Close

Login

Lost Password     Register

Close

Register

Lost Password     Login

Close

Lost Password

Login     Register

Book Review

Purchase Book at Amazon.com

Publisher's Note:

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 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. 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.…

This review may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using these links, then Compass Book Ratings may earn a small commission.

The Mona Lisa Vanishes

by Nicholas Day

Reviewer: Cindy M
Genre: Non-Fiction
Recommended Age: 12+

Overall Book Review:

This non-fiction middle grade book does an excellent job of putting the theft of the Mona Lisa in context of world events and how against this backdrop the perfect storm of publicity created the iconic image of the Mona Lisa that persists today. Even older readers will learn things and discover new connections. Frankly, it is pretty fascinating stuff.

Stylistically, this book moves back and forth in time between the crime and the history of Da Vinci; the narrative also moves around geographically. The author’s voice is almost conversational and written as if the he is speaking directly to the young reader. The moving timeline and the sheer number of historical individuals being pulled into the story make for a more challenging middle grade read, but certainly an interesting one.

Appropriately, for a book about art, there are charming illustrations by Brett Helquist to enhance the narrative. Fans of non-fiction, history, the art heist, crime novels, and even mysteries, will find appeal in this book.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy Provided by the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: None (Note: “Bastard” used to identify birth relationship.)

Violence/Gore: General references to historical occurrences of war, invasion, and pillaging; report that some criminals used to be branded with a hot iron; report of a death in a prison escape; report that Da Vinci dissected horses and wrote a book about horse anatomy; brief report of how two individuals were assassinated, uprising, how individuals were hanged in a public display, deaths, bodies dug up and dragged through the streets, etc.; report of an invasion (historical); brief report of a historical person who violent and killed many brutal, including a family member; reference to a historical assignation; brief report how Da Vinci would dissect the dead to understand anatomy; report that a gang committed robberies and murders; report that someone was injured by gunfire in the head during WWI; several general reports of historical deaths.

Sex/Nudity: A person is an illegitimate son.

Mature Subject Matter:

Art theft (by individuals and by countries taking from other countries), crime, inequality of women, xenophobia, assassination, suicide (passing reference to a historical occurrence).

Alcohol/Drug Use:

Individual buys wine; reference to cigarettes.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
0
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
3
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
1
10

Share This Post

About the Reviewer

Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!

Share Compass Book Ratings