What do you think?
Rate this book
Bea Bellerose #1
The House of Found Objects
For fans of Beth Lincoln’s The Swifts and Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Greystone Secrets series comes an exciting mystery filled with cryptic clues and wonderful word puzzles as two cousins search for their grandmother’s missing portrait.
Twelve-year-old Bea from Passaic, New Jersey, is visiting her family in Paris for the summer when her grandmother’s most precious heirloom—a drawing by Henri Matisse—goes missing. After a cryptic clue arrives on Bea’s doorstep suggesting its whereabouts, Bea is determined to pursue the lead.
Without the French skills to navigate her way around the landmarks of Paris, she teams up with her cousin, Céline, whose clear-eyed French directness makes her a perfect partner for curious, problem-solving Bea. The girls embark on a city-wide search, deciphering riddles, solving puzzles, and cracking codes as they try to locate the Matisse, find a thief, and identify their mysterious benefactor.
Twelve-year-old Bea from Passaic, New Jersey, is visiting her family in Paris for the summer when her grandmother’s most precious heirloom—a drawing by Henri Matisse—goes missing. After a cryptic clue arrives on Bea’s doorstep suggesting its whereabouts, Bea is determined to pursue the lead.
Without the French skills to navigate her way around the landmarks of Paris, she teams up with her cousin, Céline, whose clear-eyed French directness makes her a perfect partner for curious, problem-solving Bea. The girls embark on a city-wide search, deciphering riddles, solving puzzles, and cracking codes as they try to locate the Matisse, find a thief, and identify their mysterious benefactor.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published July 29, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 5, 2025
“Art is a way into the past. It is a connection with a lost time.”
Bea is visiting family in Paris for the summer. Her grandmother owns a second hand shop where Bea finds herself helping out most days. One day, a precious heirloom goes missing of her grandmothers… a drawing by Matisse… Bea works with her cousin Cèline… an unlikely pair… to find the missing Matisse.
A perfect armchair travel to Paris for the summer. This is a clue/puzzle oriented mystery which I would have loved when I was younger. You also get a bit of a history lessons as the girls race from one clue to another following landmarks/historical spots. It has also left me craving an almond croissant!
I’m looking forward to the next adventures with Bea… I’m kind of hoping it will take place back in the states where she is from… New Jersey! I love a NJ setting!
Thank you Simon Kids!
Releases 7/25
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...
Bea is visiting family in Paris for the summer. Her grandmother owns a second hand shop where Bea finds herself helping out most days. One day, a precious heirloom goes missing of her grandmothers… a drawing by Matisse… Bea works with her cousin Cèline… an unlikely pair… to find the missing Matisse.
A perfect armchair travel to Paris for the summer. This is a clue/puzzle oriented mystery which I would have loved when I was younger. You also get a bit of a history lessons as the girls race from one clue to another following landmarks/historical spots. It has also left me craving an almond croissant!
I’m looking forward to the next adventures with Bea… I’m kind of hoping it will take place back in the states where she is from… New Jersey! I love a NJ setting!
Thank you Simon Kids!
Releases 7/25
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...
October 19, 2025
This was a sweet book and I liked the sprinkling of French throughout. I thought the mystery was rather simple, but the puzzles were fun. This would be best for younger middle grade readers.
December 14, 2025
This was okay. Good premise and fun puzzles, but I didn't really connect to any of the characters and everything felt surface-level.
May 27, 2025
What a fun story!
It was fun change putting myself in the place of a preteen reading this mystery story centered in Paris. I’m not terribly familiar with the genre nowadays but I loved the title of the book which was enough to reel me in. The themes were very relatable and appropriate (ex. Evolving interests as you grow up, fearing parental disappointment, language barriers with family members) which seemed age appropriate.
The mystery was very fun to follow, and I loved reading about the girls exploring Paris. As someone who’s been lucky enough to visit there were quite a few places I’ve never heard of or been to which just adds to the interest. I also love a good code cracking challenge and it would be cool to add a little compendium at the end of the book so kids could easily make their own codes. Obsessed with the mystery’s resolution, so sweet.
I would recommend this book for an appropriate audience and would love to read more about Bea’s adventures with her French family. Plus more Lucas and Céline who ended up being favorites of mine!
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
It was fun change putting myself in the place of a preteen reading this mystery story centered in Paris. I’m not terribly familiar with the genre nowadays but I loved the title of the book which was enough to reel me in. The themes were very relatable and appropriate (ex. Evolving interests as you grow up, fearing parental disappointment, language barriers with family members) which seemed age appropriate.
