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Starry, Starry Heist
Max Rose-Rodriguez has more important things to do than finishing sixth grade—like stopping the biggest art heist the universe has ever known.
Sixth-grader Max has it rough between tormentors at school and his sick—ever-worsening—mom at home. But then DZ, a strange, tuxedoed man with one shoe, appears to Max from the future and divulges that Max’s mother’s fate is somehow entwined with that of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. It’s suddenly clear to Max that any problems he already had on his plate have just gotten bigger.
DZ explains to Max that someone is after The Starry Night. . . and the thief is not bound by the usual laws of time and space.
“I have questions,” Max tells DZ. But DZ can’t offer too many specifics. What he can provide Max is a cryptic to-do
• Read The Future Time Traveler’s Guide to the Past
• Consider the puffins
• Beware the Wretch with obsidian eyes.
• Befriend Vincent van Gogh
Although he’s skeptical, Max tries his very best. After all, he’ll do anything to help his mom. But he soon discovers that The Future Time Traveler’s Guide to the Past has never been published. And he’s not exactly sure where he’s going to find puffins in LA, let alone consider them. He has no idea what a Wretch is. And . . . befriend Vincent van Gogh? DZ is asking the impossible.
Then, one afternoon at the library, Max spots Turquoise-haired Maybe Wells, dressed in blue from head to toe, spattered in paint, carrying a skateboard, and sporting a beautiful tattoo of puffins on her right shoulder.
Max considers those puffins.
And suddenly, achieving the impossible doesn’t seem so farfetched anymore.
In this quirky, clever, and arrestingly heartfelt adventure through time, readers will find themselves cheering for the underdog at every turn—whether that underdog is Max, Maybe, a picnic hippo named Thelma, or a certain post-impressionist who, in 1889, painted his most famous work under a twinkling night sky in Arles.
Sixth-grader Max has it rough between tormentors at school and his sick—ever-worsening—mom at home. But then DZ, a strange, tuxedoed man with one shoe, appears to Max from the future and divulges that Max’s mother’s fate is somehow entwined with that of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. It’s suddenly clear to Max that any problems he already had on his plate have just gotten bigger.
DZ explains to Max that someone is after The Starry Night. . . and the thief is not bound by the usual laws of time and space.
“I have questions,” Max tells DZ. But DZ can’t offer too many specifics. What he can provide Max is a cryptic to-do
• Read The Future Time Traveler’s Guide to the Past
• Consider the puffins
• Beware the Wretch with obsidian eyes.
• Befriend Vincent van Gogh
Although he’s skeptical, Max tries his very best. After all, he’ll do anything to help his mom. But he soon discovers that The Future Time Traveler’s Guide to the Past has never been published. And he’s not exactly sure where he’s going to find puffins in LA, let alone consider them. He has no idea what a Wretch is. And . . . befriend Vincent van Gogh? DZ is asking the impossible.
Then, one afternoon at the library, Max spots Turquoise-haired Maybe Wells, dressed in blue from head to toe, spattered in paint, carrying a skateboard, and sporting a beautiful tattoo of puffins on her right shoulder.
Max considers those puffins.
And suddenly, achieving the impossible doesn’t seem so farfetched anymore.
In this quirky, clever, and arrestingly heartfelt adventure through time, readers will find themselves cheering for the underdog at every turn—whether that underdog is Max, Maybe, a picnic hippo named Thelma, or a certain post-impressionist who, in 1889, painted his most famous work under a twinkling night sky in Arles.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2025
About the author
Karen Briner
2 books9 followersKaren Briner grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, where her family garden was home to wild chameleons. She has worked as a scriptwriter for television and is the author of Cassandra’s Quest (Human & Rousseau, 2000) and Snowize & Snitch: Highly Effective Defective Detectives (Holiday House, 2016) She currently lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 16, 2025
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
If there's one painting I have re-emulated more than any other in my life, it would have to be Van Gogh's Starry Night, no doubt one of the most recognizable painting in art history. 🌃 It would be seen and loved by millions. So the idea of an evil force intent on existinguishing the famed painting from time aka the perfect time crime, for his own nefarious means, combined with a twelve-year-old boy, Max short for Maximum, who possessed a magical watch that gave him the ability to travel through time to prevent this Starry, Starry Heist from occurring, surely makes for an intriguing, if not entertaining read. ✨
“My mom says it costs nothing to dream big.”
