June 4th 2019 by Viking Books for Young Readers
ARC provided by the publisher
Olympia lives in New York City, in an artist's loft with her mother, in 1981. Her father has just left to live in France with another woman, and her mother is now refusing to get out of bed to do any work at all. Ollie goes to the convenience store for food, and hangs out with her friends Alex and Richard. She is an artist herself, preferring pencil drawings. When she is approached by a man who has one of her drawings, which he says depicts a statue stolen from a French church, she starts to understand that perhaps her father is in bigger trouble than just leaving his family for another woman. She tries to unravel the mystery with the help of her father's business partner, Apollo, but her mother's decline continues, and she eventually must get help. She spends time with family friends, and eventually ends up in foster care while her mother gets help.
Strengths: The art scene in New York during this time period is well covered, and the idea of art forgery and theft investigated on a appropriate level. Ollie's family situation is handled delicately, and it's good that she has a support network and good friends. Her own interest in art is explored, and the inclusion of "her" drawings is interesting.
Weaknesses: Personally, I am never a fan of stories that involve parents who give up, but at least the author includes a helpful note at the back about depression and where children who have adults affected by this can get help. From a young readers perspective, this is a slow moving book where not a lot happens, and the bleak cover does reflect the story line.
What I really think: This was rather long, and art related mysteries circulate very poorly in my library.
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