Name: Under the Egg
Rating: 4.1 (10 reviews)
ISBN: 9780803740013

Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Her grandfather's dying words lead 13-year-old Theodora Tenpenny to a valuable, hidden painting she fears may be stolen, but it is her search for answers in her Greenwich Village neighborhood that brings a real treasure.

Under the Egg

Sarah Sammis

Melissa Palmer

Book #105 Read in 2014 (YA)
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

This book would be recommended for fans of Chasing Vermeer or Manhunt. Theo is a resourceful 13 year old whose grandfather has recently died so she is now taking care of her reclusive mother, the house, the garden and the chickens. Her grandfather told her to look for treasure under the egg and Theo realizes that the painting of the egg above the mantel has another painting underneath...one that she believes may be worth a lot of money. Her new friend Bodhi helps her try to solve the mystery. There is a lot of art history in this book as well as history about World War II. 

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that had great characters. The mystery plot was an interesting one. I borrowed this book from my town library.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Ryan LaFerney

This middle-grade mystery novel seems like it was written just for me. You see, I hold an art history degree, love to conduct research (I'm a librarian by profession), and enjoy history - particularly WWII history. And this debut novel weaves art appreciation, restoration, and dating techniques, and bits of history from the Renaissance and World War II into a fast-paced mystery that is as quirky and as it is touching. 

So what's it about? Here's the blurb:

When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.

I found the characters to be quite likable and unique and the solution to the mystery was satisfying.

Caitlin Hooker

Trevor Berrett

Claire Klein

Her grandfather's dying words lead thirteen-year-old Theodora Tenpenny to a valuable, hidden painting she fears may be stolen, but it is her search for answers in her Greenwich Village neighborhood that brings a real treasure.

Under the Egg

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