Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A cleverly told mystery from two points of time. A child that is prisoner in a palace but gets to enjoy the fruits of nobility at the same time meets a man from the future in a closet that was invented by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Catherine Gilbert Murdock offers up a solidly charming Middle Grade portal story involving travel through time and space, the painting of the Sistine Chapel, shifting timelines, feuding Renaissance artists, and of course, a cat. With a quick pace, high stakes, and two comically mismatched young protagonists, it will probably satisfy most young readers, despite some issues.

In 1511 Rome, 11-year-old Federico Gonzaga is a “guest-hostage” to Pope Julius II, ensconced in the Pope’s sumptuous villa to ensure the loyalty of his aristocratic family, particularly his father, who leads the Pope’s army. It’s a lavish, pampered existence for sure, but also constraining (he’s not allowed to leave the admittedly huge complex/grounds) and more than a little lonely. That loneliness is eventually abated by a strange trio who serially appear seemingly out of nowhere from a wardrobe sent as a gift to the Pope from the King of France. First to arrive is the aforementioned cat, then a 20th Century New Jersey art dealer named Herbert, and finally a young girl from our own time named Bee.

The cabinet, it turns out, was built by Leonardo Da Vinci (original owner of Juno the cat) and was discovered centuries later in an antiques shop by Herbert. Upon learning that young Federico has access to both Michelangelo and Raphael, both of whom are adorning the Pope’s newly built villa, Herbert convinces Federico to collect some of the artists’ sketches — Herbert gets nearly priceless artwork to sell, and Federico gets the miracle of chocolate, which won’t be discovered for another 100 or so years in the New World. We learn all this from following Federico, and then eventually shift back and forth between Federico and Bee, who enters the picture because while the cabinet’s mechanism means for the traveler it seems no time at all has passed when they return to their timeline, time between eras moves differently. So what might be a day for Federico is years for Herbert. This causes all sorts of complications, some with potentially tragic repercussions, not just for the characters but for all of history.

The book, as most MG stories do, moves quickly apace, with little page time spent on descriptions, world building, explanations of how things work, etc. Young readers will likely zip through happily and if they get just a brief sense of Renaissance Rome (bad smells, lots of art, rich people in big homes and poor people dying in gutters), it’ll be enough for them. This isn’t necessarily a flaw but more a feature of most MG books, who choose to spend their limited time on character and action rather than background.

Federico’s stuffy and presumptuous high-born nature (as when he abruptly orders his servants about) could have been a deal-breaker, but that off-putting side of him is nicely balanced by other aspects — his aching loneliness, his love of art, his grief over a young sister who died a few years back.

Bee is less fully, richly drawn. Her time is pretty generic contemporary, and beyond her mismatched sneakers there’s less sense of individuality to her. The fact that she has two mothers feels a bit clumsily executed — Bee’s calling one “Mom” and the other “Moo” for instance seems unnecessarily complicated, too contrived for “quirky modern”, and too tossed aside when it’s revealed to Federico, who seems more confused by Bee’s lack of a dowry. .

Though Bee’s story does get some emotional heft toward the end, she works better as a character in concert with Federico, thanks to their difference in time, culture, and social status, all of which make their attempts to understand the other’s lack of understanding often quite humorous. Honestly, though I understand the desire to match two young characters together, I wouldn’t have minded seeing more cross-generational interaction between Federico and Herbert, who is on and off stage too quickly, or between Federico and Herbert’s daughter (quite aged in Bee’s time). Either would seem to offer more emotional depth, a more unique type of story, and it would also have streamlined the characters/storyline a bit.

The prose is fine, certainly adequate to the story though it doesn’t stand out in any way. Murdock paces the story well, creates some nice moments of tension, and even tosses in a few bandits. The cat adds some humor, and young readers will learn a bit about Renaissance artists (and their lack of bathing). Overall, a story that will, as noted, satisfy most young readers (I’d call it pretty strictly MG as opposed to MG/YA) even if it won’t linger too much in memory.

If you enjoyed The Book of Boy, I think you'll enjoy this one as well. I would not recommend this for those who had less positive experiences with or opinions of The Book of Boy.

As someone who loves whimsical middle-grade novels and as an art historian who primarily deals with Renaissance/early modern art, I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to them. Following only Fredrico in the first section made me almost DNF the book. He was incredibly obnoxious and, while it set him up for a nice character arc, it didn't prevent me from thoroughly disliking his portion of the book. However, I latched onto Bee, the other main character, as soon as she was introduced. She's a quirky young girl with two mothers and an abundance of curiosity. I appreciated the casual queer rep in the book and that even Frederico in 16th century Italy didn't question it when Bee told him she had two moms.
It's always hard reviewing middle-grade books because I realize that I am not the target audience. However, I have read plenty of middle-grade novels that I felt worked just as well for adults as they did for children. Thus, as an older reader, some elements of this book bothered me more than they might a younger reader. The first major complaint I have is the inconsistent way that time travel worked in this book. Second, for being a book about artists, there is very little description of art (or the setting at all for that matter) in its pages.
Though I wouldn't recommend this to an adult like I would some other middle-grade novels, it does seem like something a younger audience might enjoy. However, I wouldn't give it to a younger reader expecting them to get much out of it thematically. Rather, it's just a fun romp of a book that they might get a kick out of and possibly spark their interest in the Renaissance and/or art history.

Blending historical fiction, time travel, and real-life "who-knew" facts about Renaissance life and art Murdock conjures up an adventurous and entertaining race to save the time continuum in "Da Vinci's Cat." I found this historical fiction offering much more engaging than Murdock's "The Book of Boy" for which I couldn't find the right reader. This book, while fun in it's own right, has characters such as Michelangelo and Ruben who are familiar artists to most middle schoolers. I found protagonists Bee and Federico to be well-formed and likeable with complimentary personalities. The fact that Federico was a real-life historical figure added considerably to the texture of the story. Truly enjoyed the author's note and would use it as a foundation for a book talk to promote the book to students.

Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for access to this arc.

What a charming middle grade novel that weaves together art, history, friendship, and a cat. Yes, I came for the cat but I ended up enjoying as strong willed Bea, sometimes haughty Fred, temperamental Michaelangel, smooth talking Raphael, and elegant Juno come together to change, or is that rechange, history.

Despite the title, Leonardo Da Vinci is not to be seen but I’d bet that many children this book is written for will recognize at least one of the other two artists who do figure prominently in it. Using an anecdote and a few historical figures as inspiration, the book first takes us back to 1511 Rome when eleven year old Sir Frederico is being held as a “guest” to guarantee the good behavior and loyalty of his father, the Duke of Mantua. Frederico knows his place and his rank and has a wonderful sense of fashion but doesn’t know what to make of a pretty kitten who emerges one night from a wardrobe sized box. He does know how to properly address and adore her though.

The thought of seeing the Pope’s palace at this time and befriending and watching the geniuses who are painting images that will become world renowned tickles my fancy. I mean, who would turn that down? Through the character of Frederico, or “Fred” as Bea calls him, we get a chance to see what the daily life of a (granted, high ranking) young boy would have been. Fred is also desperate for a friend, someone in whom he can confide. Life is cushy but he misses his sisters, his mother, and his home.

Then Bea shows up and initially Fred doesn’t know what to do with her. She also speaks Italian strangely, knows little of correct behavior, wears bizarre clothes and worst of all, has sent Juno off through the cabinet in order to compel him to help her. In order to get Bea through the palace, Fred has to instruct her (and us) in how to act, what to wear, and what not to say.

Yet the two also eventually strike up a friendship as they teach each other things about their lives. There are cute bits – or cute to me – wherein Bea learns why people say “dial” when they phone someone and “hang up” when the call is over. And imagine having to laboriously thumb through thick books for information instead of just checking the internet.

It’s helpful to the story and moves things along to have Bea’s mothers be involved in the art world and for one to be Italian explaining Bea’s knowledge of the subject as well as how she speaks Italian. Despite notes that Herbert left, the two discover that their actions just might change history enough for the world to lose the glory of the Sistine chapel and perhaps eliminate what brought Bea’s mothers together and thus Bea herself.

The way they struggle to right what they’ve upended leads to more adventures – even if some of them sound a little unlikely to have worked. Discovering little tidbits of information – I’ll pass on eating my spaghetti with cinnamon and sugar and who knew canaries used to be so expensive – was cool. Watching Fred and Bea work out what to do will be fun for middle grade aged readers but I wish there had been more Juno. B

Da Vinci's cat traces the adventures of four people (and a cat!) from different times and places who discover a time machine invented by Leonardo Da vinci. Delightful, quirky, and fast-paced, this book will please fans of Murdock's award-winning Book of Boy.

I received this e-ARC from NetGalley and Greenwillow Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This middle grade book is a cross of Back to the Future and Narnia set in Rome of 1511. It begins with young Federico, the young duke of Mantua, being held as a political hostage by Pope Julius II. He is lonely and things pick up when a kitten suddenly appears in a wardrobe that was gifted to the pope. The kitten goes back into the wardrobe and comes right back out as a full-grown cat. Turns out that the wardrobe was designed by Leonardo da Vinci! Soon a man exits the wardrobe and, in his poor Italian, says he’s from New Jersey in 1928. None of this makes sense to Federico but soon things will get even more confusing. In the next section, we are in modern times and introduced to Bee, who finds the cat in an old woman’s house in New Jersey and follows it into the wardrobe. Bee, who has learned Italian and knows about Michelangelo and Raphael, now finds herself in Renaissance Rome and timelines have changed. Will Bee and Federico be able to correct history?

There aren’t a ton of time-travel books written for this age group – even less with an art history lesson, although fans of The Magic Tree House and The Time Warp Trio, I think will particularly appreciate this. I liked the concept although the plot did seem to drag a bit in spots. Overall, I did enjoy the book and think it will appeal to those who are fond of adventure. I would recommend for grades 3 through 7.

#DaVincisCat #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!
Da Vinci’s Cat is a cute time travel story that centers on two 12 year olds- Federico in 1511 Rome, and Bee in modern New Jersey. Thanks to a mysterious cabinet designed by Leonardo da Vinci, though, the two end up on a mission to “make everything good.” The author wrote this book
You can tell the author is passionate about art history, and really brings the legendary figures of Raphael and Michelangelo to life. Middle grades readers will enjoy the silly situations that arise when a 2021 tween girl tries to communicate with a boy from 1511. There is enough adventure and twists to keep you on your toes!

In this charming, intriguingly plotted novel. Federico, in sixteenth-century Rome, and Bee, in present-day New Jersey are linked through an interesting cat, Leonardo Da Vinci’s mysterious wardrobe, and a sketch that perfectly resembles Bee.

Readers will be captured by this compelling, time travel story full of adventure, art, history, and friendship. I highly recommend this book for teachers looking to stir the imaginations of the readers and writers in their classrooms. This book is perfect for grades 5-7, and also as a read aloud for lower grades.

A charming time-travel story involving a mysterious closet (large box) made by Da Vinci, the artist's cat, and two children who work together to fix what's gone wrong.

A little time travel, a little mystery, and a classic cat make this a fun read! A young boy, Frederico stumbles upon a time machine and Leonardo Davinci's traveling cat, Juno. With a huge challenge in front of him he must figure out how to use the cat, art, and time traveling box to save the past and the present. Lots of great historical details about Michaelangelo and Rafael too!