The downside is, though, the whole concept of time travel - its adverse effects of meddling with the past and the future, all the paradoxes and chaos, the strain it takes on the psyche and spirit - it was not anything new to me. ⌛ It reminded me of a couple of Ben Ten episodes, ones with the eccentric time-traveling Paradox who had Ben right the wrongs his nemesis would alter in history. So, there was not much surprise to how the stakes remind us that we really are not capable of controlling time to bend to our whims. 🥺
Max's concern for his ailing mother and the spider that afflicted her mindset was heartbreaking, as was the extent of bullying he endured at school, at the expense of his mother's sickness. 😢 The supporting cast characters and animals were unique and entertaining. From May Be, who may be more than just the girl with blue hair and artistic flair, to DZ, the eccentric time traveler who imposed upon Max words of wisdom and warning of how tantamount saving Starry Night was, to even meeting Vincent Van Gogh himself with a pygmy hippo at his side. 👍🏻
“I need to understand,” he said quietly. “Why do you want to destroy something so beautiful?”
Everything felt purposeful, every inch of the despair of losing a prized artwork as it, the darkness that exuded in its absence, the subtle past allusions to the future, the own personal burdens imposed upon Max's shoulders of missing the mother he had - it was brought together well. ⭐ The writing was smart, fresh and at times, even amusing and lightly humorous for how easily and fluidly the quips flowed; just the right amount, that did not take away from the gravity of the mysterious mission Max had been tasked with. Even the Wretch had depth to his character to show how we lose ourselves to time without realizing it. How we fail to see the harm in our actions at the risk of losing what we love. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
I admit I got a little lost in the technicalities of the loopholes of time, but Max and May Be's determination to preserve the famed painting's integrity, and not be replaced with absurdities like Still Life of Spaghetti was genuine and cathartic. 'Everything is interconnected. One small change, great cosmic consequences.' 😔 The climax was impactful and showed how strong their newly formed friendship had become, their trust and understanding of each other's talents a nice balance against the chaotic nature of DZ's disruptive and interruptive streak of his own. 🫂
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet... It matters that you don’t just give up. While there’s life, there is hope.”
I did like the message this solid middle grade left me with. It felt promising and uplifting and encouraging. Max faced his problems head on and with a sensible approach that felt satisfying with how he understood the severe dangers of meddling with the past. 🙆🏻♀️ The ending was also bittersweet. When you think under what circumstances Van Gogh created his beautiful masterpiece, it's a stark reminder of how grateful we should be of how fortunate we are to still look at the stars and believe in the future we have yet to grasp - that the sky's the limit, as long as you never stop believing in yourself. 🌠
“For doesn’t anyone who dreams of time travel imagine that they’d travel to change something, fix something, learn something—all to somehow improve their present?”
If there's one painting I have re-emulated more than any other in my life, it would have to be Van Gogh's Starry Night, no doubt one of the most recognizable painting in art history. 🌃 It would be seen and loved by millions. So the idea of an evil force intent on existinguishing the famed painting from time aka the perfect time crime, for his own nefarious means, combined with a twelve-year-old boy, Max short for Maximum, who possessed a magical watch that gave him the ability to travel through time to prevent this Starry, Starry Heist from occurring, surely makes for an intriguing, if not entertaining read. ✨
“My mom says it costs nothing to dream big.”
The downside is, though, the whole concept of time travel - its adverse effects of meddling with the past and the future, all the paradoxes and chaos, the strain it takes on the psyche and spirit - it was not anything new to me. ⌛ It reminded me of a couple of Ben Ten episodes, ones with the eccentric time-traveling Paradox who had Ben right the wrongs his nemesis would alter in history. So, there was not much surprise to how the stakes remind us that we really are not capable of controlling time to bend to our whims. 🥺
Max's concern for his ailing mother and the spider that afflicted her mindset was heartbreaking, as was the extent of bullying he endured at school, at the expense of his mother's sickness. 😢 The supporting cast characters and animals were unique and entertaining. From May Be, who may be more than just the girl with blue hair and artistic flair, to DZ, the eccentric time traveler who imposed upon Max words of wisdom and warning of how tantamount saving Starry Night was, to even meeting Vincent Van Gogh himself with a pygmy hippo at his side. 👍🏻
“I need to understand,” he said quietly. “Why do you want to destroy something so beautiful?”
Everything felt purposeful, every inch of the despair of losing a prized artwork as it, the darkness that exuded in its absence, the subtle past allusions to the future, the own personal burdens imposed upon Max's shoulders of missing the mother he had - it was brought together well. ⭐ The writing was smart, fresh and at times, even amusing and lightly humorous for how easily and fluidly the quips flowed; just the right amount, that did not take away from the gravity of the mysterious mission Max had been tasked with. Even the Wretch had depth to his character to show how we lose ourselves to time without realizing it. How we fail to see the harm in our actions at the risk of losing what we love. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
I admit I got a little lost in the technicalities of the loopholes of time, but Max and May Be's determination to preserve the famed painting's integrity, and not be replaced with absurdities like Still Life of Spaghetti was genuine and cathartic. 'Everything is interconnected. One small change, great cosmic consequences.' 😔 The climax was impactful and showed how strong their newly formed friendship had become, their trust and understanding of each other's talents a nice balance against the chaotic nature of DZ's disruptive and interruptive streak of his own. 🫂
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet... It matters that you don’t just give up. While there’s life, there is hope.”
