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The Mona Lisa Vanishes

Name: The Mona Lisa Vanishes
Price: 8.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Nicholas Day
ISBN: 9780593643860

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Published on Sep 05, 2023 | 288 Pages

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Paperback $9.99

Published on Sep 09, 2025 | 288 Pages

Hardcover $19.99

Published on Sep 05, 2023 | 288 Pages

Hardcover Library Binding $22.99

Published on Sep 05, 2023 | 288 Pages

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Published on Sep 05, 2023 | 4 Hours 54 Minutes

Published on Sep 05, 2023 | 288 Pages

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“The tale of a stunning art heist with a contagious love of stranger-than-fiction true stories!”—Steve Sheinkin, Newbery Honor–winning author of Bomb

The true story of how Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece became the most famous painting in the world after being stolen from the Louvre, written as a “witty thriller” (The New York Times) and featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout.

SIBERT MEDAL WINNER • BOSTON GLOBE—HORN BOOK AWARD WINNER • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, NPR, The New York Public Library, The Chicago Public Library, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

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.

“[A] witty thriller.” —The New York Times

“One of the best books of 2023, bar none.” —Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Fuse #8 blog

“The tale of a stunning art heist told with a contagious love of stranger-than-fiction true stories!” —Steve Sheinkin, Newbery Honor–winning author of Bomb

“A thrilling, often hilarious, page-turning read. Kids will devour it. I know I did.” —Candace Fleming, Sibert Honor–winning author of The Family Romanov

★ “A multistranded yarn skillfully laid out in broad, light brush strokes with some cogent themes mixed in.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ ”A completely engaging book.” —Booklist, starred review

★ ”A wildly entertaining, thoroughly contextualized look at art, history, and fame.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Helquist’s cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations do an excellent job of matching the narrative voice and bringing the book’s dramatic moments to life.” —The Horn Book

“The playful prose in direct address charmingly invites readers into a story that details everything from the stuffy gender roles of fifteenth-century Florence to a wildly inept police investigation to a rather deceitful and not at all admirable Pablo Picasso.” —The Bulletin

“An intriguing exploration of a significant yet little-known event.” —School Library Journal

WINNER 2024 Robert F. Sibert Medal

NOMINEE Georgia Children’s Book Award

NOMINEE 2026 Iowa Children’s Choice Award

NOMINEE 2025 Keystone to Reading Book Award

NOMINEE 2025 Maine Student Book Award

NOMINEE 2025 Michigan Library Association YouPer (Young Person) Award

NOMINEE 2025 Ohio Buckeye Children’s Book Award

NOMINEE 2026 Oregon Book Award

NOMINEE 2026 South Carolina Children’s Book Award

NOMINEE 2025 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award

NOMINEE 2026 Utah Beehive Book Award

NOMINEE 2025 Vermont Golden Dome Book Award

NOMINEE 2026 Washington Evergreen Young Adult Book Award

NOMINEE 2025 Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award

SELECTION 2024 ALA Notable Children’s Book

SELECTION 2024 CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

SELECTION 2023 Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books

SELECTION 2023 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids

SELECTION 2024 Project Lit Book Club Pick

SELECTION 2024 Texas Topaz Reading List

DECLINED 2026 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award

ISBN9780593643860

Published onSep 05, 2023

Published byRandom House Studio

Pages288

Age Range10-14 years

GradeGrades 5-9

Reading LevelLexile: 780L | Fountas/Pinnell: Y

Author

Nicholas Day

NICHOLAS DAY is the author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for nonfiction. His debut picture book, Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”, was illustrated by Chris Raschka. He has written regularly for Slate; his work has also appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his family.

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Illustrator

Brett Helquist

Brett Helquist is the illustrator of many books including The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balleitt and most recently Guitar Genius, by Kim Tomsic and Cezanne’s Parrot, by Amy Guglielmo. He is also the author of Bedtime for Bear, Grumpy Goat, and Roger the Jolly Pirate. He grew up in Utah and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two kids. When he’s not working he’s usually trying to play his guitar. You can visit Brett online at www.bretthelquist.com.

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Age Range: 10-14 years

Age Range: 10-14 years

Age Range: 10-14 years

Age Range: 10-14 years

Age Range: 8-12 years

Book Description

Related Genres

Praise

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Product Details

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