The Mona Lisa Vanishes Audiobook By Nicholas Day cover art

The Mona Lisa Vanishes

A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity

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The Mona Lisa Vanishes

By: Nicholas Day
Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
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A propulsive work of narrative nonfiction about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world—and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all.

On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone!

No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?

Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary change: turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa, through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa—the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all.

Here is a middle-grade nonfiction written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.©2023 Nicholas Day (P)2023 Listening Library Art Education & Learning Europe History Law & Crime Social Studies Crime Funny Celebrity Robbery

Critic reviews

Georgia Children's Book Award: Nominated

2024, Robert F. Sibert Medal: Winner

“The tale of a stunning art heist told with a contagious love of stranger-than-fiction true stories!” —Steve Sheinkin, Newbery Honor–winning author of Bomb

★ "A wildly entertaining, thoroughly contextualized look at art, history, and fame." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[A] witty thriller." —The New York Times
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The writing was a simple telling of a good story. Once I got over the millennial sound of the reader, it was clear she was great.

A Mona Lisa Book Report

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I loved the story! Nicholas Day is a brilliant author who made the story seem as if it was playing out in front of you. I will be recommending this to everyone from now on!

I love this book!!

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I liked how the reader read it. The book was very interesting too! I was very impressed!

Amazing

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The author meticulously and cleverly weaves the story of da Vinci and the disappearance of the Mona Lisa. He brought in so many details in the timeline that were absolutely remarkable. A fun read as an adult, and I am going to recommend this to every middle schooler!

Remarkable Research

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Loved the story and the superb narration. I learned so much from this book. All in a day.
I recommend this book highly.

Great listening to

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There is too much information for a middle grade book. I enjoyed reading it as an adult. it was very I formative.

Too Long

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I liked the suspense and it had some good sorry telling and I loved that a Hottie in bikini was reading

the supense

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I loved how the topic moved from one to another, they didn't have to be related.

The Mona Lisa Hopscotch

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So good! It’s such a bonkers story and so well done. I wasn’t sure how it’d be on audio, but the narrator was fantastic.

Fascinating true thriller!

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I really enjoyed listening to this book! I thought I knew about the Mona Lisa, but I had no idea. I liked how the author interwove the story of the creation and the theft of the painting, and made it such a lighthearted read. Truly wonderful!

Wow! So much fun and I learned a lot, too

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