THE GRAVITY THIEF
Lucy Nightingale, #3
by Nancy Kunhardt Lodge
Illustrated by Christopher Hilaire
Wilwahren Press
Middle Grade Fantasy
230 pages
ages 8 to 12
A child is lost, an evil mastermind sends his minions to steal a painting, and the world tilts off its axis. What begins as a story
about Lucy Nightingale's and her best friend, Sam Winter's hazardous quest to bring the child home soon becomes a race to save the world from extinction.
about Lucy Nightingale's and her best friend, Sam Winter's hazardous quest to bring the child home soon becomes a race to save the world from extinction.
MY TIDBITS
This is the third book in the series. I did read the second one, but it wouldn't have been a problem to dive into the third one without having read it first. In other words, this can be read as a stand-alone.
Art, history and a little bit of science meld together to form an exciting mystery, where nothing is as it seems and surprises lurk around every picture frame.
Lucy joins her class on a visit to the art museum, where a robbery has taken place. A painting is missing, but stranger yet, she hears the voice of a little boy in the wall. Back at her best friend's house, she tells Sam about her adventure, and while he seems to have all sorts of scientific explanations for everything, she convinces him to help her find out what is really going on. Sneaking into the museum, she hopes to find the boy in the wall. And she does, but she discovers so much more than that.
This book takes an imaginative twist into the world of art and brings in a little bit of science, too. But that's only the beginning because this tale shoots off into a fantasy packed adventure, where paintings are worlds, and windows open up to more than the outdoors. There's never a boring moment as Lucy and Sam try to figure out how to stop the bad guy and save the world in the process.
I enjoy how seamlessly the author weaves art and art history into the tale. While paintings are mentioned and characters come to life, it never comes across dull. The information flows by and adds to the story. I especially enjoyed how Lucy met the artists and even a little art history dribbled in. The science side blossoms quickly into fantasy pure as well, making learning a few facts anything but mundane. The illustrations add even more, as the mentioned artwork is also shown in the book.
As always, Sam and Lucy need to work together and with other characters to solve the mystery. Their friendship is fun and true blue. Sam and Lucy are so different, and yet, work well together. The different personalities are crystal clear, and each one is a treat to meet.
1 comment:
This sounds like such an interesting fantasy world. And I love the cover. It's good to know you can read this as a standalone.
Post a Comment