This is a great 5th-8th grade read that combines art history, WWII history, and urban farming into one breathless mystery. When 13 year-old Theodora's grandfather dies, he leaves her with a crumbling Greenwich Village home, a backyard farm and garden on which she must live, and a mystery: with his dying words he implores her to find a letter and a treasure "under the egg" before it's too late. What Theo stumbles upon may turn out to be an unknown Raphael painting, but figuring out if it is, and how it came to be in her possession, may be not be possible, or enough to save her. I really enjoyed the historical storyline, the unlikely friendships, and especially the rockin' librarian. I did wonder if it would appeal to the intended audience. This adult liked it very much, except for one important aspect: many books for young readers require some way to have parents out of the way (one reason why there are so many orphans in classic children's fiction). In this case, Theo is effectively orphaned because her mother (very much alive) is helpless -- a brilliant mathematician too deeply sunk in equations and derivatives to contribute to their welfare, or understand that they can definitely not afford the exotic teas she must have to perform her calculations. Perhaps the parent in me found this distracting:) Otherwise, I enjoyed it very much, and agree with Kirkus Reviews that it is the Da Vinci Code of middle-grade fiction.
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