(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. The Mona Lisa wasn't the world's most famous painting when it disappeared from the Louvre in 1911. Day starts his narrative at the point of the theft, then jumps forward and backward, tracing Leonardo da Vinci's career, what (little) is known about the painting's subject, how the Mona Lisa became a pop culture icon, and its whereabouts today. In between the story's many diversions (e.g., early forensic science, the media's role in hyping the theft), readers also follow the path of the painting away from the museum and into the pages of history, which Day delivers with a dose of whimsy as he describes a case that had more than its share of ridiculous moments. The book combines age-appropriate true crime with art history and historiography. The nonlinear structure may take some getting used to, but it serves the book's goal of drawing parallels between elements of the theft and the Mona Lisa's current place in our culture. 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. A lengthy source list is appended.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(4) 4-6 Graphic Library: Graphic Lives series. Illustrated by Diego Aballay. These graphic novels detail the lives of the titular historical figures, with emphasis on events that garnered each the most notoriety. The comic-book format makes the volumes feel more like stories than typical biographies, which may appeal to reluctant history readers. The art in both books is generic and busy but decently expressive. Contextual notes, discussion questions, and writing prompts are included. Reading list, timeline. Glos. Review covers these Graphic Library: Graphic Lives titles: Anne Frank and Leonardo da Vinci.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) YA Symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race across Europe and against time to solve a murder; in doing so, they uncover an ancient biblical secret. Like the 2003 worldwide adult bestseller, this teen edition--while debatably unnecessary--is fast paced and entertaining but with moderately less sex and swearing. Photo inserts highlighting real places and art that the novel mentions have been added.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Elliott's well-researched novel focuses on Ginevra de' Benci's late teenage years. Newly married to a disinterested older husband, tempted by a Venetian diplomat, and chosen to model for Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra is immersed in Renaissance politics, philosophy, and art. The deliberately paced story of a real woman and expansive detailing of Florence at its height of influence will interest dedicated historical-fiction readers.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA In an effort to evade a book report, friends Luke and Tommy do some research on the most boring book in the world. When the only remaining copy of that self-same book turns up in their local library, the boys embark on an adventure involving kidnapping, henchmen, and space- and time-travel to Nazi-era Germany. Falkner presents a complex, inventive, and well-crafted escapade.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jill McElmurry. In this history, presented as autobiography, the painted Mona Lisa recounts her story, spicing it with touches of humor. Decorative gouache art shows the portrait expressing emotion, from demure affection for her creator to tearful grief while in a thief's custody. An entertaining introduction to the world of art history as well as to this particular painting. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Herb Leonhard. When a friend wants a painting on his shield, Leonardo da Vinci's father gives the job to his son. The boy paints a horrifying monster, and the finished image terrifies his father. This tale is based on an incident described by Giorgio Vassari in 1550. The possibly apocryphal story is intriguing, but both the telling and the illustrations are stiff. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Leo Brown. Ten-year-old Paolo, (fictional) apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci, keeps a journal of his first year working for the great artist. The diary entries serve as an effective medium for the historical and biographical information, leading readers to an appended section of facts about da Vinci and Renaissance Italy. The many illustrations, including a map, help bring readers into the time period. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(3) K-3 Barretta uses a compare/contrast pattern to show how Leonardo da Vinci influenced future inventors; though he never produced such devices as a single-span bridge, steam engine, or modern movie projector, "Leo" envisioned them. The text effectively underscores the idea that scientific achievements often rest on the shoulders of others. Approachable watercolor drawings illustrate Leonardo's sketches and the modern-day inventions that followed. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) YA Abby feels constrained by her normal, predictable life--until she meets Dante, a mysterious exchange student who turns out to be Leonardo da Vinci's apprentice, exiled (along with his betrayer) from his own time for a crime he didn't commit. Mangum adds some interesting new elements to the girl-next-door-falls-for-supernatural-hunk trope du jour, but her emotional plot lines are more convincing than her speculative ones.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) 4-6 Magic Tree House Research Guide series. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Siblings Jack and Annie present the fruits of their research about the great Renaissance painter, whom they met in Monday with a Mad Genius. Though the narration, interrupted by subheads, sidebars, and tangents, is a little unfocused, the text is replete with interesting details about its subject. Black-and-white reproductions and Murdocca's ever-reliable drawings round out the volume. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Great Scientists series. These biographies cover the lives and accomplishments of some of the world's greatest scientists. Significant events are highlighted, along with major discoveries. Informative sidebars, photographs, and illustrations accompany the texts. Though the writing is choppy, the series is a decent introduction to important scientific figures. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Scientists titles: Rosalind Franklin, Guglielmo Marconi, and Louis Pasteur.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(2) YA Elisabetta begins a secret courtship with Giuliano Medici. Their romance plays out against political intrigue, familial loyalty, and betrayal. Napoli re-creates Renaissance Italy through alluring sensory descriptions, her writing rich with period detail, establishing depth of character for the woman who will become the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. An appended author's note gives more history.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(4) YA Art Masters series. Illustrated by Sergio & Andrea Ricciardi. These revised large-format art books place their subjects in historical, social, cultural, and stylistic context. The pages are busy; each double-page spread addresses one aspect in a short main paragraph, then also includes sidebars, captions for the many color reproductions, and usually a central illustration. There's a lot of good information, but the books' organization is rather loose. Timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Art Masters titles: The Art of the Renaissance, Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and The Impressionists.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) YA Essential Lives series. This book offers a serviceable if bland biography of the Renaissance master painter and inventor. The writing is straightforward, and frequent sidebars help with historical context. Some artwork reproductions and archival materials also break up the pages. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 1-3 Magic Tree House series. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Seeking help in their search for the secret to happiness, Jack and Annie are sent back in time five hundred years to spend a day with Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy. There they sit in on a portrait session for the Mona Lisa and even attempt flying. Illustrated with many black-and-white drawings, the fast-paced story has some suspense.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) YA Ordinary matters, like debts to merchants and street fights between lads, intersect with matters of political intrigue, alchemy, and art to weave a complex tale about the creation of Leonardo's The Last Supper in fifteenth-century Milan. The painter's curious, ambitious, and resolutely insolent fifteen-year-old servant, Giacomo, makes a compelling narrator.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Fernandez & Rick Jacobson. The Mona Lisa herself narrates this story, based on true events, of her 1911 abduction from the Louvre and subsequent temporary relocation to Italy. The misguided worker who reclaimed the painting for his native country is cast in a sympathetic light. Watercolor paintings effectively capture the Parisian streets and Italian countryside, but the text stretches to sustain a thin plot.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Great Minds of Science series. After discussing how some of da Vinci's ideas apply to airplanes and summarizing his achievements, this text expands on those Renaissance achievements. Painting, optics, architecture, astronomy, meteorology, the human body--these and other subjects filled his notebooks, black-and-white illustrations from which are reproduced here, along with several contemporary photos. A few activities conclude the presentation. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 What in the World? series. This book contextualizes da Vinci's most famous painting culturally as well as artistically. Carefully selected artwork and text elucidates the European Renaissance, along with parallel movements elsewhere in the world, then narrows to focus on da Vinci's life, works, and contemporaries, concluding with specifics about such artistic techniques as sfumato and chiaroscuro. Timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian