Awards

• Winner of Alabama Camellia Award (Grades 2-3) 2007

Overview

While our hero, Jack,* sleeps in New York, a couple of crooked crooks are stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris.Their intentions are dark--they plan to deface the famous painting with a mustache! Can brave Jack come to the rescue ...before it's too late? With bold cartoony illustrations and action-packed text, the talented Meghan McCarthy has created a whirlwind spy tale filled with speeding cars, daring escapes, and astounding heroism. *Names may have been changed to protect secret-agent identities. Includes an author's note with information about the actual theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911.

Full Product Details

9780152053680

Table of Contents

Reviews

Definitely a dream but no less exciting for that, this freewheeling escapade sends a lad in pursuit of international art thieves. News that the Mona Lisa has been stolen lifts Jack from his bed, transforms him into a secret agent with all sorts of cool gear and propels him across the Atlantic to recover the masterpiece before the nefarious no-goodniks can carry out their hideous plan to-well, follow Marcel Duchamp's lead. McCarthy crafts noirish cartoons of a popeyed, trench coat-clad Jack foiling repeated attempts on his life and braving such tortures as being forced to watch videos of chickens dancing-OVER and OVER again! He nabs the crooks, sneaks the relieved-looking portrait back to her rightful place in the Louvre, then, using secret methods too treacherous to mention, ends up back in his room. A newspaper-style closing describes an actual theft of the Mona Lisa in the early 20th-century, giving this episode a tenuous connection with reality. This melodramatic adventure will keep young readers riveted. (Picture book. 6-9) (Kirkus Reviews)

Author Information

MEGHAN McCARTHY has written and illustrated several other bright, bold, and funny books for children, including Show Dog, an IRA-CBC Children's Choice, and The Adventures of Patty and the Big Red Bus. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. MEGHAN McCARTHY has written and illustrated several other bright, bold, and funny books for children, including Show Dog, an IRA-CBC Children's Choice, and The Adventures of Patty and the Big Red Bus. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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