The mystery was very fun to follow, and I loved reading about the girls exploring Paris. As someone who’s been lucky enough to visit there were quite a few places I’ve never heard of or been to which just adds to the interest. I also love a good code cracking challenge and it would be cool to add a little compendium at the end of the book so kids could easily make their own codes. Obsessed with the mystery’s resolution, so sweet.
I would recommend this book for an appropriate audience and would love to read more about Bea’s adventures with her French family. Plus more Lucas and Céline who ended up being favorites of mine!
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2025
Bea is bummed. She was supposed to be having lots of fun adventures with her aunt. Her parents are on a trip (without her), and sent her to stay in Paris. Sounds great, right? Well, her aunt, a journalist, keeps having to work. Her grandmother is busy running her secondhand/antique shop. And her cousin doesn’t seem to have much in common with Bea.
And then disaster strikes. Bea accidentally allows a man to take a box that contains the family treasure, a portrait of Bea’s great-grandfather, created by famous artist Henri Matisse.
And thus begins Bea’s true adventures in Paris. A mysterious note is left for her which indicates that, if she unravels the clues she will be able to recover the portrait. But Bea’s French is rudimentary, so she must enlist Celine’s help. The two visit sites around the city—although Bea is not supposed to leave the neighborhood without her aunt.
There are red herrings and misdirections along the way. But with the help of a couple of clever—and cute—French boys, Bea and Celine just might win the day.
We feel Bea’s frustration with being limited to her aunt’s flat and her grandmother’s shop all day while the aunt is at work. I’d be frustrated too! We also understand Bea’s guilt at having—however accidentally—allowed the painting to be taken.
Descriptions, characterizations, and conversations were well-done.
Possible objectionable material:
A tweenage kiss. Sneaking around and going places without adult permission. Lying.
Who might like this book:
Anyone interested in Paris or who likes solving a mystery. I’d say that the grade levels provided by the publisher are pretty accurate.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#BookReview #NetGalley #MiddleGrade #TheHouseOfFoundObjects #JoBeckettKing #SimonAndSchuster #biblioquacious
This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...
And then disaster strikes. Bea accidentally allows a man to take a box that contains the family treasure, a portrait of Bea’s great-grandfather, created by famous artist Henri Matisse.
And thus begins Bea’s true adventures in Paris. A mysterious note is left for her which indicates that, if she unravels the clues she will be able to recover the portrait. But Bea’s French is rudimentary, so she must enlist Celine’s help. The two visit sites around the city—although Bea is not supposed to leave the neighborhood without her aunt.
There are red herrings and misdirections along the way. But with the help of a couple of clever—and cute—French boys, Bea and Celine just might win the day.
We feel Bea’s frustration with being limited to her aunt’s flat and her grandmother’s shop all day while the aunt is at work. I’d be frustrated too! We also understand Bea’s guilt at having—however accidentally—allowed the painting to be taken.
Descriptions, characterizations, and conversations were well-done.
Possible objectionable material:
A tweenage kiss. Sneaking around and going places without adult permission. Lying.
Who might like this book:
Anyone interested in Paris or who likes solving a mystery. I’d say that the grade levels provided by the publisher are pretty accurate.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#BookReview #NetGalley #MiddleGrade #TheHouseOfFoundObjects #JoBeckettKing #SimonAndSchuster #biblioquacious
This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...
December 8, 2025
Bea Bellarose is in Paris, but she is not happy. Before leaving home, she failed her Mathletes entrance exam, so of deliberately, because while she is good at math, she doesn't really want that to be her life for another year. She sort of lied to her parents, and now they are at a conference and she is stuck in her aunt's apartment in Paris watching the world go by while her aunt works at her high-powered journalism job. Bea doesn't even have a chance to really practice her limited French. Just in the nick of time, a mystery presents itself in the form of an envelope with a riddle slid under the door. Bea enlists the help of her cousin Celine, who seems to be too cool for Bea, to solve it--especially when the family's sketch of Bea's great-grandfather, drawn by none other than Henri Matisse, goes missing. Bea and Celine must race against the deadline to retrieve the missing sketch and return it to their grandmother's antique store, The House of Found Objects, before it disappears completely and the store's landlord calls in the full amount of his loan to their grandmother. Along the way, Bea gets into more trouble than she thought possible, but starts mending a family rift, makes some new friends, and improves her French language ability. This was a fun read with lots of different types of ciphers and clues for readers who enjoy cracking codes and along the way also introduces readers to the joys of Paris.
April 6, 2025
A strong title and the depiction of two young girls attired in distinctive attire influenced by their respective cultures, French and American had me choosing this book. Toss in a mystery puzzling loving girl with hints of Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown and it seems like an interesting read especially since the book incorporates puzzles that even the reader can participate in anagrams and clues tossed in as to historical figures. What made this book a bit different was the uneasy friendship between the two cousins given the estrangement of their respective parents.