I did like the message this solid middle grade left me with. It felt promising and uplifting and encouraging. Max faced his problems head on and with a sensible approach that felt satisfying with how he understood the severe dangers of meddling with the past. 🙆🏻♀️ The ending was also bittersweet. When you think under what circumstances Van Gogh created his beautiful masterpiece, it's a stark reminder of how grateful we should be of how fortunate we are to still look at the stars and believe in the future we have yet to grasp - that the sky's the limit, as long as you never stop believing in yourself. 🌠
August 18, 2025
3.5/5
The cover? Perfection. Synopsis? Intriguing. Execution? Could have been better. I did love love love the inspiration of the Dr. Who episode 💙 it worked for the story. The only thing that made it hard to deal with was the time travel stuff. It got so confusing that it bogged down the rest of the story. The time travel would have been fine if it wasnt all over the place. I still loved this book. I enjoyed diving into more Van Gogh lore. This author did a great job mixing art history, the seriousness of Van Gogh's issues, and still making it palatable to children. There are quite a few life lessons spread throughout in easy to understand wording and examples.
The cover? Perfection. Synopsis? Intriguing. Execution? Could have been better. I did love love love the inspiration of the Dr. Who episode 💙 it worked for the story. The only thing that made it hard to deal with was the time travel stuff. It got so confusing that it bogged down the rest of the story. The time travel would have been fine if it wasnt all over the place. I still loved this book. I enjoyed diving into more Van Gogh lore. This author did a great job mixing art history, the seriousness of Van Gogh's issues, and still making it palatable to children. There are quite a few life lessons spread throughout in easy to understand wording and examples.
March 24, 2025
I enjoyed this book. It was weird but totally awesome like reading an episode of doctor who brought to life. It was a wonderful read.
March 5, 2026
Always a fan of time travel and Van Gogh (I'm looking at you Doctor Who!) this book was excellent! Sometimes time travel can get tricky or convoluted, especially when you're going back on your own timeline, but despite that, this remained rather straightforward.
You get hooked right away, as the mysterious time traveler appears within the first chapter, and almost immediately weird and unusual things start happening to Max. Throughout the book there are really two mysteries or storylines, the one in the past (saving Starry Night) and the one in the future, what are they going to do about their home and finances and menagerie of pets (including an Octopus, so obviously amazing). At first I got annoyed with the "current" timeline storyline, but have no fear they all tie up together nicely!
Maybe was quite possibly my favorite character. Their origin story, the color blue, their obsession with the painting, and their awesome grandma. Also, apparently I'm a sucker for a character named Maybe :)
As with every time travel book - there is a time travel origin story and rules for how it works and sometimes even why! This had it all - and might I say, the invisible watch that only reveals itself to those it knows can travel was great. One more thing to make you seem crazy - yes I can time travel and no you can't see the watch - but if you're close enough to me, you can come too, lol!
Wrapped up in a nice bow, the end really speaks to being present, being grateful for what you have for however long you may have it, and to love fiercely. For fans of sci-fi and even fans of art, and for those who like to read books about people maybe not making the right choice but learning to live with it and learning from it. I'd say this skews higher on the reader scale, like 6th-8th because of the length and the intricate path you have to follow/remember when reading a book about time travel.
You get hooked right away, as the mysterious time traveler appears within the first chapter, and almost immediately weird and unusual things start happening to Max. Throughout the book there are really two mysteries or storylines, the one in the past (saving Starry Night) and the one in the future, what are they going to do about their home and finances and menagerie of pets (including an Octopus, so obviously amazing). At first I got annoyed with the "current" timeline storyline, but have no fear they all tie up together nicely!
Maybe was quite possibly my favorite character. Their origin story, the color blue, their obsession with the painting, and their awesome grandma. Also, apparently I'm a sucker for a character named Maybe :)
As with every time travel book - there is a time travel origin story and rules for how it works and sometimes even why! This had it all - and might I say, the invisible watch that only reveals itself to those it knows can travel was great. One more thing to make you seem crazy - yes I can time travel and no you can't see the watch - but if you're close enough to me, you can come too, lol!
Wrapped up in a nice bow, the end really speaks to being present, being grateful for what you have for however long you may have it, and to love fiercely. For fans of sci-fi and even fans of art, and for those who like to read books about people maybe not making the right choice but learning to live with it and learning from it. I'd say this skews higher on the reader scale, like 6th-8th because of the length and the intricate path you have to follow/remember when reading a book about time travel.
