inevitably leads you away from the facts. In the Mona Lisa theft, we can see this toxic way of thinking in action.” The story of the theft of the Mona Lisa could easily have remained just that. A fun little dip into the past with a couple of deviations along the way. Instead, Day’s got his arms wrapped around something a whole lot bigger than just AWOL wall décor. He’s speaking to the times in which we live, where conspiracies entice and ensnare with alacrity. As such, The Mona Lisa Vanishes both entertains and instructs. You get you heist fix, but you’re also going to get a 101 on being more like, well, Leonardo da Vinci. Be relentlessly curious. Observe first. Make your deductions based on facts, not assumptions. Because it seems to me that in this current day and age, we are more in need of books that instruct our kids to be critical thinkers than ever before. Even if it takes a missing Mona to do it.
It happened on a Monday. Monday, August 21, 1911, to be precise. A man in a white coat walked over to the Mona Lisa, a relatively obscure painting at the time. He deftly removed it from the wall, took it from its frame, and after some mild difficulties with a door, left the Louvre itself. What followed were events that would turn the painting from a lesser-known Leonardo da Vinci into the most famous woman in the world. But to understand how this event even came to happen, we must also travel back to the age of da Vinci and meet the man himself. Because when you get right down to it, the very creation of this piece of art was, in and of itself, a near miracle. Deftly bouncing between the early 16th century and the early 20th, Nicholas Day weaves a proper mystery along with a possible explanation of what made the theft of the Mona Lisa so much more than just a painting gone awry.
In the June 26, 2023 issue of New Yorker, a piece called “Now You See It” by Kathryn Schulz discusses at length the art of the heist and asks, “Why, given our overall disapproval of theft, are stories about heists so appealing – to so many of us..?” The answer may lie in the definition of the word itself. She writes, “For the most part, ‘heist’ suggests less a specific illegal action than the form of entertainment that depicts it.” As such The Mona Lisa Vanishes is most certainly a variation on the heist genre, particularly in its play-by-play opening. But Schulz is also quick to mention that the art thief that exists in our mind, of stealing art for art’s sake, is essentially, “a figment of our collective imagination.” So he plays it both ways. He both indulges in the excitement of such a theft (heck, he opens the whole books with it) while, at the same time, makes it clear how desperately we readers want the answer to the mystery to be big and grand and impressive. But the gentleman art thief who also happens to be a genius is as fake as they come. Day examines that fact at length, never sacrificing the fun that comes with the speculation.
Not that this was the only art heist book for kids I’d ever encountered. Until “The Mona Lisa Vanishes” the only other book I’d read to cover this specific crime was the highly amusing, but fictional, Steal Back the Mona Lisa by Meghan McCarthy. Mind you Meghan did mention this actual theft in the backmatter, and for that we are grateful. Still and all, when I think of art theft books for kids, only a couple are out there. There’s Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli. And then there’s the book that Mona Lisa reminded me of the most: The 500 Million Dollar Heist by Tom Sullivan. I was particularly fond of that book when it came out, but beyond the crime itself, Day’s book is an entirely different beast. Day’s is irreverent and funny and less invested in allowing kid readers to try to solve the crime themselves.
Look, you can write a lovely book, but if you’re able to integrate a sense of humor into it then that, to my mind, elevates everything. Nicholas Day has a gift. He knows how to tell a joke. They vary, of course. On the broader side he might write chapter breaks with titles like, “A Couple of Wild and Crazy Guys: In Which Louis Lepine Finds an International Gang of Thieves and a Monkey.” That’s pretty good. Or, later on when he nears the end of the book, he might mention a key place in the story and then write, “The Hotel Tripoli-Italia no longer exists. It is now the Hotel La Gioconda.” Pause. “Tripadvisor ranks it #398 of 428 hotels in Florence.” Ow. Day is, quite simply, a remarkable writer. In one moment, long after the Mona Lisa theft but before she was found again, a man sent art dealer Alfredo Geri a letter saying he had the Mona Lisa. On a lark, Geri conferred with the director of the great Florence art museum, the Uffizi. That man was Giovanni Poggi and the book says of the man, “he would save the museum’s paintings from Nazi looting during World War II. But his obituaries would lead with what happened after Alfredo Geri visited him that November afternoon.” That’s how you do it, son.
But for me, the most impressive thing about this book, even more than the copious amounts of humor, the adept back and forthing between time periods, or even the delivery of the mystery itself, is the way in which Day is able to tie all these elements into his bigger theme. At one point, he writes that even after the true thief, Vincenzo Perugia, confessed to the crime and the Mona Lisa was recovered, the French authorities wanted to believe their criminal mastermind theory anyway. Knowing that the man they sought was just a housepainter didn’t make sense to them. And so Day writes, “The myth was more persuasive than the truth. It was a better story. People will choose the better story every time.” Later, Day tells the tale of reporter Karl Decker, who made up his own gentleman thieves and forgers for his “reporting” in America. After recounting his humbuggery Day says, “In the end, we’re all like the French authorities. We’re all suckers for a better story.” Don’t go looking down your nose at the people who want these stories to be true so much that they ignore the obvious warning signs. We’re no better. But maybe, with the help of books like Day’s, we can start teaching our kids how to be critical thinkers, and less prone to grifters.
“In a conspiracy theory, belief matters more than facts. Belief in a conspiracy inevitably leads you away from the facts. In the Mona Lisa theft, we can see this toxic way of thinking in action.” The story of the theft of the Mona Lisa could easily have remained just that. A fun little dip into the past with a couple of deviations along the way. Instead, Day’s got his arms wrapped around something a whole lot bigger than just AWOL wall décor. He’s speaking to the times in which we live, where conspiracies entice and ensnare with alacrity. As such, The Mona Lisa Vanishes both entertains and instructs. You get you heist fix, but you’re also going to get a 101 on being more like, well, Leonardo da Vinci. Be relentlessly curious. Observe first. Make your deductions based on facts, not assumptions. Because it seems to me that in this current day and age, we are more in need of books that instruct our kids to be critical thinkers than ever before. Even if it takes a missing Mona to do it.
February 1, 2025
This was an excellent narrative non-fiction book about all of the mystery surrounding the Mona Lisa. I learned so much about Da Vinci, the theft, and the way crimes were solved in the past. It’s definitely worth the read.
March 22, 2024
Loved learning about The Mona Lisa and the crazy story surrounding it.
March 10, 2024
My first Middle Grade March 2024 finish and the group read! This was so fun. It’s written so engagingly about history that I know very little about. I loved the sections about Leonardo da Vinci and how well they were woven in with the “present day” story of the infamous Mona Lisa theft from the Louvre in 1911. I think I would have loved this as a kid because I loved history but I loved it just as much now as an adult and appreciated the subtext in the story about how the world was changing so quickly in 1911 with new technology and inventions. The mystery elements of this story are also so much fun. There’s the crime of the stolen painting itself and then there are the characters around the crime, including fascinating bits and bobs about crime history. Pablo Picasso is a character as well, so between him and Leonardo, I was also captured by the story’s art history.
The illustrations are fantastic! I’d like to own this book. I hope this style of narrative nonfiction for middle graders (and me!) continues long!
The illustrations are fantastic! I’d like to own this book. I hope this style of narrative nonfiction for middle graders (and me!) continues long!
March 27, 2024
Informative, fast paced narrative nonfiction that is just SO much fun. I never took any art history classes so I learned so much from this book and I loved every second! Highly recommend for kids (or adults…) who are interested in art/art history or heist stories—or even for kids who are skeptical of art history but their parents want them to learn.
August 22, 2024
This was incredible. I never knew anything about it and just read it for the summer Olympics challenge but wow it was a great read. I think even if you know the story you would enjoy it. Very well done can’t wait to read more like it.
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October 20, 2023This was a great pre-Paris listen as a family https://www.instagram.com/p/CylRfXERyY4/
October 6, 2024
super surprised cos this is a nonfiction and i actually got interested enough to finish the book XD it jumps to a lot of different people though it's a bit hard to keep track
bob hk 2024 #6
bob hk 2024 #6
September 11, 2023
The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day is one of the most distinguished nonfiction works I have read in quite some time. With a beautifully structured narrative and a memorable and consistent voice throughout, The Mona Lisa Vanishes delivers an informative tale kids won't soon forget.
From how the Mona Lisa was created by one of the most brilliant minds of the Renaissance and went from being an unassuming work of art to the most famous painting on planet Earth after its theft to the evolution of criminal detective work and how the heist of the century was finally solved . I highly recommend this one!
From how the Mona Lisa was created by one of the most brilliant minds of the Renaissance and went from being an unassuming work of art to the most famous painting on planet Earth after its theft to the evolution of criminal detective work and how the heist of the century was finally solved . I highly recommend this one!
