(Bea Bellerose #1)
Bea is visiting her relatives in Paris while her parents are at a conference. She's staying with her Aunt Juliette, who has promised to take her sight seeing, but who always have to work, leaving her little else to do but visit her grandmother Mamie's antique store, The House of Found Objects. It's vaguely interesting, but has seen better times, and is now relegated to a cramped space in the basement. Before the summer, Bea purposefully threw a Mathletes tryout, and is worried that her best friend and parents will be angry with her when they finally find out that she's no longer on the team. When Bea and her cousin Celine are left to watch the shop alone, a man from a local theater comes to pick up a box of items, but there is a mix up, and the box contained a precious drawing of Henri Matisse's that was her grandmother's prize possession. A worker at the shop, Roland, labeled the box incorrectly, but Bea is still devastated. Since she loves puzzles, wants the chance to travel around the city with Celine, and receives a mysterious note from someone who claims to know where the painting is, she embarks on an investigation. This takes her and Celine to various parts of Paris, has them breaking many codes, allows them to hang out with cute boys, and does get them into a little bit of trouble. Will they be able to get the grandmother's painting back before the landlord doesn't renew her lease? This is labeled as the first book in a series, but I don't see any information on a sequel yet.
July 29, 2025 by Simon & Schuster BYR
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Bea is visiting her relatives in Paris while her parents are at a conference. She's staying with her Aunt Juliette, who has promised to take her sight seeing, but who always have to work, leaving her little else to do but visit her grandmother Mamie's antique store, The House of Found Objects. It's vaguely interesting, but has seen better times, and is now relegated to a cramped space in the basement. Before the summer, Bea purposefully threw a Mathletes tryout, and is worried that her best friend and parents will be angry with her when they finally find out that she's no longer on the team. When Bea and her cousin Celine are left to watch the shop alone, a man from a local theater comes to pick up a box of items, but there is a mix up, and the box contained a precious drawing of Henri Matisse's that was her grandmother's prize possession. A worker at the shop, Roland, labeled the box incorrectly, but Bea is still devastated. Since she loves puzzles, wants the chance to travel around the city with Celine, and receives a mysterious note from someone who claims to know where the painting is, she embarks on an investigation. This takes her and Celine to various parts of Paris, has them breaking many codes, allows them to hang out with cute boys, and does get them into a little bit of trouble. Will they be able to get the grandmother's painting back before the landlord doesn't renew her lease? This is labeled as the first book in a series, but I don't see any information on a sequel yet.
Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where tweens get to travel, like Callaghan's Lost In... books. It's even more interesting because Bea gets to spend time with her grandmother and cousin. There are plenty of intriguing details about Paris, and it was very true to life that Bea and Celine did perfectly well traveling alone but probably shouldn't be. Readers who like to solve clues and ciphers will enjoy the puzzles.
Weakness: It was clear from the beginning that someone knew where the Matisse sketch was, which lessened the tension a bit. Even though there was a kind of sweet ending to this, and the painting was returned, toying with the family seemed a little mean spirited.
What I really think: This had some similarities to Runholt's The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (2008), and I love the cover. My students, however, would probably like this more if a gory murder had been committed in the shop. Sigh.
Weakness: It was clear from the beginning that someone knew where the Matisse sketch was, which lessened the tension a bit. Even though there was a kind of sweet ending to this, and the painting was returned, toying with the family seemed a little mean spirited.
What I really think: This had some similarities to Runholt's The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (2008), and I love the cover. My students, however, would probably like this more if a gory murder had been committed in the shop. Sigh.
Your last line could, alas, probably apply to most adults, too. This sounds like a cute read but not one of the best.
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