January 9, 2026
Max Rose-Rodriguez pretended to have the measles so he could quit school to avoid a group of bullies. Who knew that would turn out to be the least of his problems? His mother has been quite tired and ill and Max worries that they will be evicted by their landlord who is upping their rent and wants their rescue pets to be taken away also. That also is not Max's biggest problem. Max is visited by a man claiming to be from the future who charges Max with the task of saving Van Gogh's famous painting Starry, Starry Night from being stolen. The man claims that Max's mother's life depends on the success of the mission. Not only that, but Max must travel through time to save the painting from a shadowy villain. Along the way, Max discovers that everything is interconnected and that changing any part of the past changes all of the future and not in predictable ways, either. Max must deal with temptations he couldn't previously imagine, but he also makes some friends he couldn't have imagined either. The author masterfully kept all of the intertwined threads of time in hand, knitted together, or separated as the occasion called for. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and characters.
May 22, 2025
I was thoroughly engrossed in this adventure/mystery involving time travel, art history, and a picnic hippo. The theming is appealing, with the blues and yellows of Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" appearing repeatedly throughout the story in ways that make this world feel like enhanced reality, and quite cinematic. And now I have Don McLean's "Vincent" stuck in my head. I loved that the Griffith Park Observatory, a beloved local landmark here in Los Angeles, is featured not just as a cameo, but as an integral part of the storytelling. I'll be thinking of this book the next time I visit there, and looking intently for a certain watch. There's lots of great wordplay, whimsical humor, and important life lessons as well. I enjoyed it for myself, but would gladly read it again with a kid in the middle grade range... right after a trip to the observatory, of course.
May 12, 2025
This is such a strange book and because of that it took some time to really get into it. "Vincent and the Doctor" is one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes so I of course was intrigued by the synopsis of this book. As with so many others, van Gogh’s The Starry Night is my favorite of his paintings.
I do wonder if the way time travel confuses the timeline within the plot will be something that middle grade readers will struggle with. It definitely caused me to have to double back a few times.
I think I would enjoy having a picnic hippo in my life.
I do wonder if the way time travel confuses the timeline within the plot will be something that middle grade readers will struggle with. It definitely caused me to have to double back a few times.
I think I would enjoy having a picnic hippo in my life.
March 12, 2026
Like time travel itself, I felt whisked around throughout this story, from great fun to themes of regret, temptation and redemption, from mysteries of the universe to the challenges and joys of human relationships.
As a reader who’s pretty far from the Y of YA, I can see how younger readers would also feel their own lives in the main characters, with the bonus of meeting one of the great painters of history. This book lets time emit – palindromes are part of the fun -- lessons of life while also being one of those madcap tales that gets you just smirking along.
As a reader who’s pretty far from the Y of YA, I can see how younger readers would also feel their own lives in the main characters, with the bonus of meeting one of the great painters of history. This book lets time emit – palindromes are part of the fun -- lessons of life while also being one of those madcap tales that gets you just smirking along.
June 29, 2026
4.5 stars. Starry, Starry Heist was an excellent time travel story for middle grade readers, involving a plot to eradicate Starry Night from existence. Max and his mother are having a lot of challenges stemming from their landlord when Max finds a special timepiece that allows time travel, gets recruited to help prevent the art from missing, and makes a friend out of an artistic girl named Maybe. Interesting, suspenseful, even humorous at times (picnic hippos, anyone?), I enjoyed this story a lot.
May 13, 2025
"Starry, Starry Heist" is rare fiction -- the narrative weaves through numerous ideas (science, art, and history), while at the same time, taking the reader on an intriguing adventure - one fueled by the advent of time travel. (so well conceived). Young adults are quite fortunate to have this terrific literary opportunity that is also crazy-imaginative and so much fun. Truly enchanting storytelling by Ms. Briner. Pass it along.
June 6, 2025
This was kind of all over the place for me. It started off pretty strong, but then it got so muddled with too many details and side plots. Too much going on, plus the time travel stuff made it hard to keep track of all the loose threads. I just lost interest about halfway and had to start skimming. I mean I like the time travel concept and the connection to art, but too much randomness added to hold my attention.
December 28, 2025
Great time travel book that has no extraneous pieces... all characters and events are used, including some quirky elements (e.g. picnic hippo). Loved thinking about art and artist and impact of works of art. Plus some learning about Van Gogh, the Griffith Observatory, lead in paint, and the danger of not being truthful or keeping promises. Good friendship story and making-connections story including neighbors.
March 28, 2025
this was so good!!! 🥹🌌🫶
June 4, 2025
Expertly crafted story about time travel, the transformative power of art, new friendship, and, of course, picnic hippos.
January 20, 2026
A clever, witty, exciting adventure novel with a page-turner plot and endearing characters. Plus Vincent van Gogh! And a picnic hippo! What's not to love?
February 24, 2026
This is a weird book. It’s kind of a mix between a Doctor Who episode and a fever dream. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but it was definitely enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews