The Great Art Scandal : Solve the Crime, Save the Show!
Grade 4 Up--This is an ambitious and unusual mixture of mystery and art appreciation in a comic-book format. There is a lot of information included from a visual and verbal perspective. The premise is that a rival is trying to sabotage the opening of an exhibition and the curator, Molly Adams, needs help from readers to identify the works of the artists since the information panels are missing and the hard drive on her computer with the data has been stolen. The modern paintings contain details from a selection of masterworks. Examining the split pages, readers must determine which fictitious artist did the paintings and which details were incorporated. For those who like to solve puzzles and who have a keen eye, this is a humdinger. As Molly herself says, every painting must be studied from top to bottom. Fortunately, the answers are appended. There is also a glossary of art terms and biographical information on the 32 famous artists, who range from Andy Warhol to Claude Monet. This offbeat approach to introducing great artists and their works may intrigue older readers but may also frustrate others since the details are sometimes very subtle. A fine addition for large collections.--Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.