Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa

I hadn't heard of this series before, nor read any of the first few books but that didn't entirely matter as this book was fine as a stand alone read. To be honest, at first it was very overwhelming. The amount of talk about spies and heists made you wonder what type of book this was and the slang that Daisy used took a bit to get used to. Having read the earlier books may have helped with that. I kept going though, and I'm glad that I did as it turned out to be a delightful read. The host of characters were heartwarming and the book was humourous. The genre lends itself to be a bit far fetched at times but the moral of the story was always there to fall back on. The sheer amount of French took a bit to read but it was entertaining as well and I wish I had known about the glossary at the back to begin with. Overall, it was something that I would read the next books of and I'm sure that young adults would be delighted with it too. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the temporary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What worked:
The author deftly paints pictures of France and captures its uniqueness as Daisy moves about Paris and other parts of the country. She’s able to understand most of the language spoken there and enjoys the variety of foods offered. Narrow streets near her aunt’s apartment twist and intersect like a maze but life at Felix’s chateau is quite different. His castle-like home, surrounded by a moat, sits amid beautiful countryside where internet and cellphone service are lacking. Serene walks into town are a stark contrast to crowded excursions through Paris, including jam-packed visitors waiting to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Daisy’s best friend Lizzie is a newly-discovered model and her presence and activities promote the fashion culture associated with Paris.
The first half of the book doesn’t present a conflict for Daisy to resolve but ample clues are given to indicate something is happening behind the scenes. Daisy senses she’s being followed during one of her visits to the town near Felix’s chateau. She finds a gate open and pigs outside the walls even though she’s certain the gate was closed when she left. She thinks she sees a ghost in a mirror while stepping into the hall during the night. Felix goes through boxes and boxes of papers, burning much of what is found, but giving Daisy vague responses when she wonders why they’re doing it. He tells of spies during World War II and how Resistance fighters and secret Hitler supporters lived beside each other as neighbors, sometimes within the same family. Daisy hears her aunt arguing on the phone with Felix about getting Daisy involved. Involved in what?
A mystery surrounds the famous Mona Lisa painting, known worldwide and perhaps worth a billion dollars. Hitler was known to steal famous artwork during WWII so countries commissioned fake replicas to be created to help the real paintings remain hidden from the Nazis. The plot includes interesting anecdotes about these efforts and it focuses on the existence of “The Three Sisters”. Two nearly perfect copies of the Mona Lisa were carefully and meticulously crafted, including cracks in the picture and canvas. Daisy’s aunt and Felix were spies for the Resistance so general tales of covert operations are included in the plot with the main focus being on the Mona Lisa.
What didn’t work as well:
The story is set in Paris so the author blends French words and sentences into the narrative. Most of the French can be understood through explanations or context but sometimes the meaning is not as clear. French vocabulary helps enhance the setting’s atmosphere, but it might have been used less since all the main characters speak English. A glossary of French terms can be found at the back of the book but that’s only helpful if readers know it exists. The story can still be easily understood and enjoyed so don’t let my thoughts deter you from reading.
The Final Verdict:
Despite being the third book in the series, this one can be read independently of the previous two, as I’ve done. Daisy has obviously had past experience solving mysteries and this one develops quite slowly. There are tense moments but the plot doesn’t reach a suspenseful climax. Overall, it’s still an entertaining mystery and I recommend you give it a shot.

"Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa" is a fun read with a smart, feisty protagonist and interesting secondary characters. The fast-paced plot had castles, art thieves, fashion, and retired spies galore. The third in a series, but it's easy to pick up who the characters are even if you haven't read the other books (which I will now go back and read).

Intriguing mystery series you can read even if you haven’t read the others. Enjoyable read! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced copy.

It's an interesting book but since it's the third installment and I couldn't connect with Daisy much since I haven't read the first two books. But it's an interesting story. A little juvenile for my tastes, but that's the whole point so, it's a really good book.

Living with her Aunt Mill in Paris is not as terrible as twelve-year-old Daisy Tannenbaum first expects, especially thanks to the fact that she has escaped the bullying and unpleasantness that was commonplace at her school back in the United States. Before long, though, Aunt Mill must go away for a short time; thus, Daisy is left in the care of Aunt Mill’s friend Felix—who happens to own a château a couple of hours outside of Paris. While there, Daisy helps Felix organize some of his affairs, learns fascinating World War II history, and becomes involved in family secrets she never anticipated. Utilizing both her bravery and an excellent collection of friends, Daisy must investigate the mystery in which she has landed before she gets framed for a crime she did not commit.

This book has an unexpected charm that echoes both The Da Vinci Code and a cozy French mystery, and it is designed for a middle grade audience. Though Daisy is only twelve years old, she exhibits much more independence than American youth of the same age, traveling around Paris by herself and being primarily on her own during the day. French language and culture are also included in the narrative, enriching it for readers who are comfortable with these elements. While most of the French is translated in one way or another, no pronunciation guide is offered and readers will need to be familiar with French to absorb the full intent of the novel. However, an extensive glossary at the end helps with additional translations as necessary for those who require that assistance.

The third in its series, this book centers on Daisy after she has already had two misadventures in previous installments. While this book does stand on its own, readers familiar with the other two stories will appreciate references made within this novel. At the end of the book, the narrative is left open to another addition, which leaves fans of the Daisy Tannenbaum series with the promise of a future story. Rich with mystery and family secrets, this book has an unexpected premise that will keep readers engaged while they learn about both World War II history and French culture in the modern day. This is a compelling story for mature and worldly middle grade readers.

Meet our plucky heroine, Miss Daisy Tannenbaum, almost thirteen, precocious as ever, and homeschooling in Paris with her Aunt Millicent.
Daisy takes a break from the City of Light and her dreaded math homework, and heads to a rambling château in the Loire Valley to help her Aunt Mill’s friend, former-spy Felix, catalog his art collection. But when Daisy receives a copy of the Mona Lisa as a thank you, strange things start to happen. This Mona is not just any copy, it’s one of two perfect forgeries created to fool the Nazis during their hunt for the real Mona Lisa during WWII. Daisy’s best friend from the states, Lucia, a newly minted teen model, and in Paris to audition for the spring runway shows, thinks Daisy’s Mona is the real one. Real or not, it’s worth a fortune, and when Felix suddenly dies, his family accuses Daisy of stealing it. Our plucky heroine must navigate a world of crazy, scheming, often criminal adults, not to mention traveling ghosts, ginormous pigs, testy lawyers, former spies, and obnoxious fashionistas, as she finds herself in a harrowing chase in Paris while trying to outwit them all to keep her beloved Mona.
Daisy is caught up in the ring of intended theft of a painting that is a copy made in the 1920's of Mona Lisa.
This book is full of intrigue and attempted theft.
It is meant for the preteen and teen audience.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Daisy Tannebaum reminds me of a modern day Nancy Drew living in Paris. What makes this story such fun is not just Daisy's desire to seek the truth, but her loyal sidekicks that follow her into mischief. The French language sprinkled throughout the story serves to cement the setting, making the glossary of French words and phrases in the back of the book a welcome addition.

This book is the third in a series, and I will be on the outlook for not only the previous adventures but the future ones as well.

What I Liked:
-Daisy has a vibrant, strong character voice that was fun to read.

-Allen did a great job grounding the story in Paris.


What I Struggled With:
- SLIGHT SPOILER: The climax, when Daisy gets the Mona Lisa back, stretched my suspension of disbelief just a little too much. It seemed a little too easy and unrealistic. It didn't ruin the novel, but it did let me down a little.


Other:
-I would love to listen to this book as an audiobook. Allen sprinkled French all throughout the novel, really helping give it a Parisian setting--not so much that you can't understand it, though. And while I know a little French, I would love to listen to a narrator who speaks French read Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa. It would perfect the French flair of the novel.

-I do feel like the blurb is the tinniest bit misleading. While Daisy does end up doing some outwitting and finds herself in a chase after Mona, those elements aren't super strong until pretty far into the novel. However, it didn't bother me that the plot was a little different than I thought it was going to be.

Overall:
I read Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa without having read the other books in the series. And while I could tell there was some information I didn't know, the author did a great job of making the book be able to stand on its own while being in a series. I'm actually a little curious about the other two books now.

Overall, Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa is a fun middle-grade novel.

Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa is the third installment of the Daisy Tannenbaum middle grade mysteries. You don’t necessarily have to have read the previous books in the series in order to read this, but there were a few curious references to Daisy killing a shark that makes me want to go back and check them out.

Okay, here’s the thing, and I’ve mentioned it before. I do not like when books have other languages in them and don’t translate. The good news is that, being in France, there’s a lot of French but Daisy translates it, but the bad part is that there’s so much of it in the beginning of the book that it was hard to get into at first. Once there’s not constant explanations, the story picks up.

I do have to say that Daisy is a rather resourceful 12-year-old who has a lot of freedom to go places and do things that I don’t think I’d give my 12-year-old while in Paris. But in that way, she reminds me a bit of Nancy Drew, who undoubtedly inspired the author, whether they knew it or not. The parental authority in Paris, Aunt Mill, is mostly absent.

Daisy is clever and resourceful and just like in Nancy Drew books, a lot of information is revealed as a way to inform readers, like about all the art the Nazis looted during World War II and the effort French art historians went to hide the Mona Lisa from Hitler and his gang. Learning about the French Resistance is a bonus that children might not realize they’re getting a history lesson. That’s always a bonus for me when I read children’s books; sneaking in real facts makes me like the book more.

