Review sponsored* by Nancy Kunhardt Lodge
The Children’s Book Review | February 16, 2018
Mona Lisa’s Ghost
Written by Nancy Kunhardt Lodge
Age Range: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Wilwahren Press (2017)
ISBN: 978-0-996088541
What to expect: Science fiction, mystery, fantasy, magic, Renaissance art
In Mona Lisa’s Ghost, author Nancy Kunhardt Lodge delights readers with a second installment in the zany adventures of Lucy Nightingale. On an ordinary school day in art class, Lucy is shocked to see that the Mona Lisa is undergoing changes at the molecular level—the background appears to be in motion and a terrible storm seems to be wreaking havoc on the scenery. Except for Lucy’s trusted friend Sam, no one else seems to notice that something is wrong. But Lucy and Sam can see the painting is in distress and that Mona Lisa herself is not happy.
Lucy decides to travel to Paris to the Mona Lisa Gallery at the Louvre to see the portrait and try to understand what is happening to it. Lucy wants to stop it from being destroyed. When she arrives at the Louvre, she realizes Melissa, one of her classmates, is also there. Melissa eventually tells Lucy that she is the reincarnation of Lisa Gherardini, the famous subject of the Mona Lisa, and that she has returned to claim the portrait that Leonardo da Vinci made for her. After a series of dramatic twists and turns, Lucy realizes that things may have gone too far. She calls Sam for help and tells him:
“Melissa just called me. She says she’s in a secret closet in the Louvre with the Mona Lisa in her lap!”
From here, the mystery unravels quickly and Lucy is forced to trust her intuition as she learns more about the history of the Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci. This page-turning mystery is filled with science fiction references, time travel, high-tech gadgets and historical references. It is sure to appeal to readers with many varied interests and will reel them in with its fast pace and highly relatable characters. Mona Lisa’s Ghost will surely spark readers’ imaginations and their thirst for the science fiction and mystery genres.
Available Here:
About the Author
Nancy Kunhardt Lodge has a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Renaissance art history. She taught at Tufts, Boston, and American Universities. She has written scholarly articles and delivered papers at Renaissance conferences in Italy and the U.S., among them the Frick Collection of Art, the Corcoran Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program. She is a member of SCBWI and the College Art Association. She has released two books in a series about Lucy Nightingale’s dare devil adventures. Dr. Lodge is the granddaughter of Dorothy Kunhardt, author of the children’s classic, Pat the Bunny. She lives in the West Newbury, MA. area with her husband and two Corgis, Wilbur and Charlotte.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. Nancy Kunhardt Lodge sponsored* this non-biased review of “Mona Lisa’s Ghost.” Learn more about getting a book review …
