Between Flowers and Bones

by Carolyn Leiloglou, Vivienne To (Illustrator)

Overview

In a world where paintings become portals and adventure lurks behind every canvas, the young Restorationists discover that every Gift was made to fight the darkness in the second novel of the thrilling series from the award-winning author of Beneath the Swirling Sky.

“Plenty of fast-paced action [with] a gentle feel . . . a sweet and thoroughly researched story with a firm moral grounding.”—Kirkus Reviews

Twelve-year-old Georgia assumed she would one day be the last Restorationist protecting art from evil forces. So she was thrilled when her cousin Vincent finally joined the family calling.

But Vincent’s flashier Gift makes Georgia feel like a sidekick rather than a hero. And things only get more complicated and perilous after he willingly steps into the heart of danger.

Will the remnants of the Restorationists’ society fracture under the pressure of the Distortionists’ schemes? Or is Georgia’s Gift really enough to rescue her family, the art world, the Restorationists—and ultimately save the day?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593579572
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/10/2024
Series:	The Restorationists , #2
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	59,936
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Carolyn Leiloglou is the granddaughter of an art collector, daughter of an art teacher, and homeschooling mom to four wildly creative kids. She’s the author of the Restorationists series and the award-winning Library’s Most Wanted. Her poems and short stories have appeared in children’s magazines around the world, including Highlights and Cricket. Carolyn also reviews her favorite children's books on her platform, House full of Bookworms.

Vivienne To is a New Zealand-based illustrator and visual development artist. She has designed several animated feature films and created cover and interior illustrations for many middle grade books. When she isn't drawing, Vivienne can be found knitting on the couch, watching cute dogs at the local park, or reading in the children's section of the library.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

Georgia landed on her feet next to Vincent, who stood gawking at the swirling clouds flowing over the landscape. He acted like this was his first time inside a painting. Like they hadn’t been training this whole past week. Sure, her second cousin was a newbie compared with her—he’d only discovered their family’s ability to Travel into paintings over spring break—but . . . gawking? Still, it was better than him sulking with one of the frequent headaches he’d been getting since he and his mom arrived at Gramps’s ranch in late June.

“Coming?” she asked, trying to keep the impatience from her voice. “It’s not like we’re on a mission or anything.”

Ever since Vincent had accepted his role as a Restorationist Artist, he’d been all wide-eyed wonder. She couldn’t explain why it bothered her so much. But she almost wished she’d never left the door unlocked for Vincent and then his six-year-old sister, Lili, to wander into The Starry Night. The Vincent she’d first met had wanted nothing to do with art. She’d been so desperate for a friend that when he’d stumbled into the painting that first night, she’d thought it was the best accident ever. Yet somehow she felt even more alone now than before.

“Give me a minute,” Vincent answered, throwing out his arms for balance as the olive-green landscape shifted beneath them. “I’ve just never been in a painting this abstract before. I thought Georgia O’Keeffe was all flowers and bones.”

“Flowers and bones” wasn’t the worst summary of many of O’Keeffe’s paintings, but Georgia wasn’t about to admit that Vincent was right. Not with the way this past week had gone.

“Obviously there’s more to her than you thought.” Of all the paintings by her namesake, why did Gramps own this one?

Blue and white swirls that reminded Georgia of marshmallow cream slowly spiraled through the sky, spilling over onto the uneven landscape, which alternated between black, olive, and white. The ground undulated beneath her feet as she carefully hopped over a river of deep burgundy. She’d fallen into it once and wasn’t about to do so in front of her cousin.

“Look, I’m surfing!” Vincent called as he bounded ahead of her and slid along a white wave of ground toward the left of the painting. She was too annoyed with him to admit it looked like fun.

Musical laughter sounded behind her, and she turned to see that her mom had joined them. Mamá’s eyes smiled as she watched Vincent, and Georgia felt a spark of . . . Was that jealousy? She pushed it down, focusing instead on her strategy.

“Come on, Georgia! This is fun!” Vincent called, as if he had no idea that he wasn’t on her list of favorite people right now.

Somehow, despite acting like an excitable new puppy all week, Vincent had managed to impress everyone—her parents, Gramps, and even his mom—with his amazing Gift. It must be nice to be an Artist with such powerful control of the painted world surrounding them. But he’d be a lot easier to get along with if he had a normal Gift like the rest of the Restorationists in their family. A Restorer like Gramps. Or an Appraiser like her parents. Or even another Navigator like herself and his mom. With Vincent the Artist around, no one seemed to appreciate Georgia the human map. Georgia, who’d been training and studying her whole life to be the best Navigator ever.

A gentle squeeze on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She found herself facing the gray boundary to the Corridor. How long had she just been staring at it? Her mind had been so full, she didn’t even remember walking to the painting’s edge. She turned and looked into Mamá’s dark brown eyes.

“Lead the way, mija.” Mamá nodded at Georgia, and a swell of confidence filled her.

Georgia tucked a stray strand of her short red hair back under her headband. She didn’t want anything distracting her from their mission. She would prove herself an important member of this team. She’d studied every possible route and knew exactly where to start their search. Her parents had worked for years without an onmission Navigator, relying on Georgia only in the planning stages. But she would show them how much better things could be if she were on every mission.

Vincent gave her a cheesy thumbs-up, which soured her mood again. She wasn’t ready to feel friendly toward him right now. She took a deep breath and stepped through the wall into the Corridor.

Inky blackness surrounded her as she stood waiting for her eyes to adjust. Endless bright windows of possibility stretched in either direction: the nine hundred or so paintings Georgia O’Keeffe had created in her lifetime. Georgia had been in the Corridors of hundreds of artists, but visiting her namesake’s Corridor felt like coming home.

Editorial Reviews

2024-07-04
In this second series entry, a girl and her cousin try to solve a mystery as members of a secret society.

Georgia’s family are Restorationists; they have special Gifts that allow them to interact with paintings as part of a generational group charged with preventing their enemies, the Distortionists, from changing works of art into something malignant. Her cousin Vincent’s rare Gift as an Artist makes Georgia’s Navigation skills feel redundant, and in her struggle to prove herself, she makes a dangerous mistake that allows their estranged aunt, Adelaide, to find them. Adelaide blackmails them into stealing a valuable painting with the help of a young Indian Wanderer named Ravi, and the cousins’ only hope is to set aside their differences and learn to work to each other’s strengths. Georgia is a compelling, complicated character experiencing complex and changing family dynamics. Despite plenty of fast-paced action, the story has a gentle feel and offers mild suspense. The highly emotional kids are at times precociously wise and articulate. The abundant messages about morality, particularly the consequences of pride, are directly and indirectly rooted in Christianity. To’s whimsical illustrations add extra depth to the characters’ experiences. The wealth of art references provides great educational connections, and the author’s note provides interesting context for them; a list of referenced paintings is included. Vincent reads white; Georgia’s dad is implied white, and her mom is from Mexico.

A sweet and thoroughly researched story with a firm moral grounding.(Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Masterfully blends fantastical feats with poignant life lessons in this heartfelt exploration of identity and belonging A charming addition to any young reader's bookshelf!”—Ambre Sautter, founder of Reshelving Alexandria and host of the Stories from the Ashes podcast

“Carolyn Leiloglou has done it again! Families will be delighted and inspired to read this book together—then go visit some museums or pick up a paintbrush!”—J.D. Peabody, author of The Inkwell Chronicles series
 
“Plenty of fast-paced action [with] a gentle feel . . . A sweet and thoroughly researched story with a firm moral grounding.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher