Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzaga is the pope’s pampered hostage, held as security for his father’s loyalty as head of the Pope’s army. The sixteenth century is an interesting time to be captive at the Vatican, with artists Raphael and Michelangelo embellishing Pope Julius’ palace and sparring with and spying on each other in a most unprofessional manner. Federico is even more diverted, though, by the appearance of a cat named Juno and a 1928 New Jersey time traveler . . . Many lively hijinks and much time travel ensue.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
05/01/2021
Gr 5–8— Newbery Honor winner Murdoch's middle grade novel is an engaging adventure story with a lot of time traveling. Bee and Frederico are two children from different time periods—Frederico is from 16th-century Rome, while Bee lives in current-day New Jersey. They are brought together through a mysterious magical wardrobe and an adventurous time-traveling cat. Their quest is to rewrite the past to save the future, and the cat shows them the way, revealing how to use a time machine. Murdoch will captivate readers with her knowledge of medieval Europe and the city of Rome, and her vivid depictions of each character's distinct lifestyles. Readers may be surprised by the contrasts between Bee's and Frederico's perceptions of gender roles and certain cultural expectations. As a modern-day girl, Bee's appearance and behaviors intitially strike Frederico as foreign—but Frederico soon learns that girls can be just as empowered and outspoken as boys, and that it is a good thing. Character's skin tones are not described. VERDICT This time-travelling friendship book will be a hit for fans of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Lloyd Alexander's Time Cat .—Lisa Gieskes, Richland County P.L., Columbia, SC
★ 2021-03-16
Federico, 11, lives luxuriously in Rome, an adored hostage of the pope. He models for the painter Raphael and watches Raphael’s rival, the great (but smelly!) Michelangelo, work on the Sistine Chapel. Lonely and bored, Federico discovers first a kitten, who becomes a cat after walking into a cupboard (designed by DaVinci), and then a man, who has come via the cupboard from 1920s New Jersey seeking artwork he can sell in his own time. Meanwhile, in the present day, 11-year-old Italian American Bee, whose mothers are art historians, is bored in New Jersey until she meets her neighbor Miss Bother (and that same cat), travels back in time, and meets Federico. Bee and Federico manage to colossally mess with history, leading to adventures as they try to get things back on track. Federico is the star of the show, his story filled with adventure and self-discovery, but Bee’s story offers an easy anchor for modern readers. Detailed writing brings the past to life in this delightful time-slip story populated by an array of outsized figures from history. This is an appealing read that will likely leave many readers eager to learn more about the art and artists of the Renaissance.
Thoroughly charming. (author's note) (Historical fantasy. 8-13)
“The course of time travel never does run smooth. . . . Bee and Federico manage to colossally mess with history, leading to adventures as they try to get things back on track. . . . Detailed writing brings the past to life in this delightful time-slip story populated by an array of outsized figures from history. . . . Thoroughly charming.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“After receiving a Newbery Honor for The Book of Boy , Murdock returns to the historical fiction genre, this time mixing things up with time travel (thanks to a clever wardrobe built by Leonardo da Vinci) and an art mystery. Murdock keeps her story fresh with tight, fast-paced writing that incorporates history by bringing it engagingly to life and tying it meaningfully to the present. . . . Spot art from Zelinsky will appear in the final edition of this inspired foray into the Renaissance and beyond.” — Booklist (starred review)
“A fanciful, middle-grade alternate history . . . A story about selflessness, friendship and the importance of seeking unity through difference.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review)
“Federico’s pampered life is opulent but lonely, until he discovers a cat in an enigmatic closet designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The cat’s mysterious movements link him to only child Bee, an intrepid 21st-century Brooklynite who discovers a drawing of herself—purportedly by Raphael—in the home of elderly neighbor . . . Murdock crafts an arresting blend of speculative time travel and art mystery with a sumptuously imagined Renaissance Italy setting filled with evocative sensory details. . . . Vividly rendered.” — Publishers Weekly
“An original combination of portal fantasy, historical fiction, and time-travel with a hint of alt-history . . . When eleven-year-old Federico, confined to Rome as hostage of the pope, discovers a time-travel wardrobe constructed by Leonardo da Vinci, the fun begins. . . . An intricate plot, macramé-like in its action . . . The narrative is rich in characters . . . The most compelling character, however, is Renaissance Rome itself . . . Murdock is at home in that world as she was in the Middle Ages of her Newbery Honor-winning The Book of Boy .” — Horn Book Magazine
“Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzaga is the pope’s pampered hostage, held as security for his father’s loyalty as head of the Pope’s army. The sixteenth century is an interesting time to be captive at the Vatican, with artists Raphael and Michelangelo embellishing Pope Julius’ palace and sparring with and spying on each other in a most unprofessional manner. Federico is even more diverted, though, by the appearance of a cat named Juno and a 1928 New Jersey time traveler . . . Many lively hijinks and much time travel ensue.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Newbery Honor winner Murdoch’s middle grade novel is an engaging adventure story with a lot of time traveling. Bee and Frederico are two children from different time periods . . . [and] their quest is to rewrite the past to save the future . . . Murdoch will captivate readers . . . This time-travelling friendship book will be a hit for fans of C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Lloyd Alexander’s Time Cat .” — School Library Journal
“Catherine Gilbert Murdock weaves a cat’s cradle of a book. From chapter to chapter, the narrative strands intertwine and double back, creating connections between Rome in 1511 and a modern-day American suburb. . . . Readers ages 8-13 will enjoy untangling the threads that link the children to Raphael and each other and also to Michelangelo, the turbulent and odiferous artist who, during the story, is at work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.” — Wall Street Journal
"With its engaging friendships, enigmatic time travel and rollicking art mystery, Da Vinci’s Cat reminds me of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time , Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me and E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler — three of my favorite books — rolled into one." — New York Times
An original combination of portal fantasy, historical fiction, and time-travel with a hint of alt-history . . . When eleven-year-old Federico, confined to Rome as hostage of the pope, discovers a time-travel wardrobe constructed by Leonardo da Vinci, the fun begins. . . . An intricate plot, macramé-like in its action . . . The narrative is rich in characters . . . The most compelling character, however, is Renaissance Rome itself . . . Murdock is at home in that world as she was in the Middle Ages of her Newbery Honor-winning The Book of Boy .
Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzaga is the pope’s pampered hostage, held as security for his father’s loyalty as head of the Pope’s army. The sixteenth century is an interesting time to be captive at the Vatican, with artists Raphael and Michelangelo embellishing Pope Julius’ palace and sparring with and spying on each other in a most unprofessional manner. Federico is even more diverted, though, by the appearance of a cat named Juno and a 1928 New Jersey time traveler . . . Many lively hijinks and much time travel ensue.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
After receiving a Newbery Honor for The Book of Boy , Murdock returns to the historical fiction genre, this time mixing things up with time travel (thanks to a clever wardrobe built by Leonardo da Vinci) and an art mystery. Murdock keeps her story fresh with tight, fast-paced writing that incorporates history by bringing it engagingly to life and tying it meaningfully to the present. . . . Spot art from Zelinsky will appear in the final edition of this inspired foray into the Renaissance and beyond.
Booklist (starred review)
"With its engaging friendships, enigmatic time travel and rollicking art mystery, Da Vinci’s Cat reminds me of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time , Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me and E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler — three of my favorite books — rolled into one."
Catherine Gilbert Murdock weaves a cat’s cradle of a book. From chapter to chapter, the narrative strands intertwine and double back, creating connections between Rome in 1511 and a modern-day American suburb. . . . Readers ages 8-13 will enjoy untangling the threads that link the children to Raphael and each other and also to Michelangelo, the turbulent and odiferous artist who, during the story, is at work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
A fanciful, middle-grade alternate history . . . A story about selflessness, friendship and the importance of seeking unity through difference.”
Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Catherine Gilbert Murdock weaves a cat’s cradle of a book. From chapter to chapter, the narrative strands intertwine and double back, creating connections between Rome in 1511 and a modern-day American suburb. . . . Readers ages 8-13 will enjoy untangling the threads that link the children to Raphael and each other and also to Michelangelo, the turbulent and odiferous artist who, during the story, is at work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzaga is the pope’s pampered hostage, held as security for his father’s loyalty as head of the Pope’s army. The sixteenth century is an interesting time to be captive at the Vatican, with artists Raphael and Michelangelo embellishing Pope Julius’ palace and sparring with and spying on each other in a most unprofessional manner. Federico is even more diverted, though, by the appearance of a cat named Juno and a 1928 New Jersey time traveler . . . Many lively hijinks and much time travel ensue.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Sam Devereaux and Hope Newhouse share the narration of this lively blend of fantasy, historical fiction, time travel, and mystery. The adventure begins in sixteenth-century Italy, where 11-year-old Federico Gonzaga is a political hostage at the papal palace in Rome. Surrounded by luxury, the pampered boy has everything he needs except a friend. Centuries into the future, a lonely Italian-American girl named Bee is living in modern-day New Jersey. With the help of a peculiar wooden wardrobe, a mysterious cat, and a Raphael drawing, the children are united in a tangle of events that threaten to alter the course of history. Devereaux and Newhouse employ diverse American, English, and Italian accents to distinguish the protagonists and animate an engaging cast that includes iconic Renaissance personalities. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Sam Devereaux and Hope Newhouse share the narration of this lively blend of fantasy, historical fiction, time travel, and mystery. The adventure begins in sixteenth-century Italy, where 11-year-old Federico Gonzaga is a political hostage at the papal palace in Rome. Surrounded by luxury, the pampered boy has everything he needs except a friend. Centuries into the future, a lonely Italian-American girl named Bee is living in modern-day New Jersey. With the help of a peculiar wooden wardrobe, a mysterious cat, and a Raphael drawing, the children are united in a tangle of events that threaten to alter the course of history. Devereaux and Newhouse employ diverse American, English, and Italian accents to distinguish the protagonists and animate an engaging cast that includes iconic Renaissance personalities. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
