The Mona Lisa Key (Time Castaways #1)

by Liesl Shurtliff (Author)

The Mona Lisa Key (Time Castaways #1)
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Time Castaways

From Liesl Shurtliff, the New York Times bestselling author of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin, comes a thrilling new middle grade trilogy about three city kids who get on the wrong subway train and wind up on a wild, magical mystery-adventure throughout time.

Imaginative, daring, and packed with fun, Time Castaways is perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Percy Jackson.

Mateo, Ruby, and Corey Hudson’s parents don’t have too many rules. It’s the usual stuff: Be good. Do your homework. And never ride the subway without an adult, EVER. But when the siblings wake up late for school, they have no choice but to break a rule. The Hudson siblings board the subway in Manhattan and end up on a frigate ship in Paris…in the year 1911.

As time does tell, the Hudson family has a lot of secrets. The past, present, and future are intertwined—and a time-traveling ship called the Vermillion is at the center. Racing to untangle the truth, the kids find themselves in the middle of one of the greatest art heists of all time.

And the adventure is just getting started.

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Kirkus Reviews

Time-traveling pirates, whimsical humor, a sentient ship, and cliffhanger predicaments deliver generous helpings of quirky, retro-tinged entertainment.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8—Three siblings disobey their parents' seemingly overprotective rule about never getting on the New York subway, only to find themselves aboard a time-traveling vessel whose mission is to collect artifacts around the world from different eras. Matt, the primary character and eldest, finds himself doubting their captain, the alternately creepy and fatherly Captain Vincent, as more is revealed. Third-person narration with memorable characters, an enticing plot, and some cool steampunklike magic will attract readers who love Jen Swann Downey's Ninja Librarians or Brian Farrey's Vengekeep Prophecies. A strong sense of the characters' humanity and interesting time travel paradoxes make up for what is lacking in humor or nail-biting tension. VERDICT The first in a promising series for fantasy adventure fans.—Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Praise for RUMP:
"Lighthearted and inventive, Rump amusingly expands a classic tale."—Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fablehaven
Liesl Shurtliff
Liesl Shurtliff was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the mountains for her playground. Just like Rump, Liesl was shy about her name, growing up. Not only did it rhyme with weasel, she could never find it on any of those personalized key chains in gift shops. But over the years she's grown to love having an unusual name--and today she wouldn't change it for the world!
Before she became a writer, Liesl graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music, dance, and theater. Her first three books, Rump, Jack and Red are all New York Times bestsellers and Rump was named to over two dozen state award lists and won an ILA Children's Book Award. She lives in Chicago with her family, where she continues to spin fairy tales.

Visit her at lieslshurtliff.com
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780062568137
Lexile Measure
720
Guided Reading Level
15
Publisher
Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date
September 20, 2018
Series
Time Castaways
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV003000 - Juvenile Fiction | Art & Architecture
JUV016040 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Europe
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV001020 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Pirates
JUV064000 - Juvenile Fiction | Time Travel
Library of Congress categories
Time travel
Brothers and sisters
Adventure and adventurers
Adventure stories
Fantasy
Pirates
JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Pirat

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