Published: 2023
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction, True Crime, Art, Mystery, Historical
Audience: Upper Middle Grade / YA
Triggers: Crime, Violence, Theft
Summary: 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 change: 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.
Review: I have been telling everyone around me about this book ever since I finished it–a 100% fully enjoyable read for kids and adults alike, in my opinion. I actually feel that the book skews a bit older than it is marketed as. For example, the Amazon page labels it ages 10-14, but I think any 10-year-olds reading this book from start to finish would be those who are already quite advanced and highly motivated readers. I would consider it to sit more at ages 12 and up, generally speaking. (Of course, there are always exceptions! Every individual reader is different.)
That being said–what a fun and informative book! Part true crime, part art history, all written with an impeccably dry, witty sense of humor that makes it feel like the narrator is its own character in the story. I loved learning more about Leonardo da Vinci and the origin of the Mona Lisa, as well as following along while the drama around the heist unfolded. It was fascinating to hear all the little tidbits that demonstrate how this little painting could have easily been forgotten by history if it weren’t for certain events that made it the iconic image it is today. Brett Helquist’s illustrations add another fun element. I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who enjoys narrative nonfiction.