This ARC was provided by the publisher, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers , via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This ARC was provided by the publisher, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers , via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this book about Bea and her cousin Celine. They meet each other for the first time when Bea is sent to Paris to stay with her aunt for the summer. Their grandmother owns a shop that is not doing well. When a valuable art piece, which is used as collateral on the shop goes missing, Bea is determined to help find it. The story includes a city-wide search, deciphering riddles, solving puzzles, cracking codes, and maybe finding a thief. Celine and Bea become a great team and fast friends. Bea has been hiding something from her parents, but by the end of the book she is comfortable telling them. I can't wait to read the next book of the series.
September 1, 2025
Loved this middle grade book. American Bea spends time with her French family in Paris while her parents attend a conference. Sadly, Bea's aunt has to work all of the time. As she begins to bond with her grandmother and cousin, she is given a mystery to solve: a series of notes leading her to a lost sketch.
I loved the mixing of French phrases into the book as well as Bea's burgeoning independence navigating a foreign city space. All around lovely.
I loved the mixing of French phrases into the book as well as Bea's burgeoning independence navigating a foreign city space. All around lovely.
October 25, 2025
This was a fun read. Middle grade readers will love to explore the streets of Paris as they solve a mystery with the compelling Bea Bellerose. I loved the complex portrait of a complicated family history that served as a backdrop to the exciting adventure Bea and her cousin embark on within the beautifully drawn city of lights.
November 2, 2025
What an enjoyable middle grade novel! Loved the setting of France and the mention of the many locations in Paris, the French phrases (translated!) that added to the feeling of really being in France, and the puzzles! I found myself trying to figure out the puzzles along with Bea and her friends! Kids will love this one!
August 4, 2025
Such a fun mystery to follow Bea and her cousin along in Paris. And I was actually in Paris while reading it so extra fun! Two unlikely friends come together because of family circumstance to hunt down and find an expensive family heirloom.
October 3, 2025
Cute book. The story was fun and quite original. I liked the smattering of French language and famous Parisian sites, without being a giant history lesson. I would definitely recommend this to a younger reader looking for a more advanced story.
November 22, 2025
Loved this book - highly recommend, was going to wait ten years before getting this for my niece but I couldn’t wait.
January 17, 2026
the dedication of this book is a pigpen cipher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 24, 2026
Quite enjoyed this mystery, solved by a pair of cousins. Could have been 5 stars but the repeated lying got annoying.
April 6, 2026
This was just fine, somewhere between a 2 and a 3.
October 16, 2025
I got sucked into this adorable and smart middle grade mystery right away. Bea is staying with her aunt in Paris while her parents go to a work conference. She is quickly swept up in a hunt for a family heirloom, solving puzzles and exploring the city with her older cousin. There is a tiny side plot involving a crush and an innocent kiss, but it doesn't occupy our main characters thoughts or actions much at all. This appears to be the start of a series which is great news!
July 24, 2025
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Bea is visiting her relatives in Paris while her parents are at a conference. She's staying with her Aunt Juliette, who has promised to take her sight seeing, but who always have to work, leaving her little else to do but visit her grandmother Mamie's antique store, The House of Found Objects. It's vaguely interesting, but has seen better times, and is now relegated to a cramped space in the basement. Before the summer, Bea purposefully threw a Mathletes tryout, and is worried that her best friend and parents will be angry with her when they finally find out that she's no longer on the team. When Bea and her cousin Celine are left to watch the shop alone, a man from a local theater comes to pick up a box of items, but there is a mix up, and the box contained a precious drawing of Henri Matisse's that was her grandmother's prize possession. A worker at the shop, Roland, labeled the box incorrectly, but Bea is still devastated. Since she loves puzzles, wants the chance to travel around the city with Celine, and receives a mysterious note from someone who claims to know where the painting is, she embarks on an investigation. This takes her and Celine to various parts of Paris, has them breaking many codes, allows them to hang out with cute boys, and does get them into a little bit of trouble. Will they be able to get the grandmother's painting back before the landlord doesn't renew her lease? This is labeled as the first book in a series, but I don't see any information on a sequel yet.
Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where tweens get to travel, like Callaghan's Lost In... books. It's even more interesting because Bea gets to spend time with her grandmother and cousin. There are plenty of intriguing details about Paris, and it was very true to life that Bea and Celine did perfectly well traveling alone but probably shouldn't be. Readers who like to solve clues and ciphers will enjoy the puzzles.
Weakness: It was clear from the beginning that someone knew where the Matisse sketch was, which lessened the tension a bit. Even though there was a kind of sweet ending to this, and the painting was returned, toying with the family seemed a little mean spirited.