February 5, 2024
This was an awesome work of narrative nonfiction. If you don't know about this heist, it's such an interesting story. Plus, I love that it gives you the context of the history of the artist and the artwork itself. Brett Helquist's illustrations really set it all off as well.
March 1, 2024
I was thoroughly engaged with all the history detailed in this book. The illustrations by Brett Helquist are great! The book opens in the Louvre 1911 with the heist. In this timeline there are lots of fun facts on criminology and the great art scene of Paris. The story also has a timeline of Vinci 1492 where the life of Leonardo di Vinci is followed. I think kids would find his quirks and personality interesting (maybe even relatable). I’m amazed at how much irony is involved with its history. The book described Leonardo as curious and it’s like that characteristic jumped into the piece. To think, she posed for this painting and never would have imagined her image would become such an icon. I have even more appreciation for this masterpiece. 🖼️👨🏻🎨🎨
July 8, 2025
Loved this book.
March 22, 2024
I really loved the concept of this book and hope there are similar efforts in the future to write episodes of history in compelling, YA-level-of-readable chapters that breathe life into their central figures. My only gripe with this book was that it did a lot of hand-holding — lots of telling the reader exactly what conclusions to draw. I thought it was much too didactic. But I really enjoyed learning more about Leonardo da Vinci, the Mona Lisa, and the theft that gained it worldwide publicity.
October 24, 2023
I wish they made more nonfiction for kids like this book. The story is exciting. The pacing is perfect. The illustrations complement the text. And it's funny in a wonderfully subtle way. Just excellent!
March 8, 2024
I read this book as part of this year's Middle Grade March's group pick. I would never have otherwise not have heard of this tale of the theft of the Mona Lisa. The reader gets to hear of Michaelangelo's background, how the Mona Lisa ended up in the Louve, how it got stolen, and the cast of characters involved in its return.
Day's writing style is witty and dry and it was quite interesting. He packs in a ton of middle grade friendly information without overwhelming the reader or making reading tedious or boring.
Brett Helquist is one of my favorite children's illustrators and he got to show off some great artwork in this book.
Day's writing style is witty and dry and it was quite interesting. He packs in a ton of middle grade friendly information without overwhelming the reader or making reading tedious or boring.
Brett Helquist is one of my favorite children's illustrators and he got to show off some great artwork in this book.
October 8, 2023
Any nonfiction work that teaches me about an intriguing topic that I knew nothing about typically gets a solid rating. A book that does so in an entertaining way and without including pretentious “padding” that so often mars books is deserving of an even higher rating. I had no clue the Mona Lisa was the focus of what some call the greatest art heist in history — and that this bold theft contributed to the painting’s global fame. The author blends incisive research with great storytelling and generous splashes of humor. He even provides a timely tie-in as he explores conspiracy theories that loomed over the heist, explaining how and why they gained traction. In this age of misinformation, the more we understand about the conspiracy mindset, the better.
April 28, 2024
I was so invested in this mystery! I loved the overlapping stories of DaVinci making the Mona Lisa painting and the detectives seeking the stole portrait hundreds of years later. I was fascinated to learn how police detective work has changed (and how much a preconceived narrative about a thief can filter out suspects who should’ve been investigated!) I love a glimpse into the art world and this one had me gripped. Unfortunately, my kids got bored listening to it and keeping track of multiple overlapping stories. But I just refused to stop listening!
June 17, 2024
This is a wild story!! I barely knew any of it and it's told in such a page-turning way. I also appreciated that Day takes time to casually call out museums/artists/the canon for colonialism/sexism/racism etc while still keeping the pace really engaging. A VERY cool read.
January 5, 2024
A fantastic nonfiction kids book about the real Mona Lisa heist mixed with the life of its creator, Da Vinci, and a look at why people believe in conspiracy theories (or better stories), as well as showing another dark side of Picasso. I wouldn’t be surprised to find this on an award list. Day keeps the tale moving along with a great sense of humor.
November 12, 2023
The Mona Lisa wouldn't be the Mona Lisa if it hadn't been stolen just before WWI. This fascinating (and often hilarious) story about the Mona Lisa being taken from the Louvre was way better than expected. I didn't initially think the story would be something I'd be interested in, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I liked the intertwining of Da Vinci's unlikely history with the bumbling investigation hundreds of years later. My 10 year old was excited for me to finish so he could pick it up. I loved this one.
