Beneath the Swirling Sky

Age recommendations: 9-13

Summary:

Vincent wanted nothing to do with art. But when he is forced to stay with his grandfather, and second cousin Georgia, he might just have to start thinking about it again. And when his little sister, Lili, disappears into one of the world's most famous paintings he must really get into art. Literally. He finds out he is one of the last Restorationists, a secret society of people who can travel into paintings, and who have a duty to protect art from evil. Vincent must now come together with his cousin to find his sister, and come to terms with his painful past he never wanted.

My Review: This book was good. I did not enjoy it as much as I could have, one because I am not super into great art, and two I read it in a day, so I squeezed it all in there. But regardless of if you are into great art or not, this book is a fun read! Vincent has great character development, which I highly enjoyed! The plot was fast and interesting, but didn't feel rushed. The book was also distinctly Christian, but had a few theological “questionable bits.” I also enjoyed the fact that the bad people weren't just as simple as “that is the evil one.” There was real evil, and it was confusing evil that manipulates.

Good quote: “There’s a difference between making art and making a name for yourself. Making art focuses outside yourself, on the art itself and people who will experience it. Making a name for yourself just focuses inward, on what art can do for you.” -Georgia

Concerns: The characters do travel through a painting with naked people in it which was very hard for me to read. However they do find a canoe to cover their heads with, and that takes some of the awkwardness out of it. I still find it slightly annoying because I don’t really know why it was there.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5