What I really think: This had some similarities to Runholt's The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (2008), and I love the cover. My students, however, would probably like this more if a gory murder had been committed in the shop. Sigh.
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Bea is visiting her relatives in Paris while her parents are at a conference. She's staying with her Aunt Juliette, who has promised to take her sight seeing, but who always have to work, leaving her little else to do but visit her grandmother Mamie's antique store, The House of Found Objects. It's vaguely interesting, but has seen better times, and is now relegated to a cramped space in the basement. Before the summer, Bea purposefully threw a Mathletes tryout, and is worried that her best friend and parents will be angry with her when they finally find out that she's no longer on the team. When Bea and her cousin Celine are left to watch the shop alone, a man from a local theater comes to pick up a box of items, but there is a mix up, and the box contained a precious drawing of Henri Matisse's that was her grandmother's prize possession. A worker at the shop, Roland, labeled the box incorrectly, but Bea is still devastated. Since she loves puzzles, wants the chance to travel around the city with Celine, and receives a mysterious note from someone who claims to know where the painting is, she embarks on an investigation. This takes her and Celine to various parts of Paris, has them breaking many codes, allows them to hang out with cute boys, and does get them into a little bit of trouble. Will they be able to get the grandmother's painting back before the landlord doesn't renew her lease? This is labeled as the first book in a series, but I don't see any information on a sequel yet.
Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where tweens get to travel, like Callaghan's Lost In... books. It's even more interesting because Bea gets to spend time with her grandmother and cousin. There are plenty of intriguing details about Paris, and it was very true to life that Bea and Celine did perfectly well traveling alone but probably shouldn't be. Readers who like to solve clues and ciphers will enjoy the puzzles.
Weakness: It was clear from the beginning that someone knew where the Matisse sketch was, which lessened the tension a bit. Even though there was a kind of sweet ending to this, and the painting was returned, toying with the family seemed a little mean spirited.
What I really think: This had some similarities to Runholt's The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (2008), and I love the cover. My students, however, would probably like this more if a gory murder had been committed in the shop. Sigh.
August 12, 2025
Delightful story about a spunky girl detective! Let me highlight a few of the more unique things about this story:
First, Bea is visiting Paris, so there are a lot of French words and phrases used throughout the book. All are explained, so it’s a great way for kids to learn some vocabulary.
There are also lots of puzzles and codes to break, and we actually get to see Bea work through them, which is fun because kids can play along and try to work the puzzles out for themselves.
Also, so many of the main characters in this story are girls and women—from Aunt Juliette the reporter to Maya the Mathlete, this story has awesome representation for young girls.
Someone else said there was objectionable content — I don’t agree! Bea does sneak around, but it’s clear she shouldn’t have, and she apologizes for lying to her aunt. She has a phone but the author is clear that her parents monitor her social media use. And she has a little crush on a boy that ends with a kiss, which is very wholesome and sweet. All very age appropriate stuff.
Can’t wait for the next one!!
First, Bea is visiting Paris, so there are a lot of French words and phrases used throughout the book. All are explained, so it’s a great way for kids to learn some vocabulary.
There are also lots of puzzles and codes to break, and we actually get to see Bea work through them, which is fun because kids can play along and try to work the puzzles out for themselves.
Also, so many of the main characters in this story are girls and women—from Aunt Juliette the reporter to Maya the Mathlete, this story has awesome representation for young girls.
Someone else said there was objectionable content — I don’t agree! Bea does sneak around, but it’s clear she shouldn’t have, and she apologizes for lying to her aunt. She has a phone but the author is clear that her parents monitor her social media use. And she has a little crush on a boy that ends with a kiss, which is very wholesome and sweet. All very age appropriate stuff.
Can’t wait for the next one!!
July 4, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | for this ARC.
This was such a cute middle grade mystery. I really liked all of the characters and the way that Bea made her way through the mystery. I liked seeing her struggle with life events as well as the mystery and liked seeing her become close with her cousin. The setting was really cool and it was fun to explore Paris with Bea. If you like puzzle mysteries, then this book is for you.
This was such a cute middle grade mystery. I really liked all of the characters and the way that Bea made her way through the mystery. I liked seeing her struggle with life events as well as the mystery and liked seeing her become close with her cousin. The setting was really cool and it was fun to explore Paris with Bea. If you like puzzle mysteries, then this book is for you.
August 4, 2025
A great mystery with fun puzzles and a satisfying resolution. It's also a novel about building strong relationships with extended family members, growing up, and a charming part of Paris. Great sense of humor and attention to detail throughout. Enjoyable for readers of all ages, and especially its target audience!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews