Da Vinci's Cat (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780063015258)

"Thoroughly charming."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Original."--Booklist (starred review)

"A story about selflessness, friendship and the importance of seeking unity through difference."--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Two unlikely friends--Federico, in sixteenth-century Rome, and Bee, in present-day New Jersey--are linked through an amiable cat, Leonardo Da Vinci's mysterious wardrobe, and an eerily perfect sketch of Bee. Newbery Honor author Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Da Vinci's Cat is a thrilling, time-slip fantasy about rewriting history to save the present. This inventive novel will engross anyone who loved When You Reach Me and A Wrinkle in Time.

Federico doesn't mind being a political hostage in the Pope's palace, especially now that he has a cat as a friend. But he must admit that a kitten walking into a wardrobe and returning full-grown a moment later is quite odd. Even stranger is Herbert, apparently an art collector from the future, who emerges from the wardrobe the next night. Herbert barters with Federico to get a sketch signed by the famous painter Raphael, but his plans take a dangerous turn when he hurries back to his era, desperate to save a dying girl.

Bee never wanted to move to New Jersey. When a neighbor shows Bee a sketch that perfectly resembles her, Bee, freaked out, solidifies her resolve to keep to herself. But then she meets a friendly cat and discovers a mysterious cabinet in her neighbor's attic--a cabinet that leads her to Renaissance Rome. Bee, who has learned about Raphael and Michelangelo in school, never expected she'd get to meet them and see them paint their masterpieces.

This compelling time-slip adventure by Newbery Honor author Catherine Gilbert Murdock is full of action, mystery, history, art, and friendship--and features one unforgettable cat.

Includes black-and-white spot art throughout of Da Vinci's cat by Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, as well as an author's note about the art, artists, and history that inspired the novel .

Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
ISBN-10: 0063015250
ISBN-13: 9780063015258
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Language: English
Published: 05/25/2021
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.19h x 6.25w x 1.13d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.8
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 513441 / Da Vinci's Cat


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/15/2021
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2021
Booklist 04/15/2021 pg. 51
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2021
School Library Journal 05/01/2021 pg. 77
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2021 pg. 139
Shelf Awareness 06/04/2021
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2021 - Superior,Well Above Average