September 10, 2023
I had no idea THIS is why Mona Lisa is so famous! A very interesting tale. I was not necessarily a big fan of the non-linear structure in this case, just a matter of personal preference, but I will absolutely be purchasing this for my school’s library. I think it will absolutely appeal to my middle school students, and I think it could even be a Battle of the Books contender in the future.
July 25, 2024
I didn’t expect it to be hard to put this book down! It was gripping, and the author tied it all back to a message about what Leonardo DaVinci would have thought about all the drama. The investigators of the Mona Lisa theft could have learned from his open mind and habit of trying to see the world as it was, not through a lens of assumptions and people’s previous ideas.
And the crowds of people who go to see the Mona Lisa could learn from his constant search for new things to discover. Instead of taking a picture with a picture we’ve seen hundreds of times before, what might be be able to discover if we just looked closer, or looked around?
The author’s curiosity and dedication to researching in order to find more fascinating and unexpected details reminds me of Leonardo. It makes me excited to discover more of the crazy stories in history.
Overall, for me, the book was about observing and being hungry for knowledge, knowing that your mind will want to believe the better story and looking closer to find the facts anyway. The real story often turns out to be better in the end, even though the other options presented seemed more romantic, dramatic or exciting at first.
And the crowds of people who go to see the Mona Lisa could learn from his constant search for new things to discover. Instead of taking a picture with a picture we’ve seen hundreds of times before, what might be be able to discover if we just looked closer, or looked around?
The author’s curiosity and dedication to researching in order to find more fascinating and unexpected details reminds me of Leonardo. It makes me excited to discover more of the crazy stories in history.
Overall, for me, the book was about observing and being hungry for knowledge, knowing that your mind will want to believe the better story and looking closer to find the facts anyway. The real story often turns out to be better in the end, even though the other options presented seemed more romantic, dramatic or exciting at first.
June 18, 2024
This Young Adult fast pace historical fiction book was a quick and enjoyable read. I had the privilege of seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris this past April. This is a story about how a small portrait became the most famous painting of all time. It tells of the shocking theft and the bizarre discovery of the Mona Lisa.
July 17, 2024
Such an intriguing story! I learned so much about the Mona Lisa and French and Italian histories ~ this may be technically labeled a middle grade book, but I think many adults will find it fascinating as well.
Source: Sora ebook
Source: Sora ebook
August 24, 2024
I absolutely loved this! A brief but well researched look at the theft and return of the most famous painting in the world, plus observations on a conspiracy obsessed people. I was engaged and interested the whole time!
November 6, 2024
I listened to this book and I wish I would have read it. I think the pictures would have piqued my interest
March 12, 2025
A+!
this man understood the assignment! such a fun read! legit read it in 2 days. i did not know that there was this much mystery and thievery surrounding the mona lisa. loved the writing style of snarky banter-y humor. Brett did a wonderful job with illustrations, as always. i also enjoyed how it showed me more about Leonardo’s life. very educational as well! i learned about the history of the mona lisa, da vinci’s life, the french detective system, french myths, picasso, and france. but it didn’t feel like an info dump. good, light, entertaining, and educational read. definitely recommend!
this man understood the assignment! such a fun read! legit read it in 2 days. i did not know that there was this much mystery and thievery surrounding the mona lisa. loved the writing style of snarky banter-y humor. Brett did a wonderful job with illustrations, as always. i also enjoyed how it showed me more about Leonardo’s life. very educational as well! i learned about the history of the mona lisa, da vinci’s life, the french detective system, french myths, picasso, and france. but it didn’t feel like an info dump. good, light, entertaining, and educational read. definitely recommend!
October 27, 2025
Children’s Materials class book #4
I wish I had read this before ever seeing the Mona Lisa in real life. I know this book is for a middle grade audience but it was so incredible, I think everyone should read it
I wish I had read this before ever seeing the Mona Lisa in real life. I know this book is for a middle grade audience but it was so incredible, I think everyone should read it
December 25, 2023
I really love narrative nonfiction. I enjoyed reading about DaVinci and his part of the book. The part where the painting is stolen hooks the reader into the book. However, going back and forth from pre WWI to early 1500s was really disconnected. The last part dragged. I still found it interesting, not sure if you get readers will stick with it. Good but not great. If it gets Newbery recognition, I won’t mind- but I did not feel it was to that level when I read it. I’m disappointed because I was expecting to love it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,202 reviews