Agentes secretos y el mural de Picasso

by Mira Canion

Pablo Picasso's mural Guernica is on display at the 1937 International Exposition. Both sides of the Spanish Civil War quickly realize that the painting contains clues to the whereabouts of the supernatural Spear of Destiny. Its occult power can change the outcome of the Civil War, just as it has done in other battles throughout history. As Paula's imagination begins to decipher the hidden symbols, Francisco Franco's secret agents are not far behind her. They are ready to capture the Spear at the most opportune moment, convinced that impulsive Paula will betray her quest for the Spear. Belonging to the genre of language learner literature, this is an easy Spanish reader containing just 100 new vocabulary words and many English-Spanish cognates.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Read For School, School, Historical Fiction, Novels, Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[isabelle]

the spanish II class slay

[♥️Noelle♥️ (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book just the ending was pretty boring

[riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

my first spanish book!

[Josie Soniat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for class good for kids

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I thought more would happen.

[Ashlyn Bodine · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was so bad i wanted to give it a 0, but instead i gave it a 1 😰

[Delanie Dooms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agentes Secretos Y El Mural De Picasso es un libro muy facil. Pienso el libro es para la clase de Español Uno. Leo un libro en dos horas. El libro es muy interesante pero mezclado en la narración. Por ejemplo, en un punto Luis se quema el pelo de Paula! Esto no malo! De embargo, puedo ver por qué otros comentarios no le gusta el libro porque de eso. Ademas, el libro se detiene muy rapidamente. El final tema es eso en vida es muy bueno a tiene amigas y imaginación. Final nota es ese libro tiene muy referencia a España durante WWII.

Anyway, despite my inability to write in Spanish, I hope the above is at least in some way comrehensible. I suppose I should write it down in English just in case. That is here: Agentes Secretos Y El Mural De Picasso is a very easy book to read. I think that it is for Spanish I. The book is interesting, but is mixed in it's storytelling. This isn't bad. Nevertheless, I can see why other commenters do not like the book because of this. For example, at one point Luis lights Paula's hair on fire! Additionally, the book stops very quickly. The final theme of the novel is that in live it is good to have friends and an imagination. As a final note, the book has any references to Spain during the Second World War.

I am not quite sure how to say that I think Mario was a very funny character in Spanish. I have some small inkling of how to say funny in Spanish, but that is all. In any case, I thought Mario was funny in his shamelessness.

[Maria Yovita Liem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not for children but for those who are learning Spanish language (but still, usually people learn Spanish from the age 11-12 years old. hehe).

The story itself is like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code but reduced thoroughly so it'll be enjoyable for reading in class. I enjoy the new vocabularies and, of course, the setting, it's so interesting. I know nothing about the setting, but this book is encouraging to explore further. This book gives many new names, events, places, etc to search about. (Many of the info below I take from Wikipedia) This is not a review, only a bunch of new things I get from the book.



The story took place in 1937, in the middle of The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life), that was held from 25 May to 25 November 1937 in Paris. Apparently, the Spanish pavilion attracted many people in the exposition because it was held at the time of Spanish Civil War (17 July 1936-1 April 1939, the Republicans versus The Nationalists/rebels led by General Francisco Franco).





The Spanish pavilion in that exposition displayed Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica', the painting about the horrors of Spanish Civil War. It's cubist and I don't understand what the hell it is about. It was painted in Paris, first exhibited in Paris, placed in Museum of Modern Art in New York before finally now placed in Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid since 1992. Picasso's purpose in painting it was to bring the world's attention to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by German bombers, who were supporting the Nationalist forces of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The famous line by Picasso: "Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth."

Another new information that I found from this book is about the Spear of Destiny, the Holy Spear or Spear of Longinus (so that's where the name 'Longinus' in Modern Family tv series came from. haha). The Holy Lance is the name given to the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross, according to the Gospel of John.



The book said: "Since the Spear pierced Jesus Christ's side during his crucifixion, many thought it gave great power. According to legend, whoever had it would hold the destiny of the world. If the Spear were lost, death would follow." It's hilarious, but still interesting. Apparently, there are (copies of) Holy Lance in Rome, Vienna, Armenia, Antioch and Poland.



The other thing is about Sainte-Chapelle or Saint Chapel. At first hearing it, I thought it was Sistine Chapel, silly me. Sainte-Chapelle is a royal medieval Gothic chapel, located near the Palais de la Cité, on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris. It was built by King Louis IX of France (apparently his mother was Spanish, Blanca de Castilla) to house his collection of Passion Relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns - one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom. He built the church in 1248 to show off the Spear of Destiny. He bought the Spear during a Crusade. During the French Revolution (1789), it disappeared without a trace.



