The Mona Lisa Vanishes

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

By: Nicholas Day

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

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.

Critic reviews

“[A] witty thriller." —The New York Times

“One of the best books of 2023, bar none.” —Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Fuse #8 blog

“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 thrilling, often hilarious, page-turning read. Kids will devour it. I know I did.” —Candace Fleming, Sibert Honor–winning author of The Family Romanov

★ "A multistranded yarn skillfully laid out in broad, light brush strokes with some cogent themes mixed in." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "A completely engaging book." —Booklist, starred review

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

"Helquist's cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations do an excellent job of matching the narrative voice and bringing the book's dramatic moments to life." —The Horn Book

"The playful prose in direct address charmingly invites readers into a story that details everything from the stuffy gender roles of fifteenth-century Florence to a wildly inept police investigation to a rather deceitful and not at all admirable Pablo Picasso." —The Bulletin

"An intriguing exploration of a significant yet little-known event." —School Library Journal

I love this book!!

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!

Remarkable Research

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!

A quick journey in a sputtering Time Machine

The back and forth between truth and fiction and switching between current and past and somewhere in between was a bit jilting at times. It could been smoother. It was almost like an unfinished college essay. All in all I enjoyed the abridged story of The Mona Lisa and am inspired to study Leonardo Da Vinci more thoroughly.

A Mona Lisa Book Report

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.

Amazing

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