The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks -ADVISABLE

Hicks, Deron The Van Gogh Deception, 306 pgs. HMH, 2017.  $17. Language: G ; Mature Content: G ; Violence: G

When a young boy is found in the art museum without a clue who is his, he is placed in the temporary care of a woman named Mary. Mary and her daughter Camille dub him Art and take him back to the museum in hopes of sparking some memories. The children are separated from Mary as they start to follow clues. But someone is following Art, and the pair find themselves in incredible danger. Whatever it is that Art has forgotten, people are willing to kill for it. Through the story are included QR codes so the reader can reference works of art mentioned.

This book has the feel of a book written for grownups with kids as the main characters –in fact they are children almost in name only –as even their thoughts, choices, and actions are not very childlike. I would have set this book down after 100 pages if I had the choice as it was very slow moving and dull and I think this will happen to students as well. There are a lot of extra details (ala Dan Brown) but unlike Dan Browns work, they are not interesting details and only serve to prolong the story. The QR codes seem like a late add on and accessing them doesn’t make the reader a part of the story neither do they become inherent to the story. If this book was about 200 pages, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.

MS -OPTIONAL.  Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author