Overall, this book reminds me of a children’s version of a Dan Brown book, full of action and running and chasing and thefts and danger. What kid wouldn’t love a book like that? Now I’m going to have to go back and read the first two books and find out where the shark killing comes in.

I received an eARC of this book from the author, Sumus Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Daisy's (enjoyable) exile to Paris continues with new accidental adventures. Daisy is sent to spend two weeks helping Felix catalog the treasures in his castle while Aunt Mil must go on a work trip. One of Felix's treasures is a masterful copy of the Mona Lisa - one of the three "sister" paintings that are nearly impossible to tell from the original. Felix gifts this painting to Daisy to thank her for her helping him, but an art fencing posse decides they need the painting more than Daisy. Daisy, not wanting to lose this piece of Felix, decides to find the missing painting, and is helped by her French pals, Nina and Sief, and American friend Lucia who is visiting Paris for some modeling gigs.

I adore Daisy! This is book 3 in the Daisy Tannenbaum series, and after a few pages in, I stopped and bought numbers 1 & 2 to read before finishing this galley. I'm so glad I did. Daisy reminds me of Addie Loggins from "Paper Moon" or Kerry from Patrick Dennis' "The Joyous Season." She is a very precocious, self-reliant and independent child whose observation of adults is often wry and a little cynical but provides so much spot-on humor. I cannot wait for next Daisy books. These three were so good that I read them too fast!

Middle school appropriate cozy mystery based in France.

Let me start with why it’s a 4 star and not a 5 star. I would love to listen to this book as an audiobook so I can fully immerse myself with the French that is this book. The author however did us a huge favor by adding a glossary so we could know what the words/phrases meant. Just didn’t know if I was pronouncing them correctly in my head but it didn’t take away from the story as a whole. It was just a lot especially in the beginning.

I read another reviewer mentions Daisy is a very resourceful 12 year old and that I 100% agree. If I was a middle schooler again I’d want my life to be like Daisy’s! Basically exploring Paris alone solving a mystery? What middle schooler wouldn’t want to live vicariously through Daisy.

Overall, this book was so much fun to read. I feel like this a great into into mystery genre books for kids as they older.

I have to admit I rarely read young YA books. Daisy, the main character of this delightful novel, is a precocious and smart twelve-year-old. Most of the time, I forgot the protagonist is still a preteen as she navigates around and out of Paris.

I love Paris and was elated to follow join Daisy on her adventure. The author does a fantastic job to integrate French into the novel and, at the same time, effortlessly switches to the English translation.

This is the third book of the series. Except for a couple of references regarding the earlier books, the book reads like a standalone.

A fun and exciting mystery starring Daisy, a teenage American young woman, in Paris who gets involved with a fake Mona Lisa, tales of the WWII French Resistance keeping the Mona Lisa away from German looters, and a very modern art theft ring. Daisy is a decent and a very relatable young woman who has a knack for trouble. The trouble definitely keeps things interesting. At the same time, her actions and the events are the realm of feasible. You don't read it and roll your eyes thinking like that could never happen.

This is a part of a series that I will look to read more of.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Over all a very good read. Maybe a little slow to start but the bits of intrigue keep it going. I loved the behind the scenes Paris or perhaps the explanations of Paris. The end was good and fun.

Was this a copy of the Mona Lisa?
'Daisy and The Missing Mona Lisa was a charming middle grade book. Daisy Tannenbaum, the main character, was a twelve girl that seemed older than her years. Daisy lived in Paris, France with her aunt and was primarily educated at home;; however, Daisy accompanied Aunt Mill to a friend's chateaux where her education became much more va!unable than math figures. Here Daisy helps to catalog Aunt Mill's friend Felix''s extensive collection of art and also introduces Daisy to forgery, especially the Mona Lisa.
As a side note sonderkafftafezeug, or a special special purpose vehicle, I love vocabulary and this was an amazing word, and there were many were several more words with even more letters.
Daisy was bilingual with English and French and spoke both throughout the novel. I found it useful reading the novel as a ebook giving me the advantage using the translator. However, there's a French glossary at the rear of the book.
The novel was the third in a series of Daisy novels that being g said, this book could be a stand along. That book ended with an opened ended conclusion, does this mean there will be more Daisy novels?
My conclusion are that this was an entertaining middle grade novel that I would recommend and the book would be great for any classroom library I wish I would have had this book to study French in University.
Thank you to J.T Allen, Sumus Press, and NetGalley for TBE privilege of reading this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy is a young girl living in Paris with her Aunt Mill. When Mill has to leave town for a few weeks she sends Daisy to stay with a retired spy friend named Felix. While staying with Felix she helps him catalog his possessions. While going through the rooms they find a copy of Mona Lisa that Daisy falls in love with. At the end of her stay, Felix gifts the Mona Lisa to Daisy who is thrilled to get to take the painting home. After her trip though, things start getting strange. Felix passes away, Aunt Mill's house is broken into and the Mona Lisa is stolen. It's up to Daisy and her friend, Lucia, to find and retrieve the Mona Lisa before it's gone forever.

