Based on true events, this tale recounts the 1911 theft of history's most famous portrait, Leonardo da Vinci's MONA LISA, through the spririted narration of the proud thief himself.

A wonderful antidote when someone’s mean words or actions get you down! Sophie isn’t smiling anymore–someone took her smile away. It’s making her very unhappy. But enough moping around! Sophie is determined to confront a bully and get her smile back!

The famous painting, Mona Lisa, describes how she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, taken to France, hung in the Louvre Museum, was stolen and then recovered. Suggested level: junior, primary.

An exhilarating, wondrous middle grade debut about a brother and sister on a quest that “swoops from thrilling to terrifying to heartwarming and back again” (BookPage) to defeat a tyrannical ruler and protect a magical book. “[W]ill appeal to readers of Kelly Barnhill and Lemony Snicket” (Publishers Weekly). Rachel and Robert live a gray, dreary life under the rule of cruel and calculating Charles Malstain. That is, until one night, when their librarian father enlists their help to steal a forbidden book. Before their father is captured, Rachel and Robert are given one mission: find the missing final page. But to uncover the secrets of The Book of Stolen Dreams, the siblings must face darkness and combat many evils to be rewarded with the astonishing, magical truth about the book. Nevertheless, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it from falling into Charles Malstain’s hands. For if it does, he could rule their world forever.

On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s most celebrated painting vanished from the Louvre. The prime suspects were as shocking as the crime: Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire, young provocateurs of a new art. The sensational disappearing act captured the world’s imagination. Crowds stood in line to view the empty space on the museum wall. Thousands more waited, as concerned as if Mona Lisa were a missing person, for news of the lost painting. Almost a century later, questions still linger: Who really pinched Mona Lisa, and why? Part love story, part mystery, Vanished Smile reopens the puzzling case that transformed a Renaissance portrait into the most enduring icon of all time.

In Thieves of Book Row, Travis McDade tells the gripping tale of the worst book-theft ring in American history, and the intrepid detective who brought it down. Both a fast-paced, true-life thriller, Thieves of Book Row provides a fascinating look at the history of crime and literary culture.

"The Stolen Sonnet: Hunt for the Viper Queen" is a thrilling series that unfolds in the enigmatic City of Diamonds. Freshly liberated from juvenile detention, Mike finds himself ensnared in a labyrinth of deception and shadows. Navigating the elusive Sunken Market, he grapples with fragmented memories and an insatiable quest for truth. The narrative is bursting with energy and perplexing twists, introducing compelling characters such as his estranged mother, Lillian, and his manipulative uncle, Wilfred Gold. Driven by a melody of defiance, Mike joins forces with Anya, a warrior cloaked in mystery, and Elara, a gem cutter whose secrets shine as brightly as the stones she cuts. Together, they delve into a maze of deceit, dodging lethal assassins and deciphering cryptic maps that lead to a hidden chamber beneath the opulent Diamond Palace. Within this forgotten vault lies not only the captive Lillian but also a truth so explosive it can topple the corrupt empire and rewrite Mike's destiny. However, the Viper Queen won't relinquish her power without a fight. As danger mounts and alliances shift, Mike must embrace his hidden potential and orchestrate a symphony of rebellion that will either illuminate the city or plunge it into chaos.