I love love love weird history books and so this ticked a lot of boxes for me. For the kids, it's an interesting story with enough art to break it up but not so much art so as to be considered a graphic novel.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun one! I requested the ARC because I saw the title on a list of potential Newbery contenders. Plus like any good French student, I’ve always been fascinated by the Mona Lisa. A couple of years ago, I’m pretty sure I did some kind of mini-lesson about the theft, because when we read “Crime on Mars,” we always went into a whole sidebar discussion about stealing the Mona Lisa (and why it would be both impossible and pointless, since it’s the most famous painting in the world).

This was a little slow at the beginning - I think part of the problem was me, since I was reading it at the desk and kept getting interrupted. But it’s definitely a fascinating story, and I appreciate all of the research that went into it (the review I read mentioned that it’s hard to win a Newbery for nonfiction if you aren’t Steve Sheinkin, and that this had a shot). The story also goes back and forth between the “present” day (ie, 1911) and Florence in the 1500s, when DaVinci was about to create the most famous painting of all time. I knew DaVinci was quite the character, but Day really pulls no punches about how easily distracted he was. Basically it’s a miracle the guy got anything done at all, and this painting barely got painted in the first place. The theft itself is also really interesting, as we get a look at early 20th century detective procedures - there was this guy who had a whole system about measuring people, which was surprisingly accurate, and he refused to latch onto the “new technology” of fingerprints (there was a print left behind on the glass).

No spoilers, just to say that this isn’t one of those cases where they lay out a bunch of possibilities and then say we’ll never know the full story. Everything reaches a conclusion, and it’s a pretty astounding set of coincidences.

Really fun nonfiction read. If I were still teaching, I’d definitely add it to my shelf.

This nonfiction read like a mystery! Engaging writing style, and a really interesting, in-depth look at an unusual crime I'd never really hard about before. I also really appreciated how the author included backstory about Da Vinci, Picasso, the Louvre, and the forensic science at the time - among other information. I'm really excited to share this book on outreach visits in the fall!

The Mona Lisa Vanishes is a very interesting and educational read. I like how the book alternates between the more distant life of Leonardo da Vinci and the more recent theft and recovery of the painting,

The illustrations and the playful writing style of the author definitely kept me engaged until the very last page, though occasionally I found the text a tad bit repetitive.

The Mona Lisa Vanishes is a fun and funny book, but filled with facts and history. It begins with a quick overview of the improbabilities of Leonardo da Vinci's life and of Lisa Gherardini sitting for a portrait by Leonardo. The main story is about the theft of the Mona Lisa, a small, inconsequential painting by the master, and how it became the most famous, expensive painting in the world simply because it was stolen.
The book is written in a non-linear fashion. The author enumerates the many talents and eccentricities of Leonard da Vinci and gives a brief history of his life. The reader learns about the Louvre, the famous convoluted museum in Paris which contains many of the world's most treasured art pieces. The book tells stories about the men investigating the theft and the detectives they admired. The author tells of Picasso, his paintings, and his troubles. Much more information is included, all interspersed and intermingled.
The book is humorous, which helps to counterbalance what might otherwise be a plethora of dry facts for young readers. I felt there was quite a significant disparity in the tone. Some parts, particularly at the beginning, were almost silly and felt aimed toward a young audience, perhaps elementary school. Later parts, however, seemed to lose much of the levity and even had some graphic descriptions of violence, making me hesitant to recommend the book to younger than middle school readers. The book was very entertaining and informational. I enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I'm sure my students will ask if I remember the Mona Lisa being stolen... in 1911, but I'll have to remind them that I'm not that old. This narrative nonfiction book reminded me a bit of Balis' and Levy's Bringing Down a President in its tone, use of illustrations, and deep dives into back matter about the main topic. Not only do we learn about the theft of the famous painting from the Louvre, but also about the state of forensic investigations at the time, the role of the newspaper in society, and a lot of information about Leonardo daVinci's life and times. Chapters go back and forth from what was going on with the investigation in 1911, back to the 1400s to see how da Vinci's work was evolving, and even into the present day to see how both of these occurrences influence modern thought. There are some side discussions about dowries in Renaissance Italy, da Vinci's eccentricities, and even French criminal investigation innovations. There's a lot, but its done with a light tone, and reads quickly.

An inordinate amount of middle grade readers are interested in true crime podcasts, and nonfiction books like Sullivan's Jailbreak at Alcatraz and Denson's Kathy Puckett and the Case of the Unabomber have been popular. I even purchased some of Abdo's American Crime Stories. Those come in at 112 pages and have not been as popular as I had hoped. The Mona Lisa Vanishes is a good choice for readers who like art related mysteries like Balliett's 2004 Chasing Vermeer, Hick's The Van Gogh Deception, Dionne's Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking, Asselin's The Art of the Swap. or Armendariz's Julieta and the Diamond Enigma and are looking for nonfiction that has some more information about different aspects of the art in question.

The writing style is engaging and likely to draw readers into the story. I would recommend it for young readers who are interested in history, art, or crime. I think it would be a good fit for public library collections.

This book was such a fun read, for my seven year old, who just recently learned about the Mona Lisa.
He was excited to be learning more about the history behind it.
This is an engaging book that is filled with history & mystery.
I personally think the age range for this would be more upper elementary, verse the younger children.
Short chapters that were easy to read, filled with fun illustrations.

This was fabulous! There was a ton of information, but it never gets overwhelming. I spent a lot of time looking up things on wikipedia after reading them in the book because the topics included so many interesting things. I highly recommend this for public library collections and hope to see more kid non-fiction titles from this author.

The Mona Lisa Vanishes is a fun middle grade non-fiction book about the true story of the theft of the Mona Lisa. It jumps between the early 1900s France when the painting was stolen from the Louve and the Italian renaissance when Leonardo Da Vinci was working on Mona Lisa. This book would be an engaging read for a students interested in history who are probably familiar with the Mona Lisa but have never heard this story before. The illustrations are a fun bonus.

Picked this up because of the endorsement by Steve Sheinkin on the cover.
Excellent narrative nonfiction with a dash of humor.
Would easily recommend as a read aloud or inclusion in homeschool curriculum. Short and sweet chapters would make excellent written or oral narration option.
Passing this one on to the kids.

Inclusion of the art referenced would have made this superior. I plan to print out and insert said art.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the chance to read this title ahead of publication!

The story of the theft of the Mona Lisa is one with many twists and turns just like this story. Through explanations of the time, place and people involved in the making, stealing and recovering of the famous painting we learn more about the lady in a fascinating way. This book is great for anyone who loves history or mystery!

This is a pretty compelling narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I imagine kids will too. I was mildly disappointed by the lackluster back matter (could have been so much fuller!) and the somewhat disjointed storytelling (jumping back and forth in time at odd intervals and occasionally switching unexpectedly between tenses). Ultimately, however, I think it's a great book. Bonus points for the fun illustrations!

As a reader, I adored every single page. I loved the style of writing as much as I loved the content. I finished it in two days.

As a teacher, I could have done without bastard, jerk, and the explicit descriptions of violence in the book. For this reason, I would suggest this as a middle school or later, definitely not elementary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read in exchange for my honest opinions.