Next, about Les Deux Magots (literally meaning The Two Apes). It is a famous café in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, France. It once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual élite of the city. It is now a popular tourist destination. Its historical reputation is derived from the patronage of Surrealist artists, intellectuals such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and young writers, such as Ernest Hemingway. Other patrons included Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Bertolt Brecht and the American writer Charles Sutherland. The café also features in a scene in the 2012 film Intouchables.



Next, about Parque Güell or Parc Güell. It is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. It is one of the largest architectural works in south Europe and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí". The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Güell, after whom the park was named. I fall in love with this park for the first time when it appears in the movie L'auberge espagnole (2002). I love the mosaic work and the benches.



Next, another cafe/restaurant, now located in Barcelona, called Los Cuatro Gatos or The Four (Male) Cats. It is said as Pablo Picasso's favourite restaurant and he held his first exposition there. The walls are full of art expositions.



Next, Las Ramblas, it is a street in central Barcelona, popular with tourists and locals alike. A tree-lined pedestrian mall, it stretches for 1.2 kilometers between Barri Gòtic and El Raval, connecting Plaça de Catalunya in the centre with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell.



Again from Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batlló, it is a renowned building located in the heart of Barcelona. The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), as it has a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona. Again, with the mosaic, how I love mosaic! Apparently, before reading this book, I long received a postcard from Barcelona with a picture of Casa Batlló at the front (image above). And the postcard is from a woman named Cristina (so much for the 2008 movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona. haha)

This book encourages the readers to explore further about the things above, also about Hitler's search for the Spear of Destiny and for other occult objects, Barcelona's role in the Spanish Civil War, San Fermin celebration in Pamplona, importance of bull in Spanish culture and Nazi's bombing of Guernica, Spain, among others.

Great for you who want to learn Spanish. :)

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and good for beginning language learners! It’s silly and factual and interesting.

The 5th graders at my school read this book in French and Spanish as a part of their curriculum. I’m the art teacher and so I read it in Spanish as part of my investigation into some interdisciplinary connections. I took Spanish in high school and college and was pleased to be able to understand and laugh along with most of the book.

[jojo m. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the flow of the book and it was helpful for learning Spanish. My Spanish class used it to read and learn vocabulary as well as practice verb tenses. In the higher level classes, we also use the book to switch verb tenses, conjugate, and practice, indirect and direct objects. This book is perfect for that and has the correct pacing for it. I felt like most of the story was interesting, but even with it being a simpler book, it could have had a more exciting ending.

[Sigrid Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language was great for my Spanish 1 students, but the ending was a huge disappointment for us all. We read it as part of an optional weekly book club. We did get a good laugh out of the character named Mario, so we had quite a few student smiles as we read about him and his numerous attempts to get what he wanted.

[Ali Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agentes Secretos Y El Mural De Picasso was a very good book, it was easy to read and very engaging, It is my favorite spanish book so far. There was romance, action, and a lot of drama. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are beginning to learn spanish and love reading!

[Connor]

This book was redicicoisly ridiculous. It had a horrific ending which should not be allowed in children’s books. The text had many plot holes in which I vomited. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t live life knowing I read this book. I hate READING this BOOK!!!

[Curtis Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simpla rakonto por la lernantoj de l'hispana. Mi uzos ĝin dum mi instruado.
------------------------------------------------------------
A simple story for learners of Spanish. I will use it during my instruction.

[Hazel Hamlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si Paula y Luis no son novios, algo falla. Ellos son perfecto el uno para el otro. Claro, Luis es impaciente pero, él solo necesita trabajar en eso. Lo siento por todos errores en mi palabras, el español no es mi idioma primero y estoy intentando aprender.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will be great for my Spanish 1 class. A lot of repetition will help with memory. Love how historical factors are included in the book to allow for an extension project.

[Amanda Macias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story and shared a little bit of Spain's history.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of action and short sentences but it didn't seem to flow quite as smoothly as La Vampirata. Most 2s should be able to handle this early on in the year.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un pequeno libro, cuento absurdo. Me gusta poco. Pero, estoy siempre orgulloso de leer en espagnol. Esta libro es la tarea de mi clase de espagnol. Espero que la siguiente libro es mejor.

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginning Spanish

[madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

bad ending...

[Rory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, had to read it for Spanish Class.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend Agentes Secretos y El Mural de Picasso because there was a very interesting plot. It hooks you in, and it is very easy to understand.

[Damara]

finished this for school

[Addison · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read it for spanish and it was a vibe still don’t know spanish though

[Jane De vries · Rating 2 out of 5]

Muy bueno, as a learning tool for Spanish students; the vocabulary is not too challenging and I love the photos of sites in Spain. However, I had some trouble following the plot!

[Mac Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent book for one I had to read in Spanish class

[Kailey Hennessey · Rating 1 out of 5]

most boring fucking book i’ve EVER read

[Alina P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great comprehensible input novel for intermediate mid/high Spanish 1 students!

[rachel crisp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read to practice Spanish!