Daisy was such a fun character to follow. She is such a genuine, sweet character who is nice to everyone and would do anything for the people she loves. She is so brave and a great role model for young kids. I also loved getting to know Aunt Mill, Felix and Lucia. I had no idea this was part of series but can definitely be read as a standalone.

Read this one if: you like middle grade mysteries, child sleuths, fast paced stories
Skip this one if: you want a slow build mystery, aren't a fan of middle grade,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book version of this title for me to review. The thoughts presented are my own.

This was a fun exciting family read. One of the children said that it was like James Bond for kids (or maybe more Daisy Bond) , he didn't seem to notice that the main character was a girl, she was so smart and feisty .Great supporting cast and locations.

Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa had a really fun setting in Paris and the main character, Daisy, was a likeable, smart character whose knack for getting herself into predicaments made the story a fun read. I had not read the first two books prior to this one, but the book provided enough background information so that you could follow along without having to have read them (and intrigued me about going back to read about some of Daisy's earlier adventures). The author sprinkled French phrases throughout the book - while most of it could be figured out through the context used or clues in the story, my high school French made it a bit easier to follow along. The mystery had some fascinating twists and turn and a few parts that were a little bit of stretch but still fun. Overall, I thought the book was fun and I would read the prior ones in the series.

Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa is a fun reading with girl empowerment mc!
This book was good as a stand-alone read as i just heard of this series or read any of the prior few novels. The quantity of discourse about heists and spies was quite unhinged and took sometimes getting used to Daisy's personality but it was a joy and a lovely book! The characters was endearing and the plot is unpredictable as the humor in this story.

As she travels to Paris and other regions of France, the author skillfully draws a picture of France and captures its distinctiveness as i dive into it and travel more. I love Daisy character and how she loves to divine the cuisine and how she can understand the majority of the language spoken there. I will read more about daisy adventure in the future too! Thanks netgalley for the e-arc! I appreciate it so much

When Daisy is staying with her Aunt Mill in Paris, she takes a brief trip to visit to help Aunt Mill's friend Felix, a fellow former spy. Daisy stays in his old, deteriorating château to help him catalog his art collection, including one with a fascinating history. He gives her a copy of the Mona Lisa — a perfect copy, in fact. It's one of the two copies meant to fool Nazis in World War II and help protect the real work of art. Felix dies, and his family suspects Daisy of stealing the valuable painting. Daisy navigates through several adventures, including the painting being stolen and her daring adventure to get it back.

I have not read the previous books, and it did not seem necessary to have read them. Occasionally, there was a mention of sharks or other adventures that sound interesting, but nothing in the plot depended on prior knowledge.

Because the book takes place in France, there is a lot of French in the dialogue. It isn't translated, although there is a glossary in the back of the book. Because I was reading an ebook version, a glossary in the back isn't particularly useful for me. I found it frustrating to not always know what was going on and not have translations immediately available. Because all the characters speak English, there could have been less French to make it easier for readers who do not speak that language. Still, the non-translated French does create a sense of immersion into the setting of the book that adds a unique feeling to the book.

The book develops slowly, and the pacing seems to be off sometimes. The slowness is necessary to build up the story of Felix and the Mona Lisa, but it takes a while for anything exciting to happen. When it does happen, things start to happen all at once. A big part of this is because of Daisy herself, who is a smart and feisty main character who is a delight to read. The ending requires some extra suspension of disbelief, and it's a little jarring to go from a slow paced read into the action of the end.

This book reads as something as a young Dan Brown book or a beneficiary of Nancy Drew. Overall, it's a cozy mystery that tells an interesting story and showcases an interesting and loveable cast of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book to review.

The third Daisy Tannenbaum Misadventure finds Daisy traveling to a chateau to stay with Felix, a friend of her aunt's. When she goes to leave Felix gifts her a copy of the Mona Lisa they found while cleaning the chateau. Although her best friend Lucia, in town for fashion week, thinks it is the real deal, Daisy knows it is a good forgery made during WWII to fool the Nazis. Soon though, Felix dies and his relatives accuse Daisy of theft. When the painting then goes missing, Daisy decides to investigate to get her painting back.

There was less mystery here than I though there would be, but I really enjoyed it once Daisy got back to Paris with the painting (before that it was a little slow). I liked the plucky character of Daisy and I definitely want to go back and read the first two in this series. I'm looking forward to seeing what other misadventures Daisy has in the future!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy and the Missing Mona Lisa is another book in the series A Daisy Tannenbaum Misadventure. It is the first I read, and its stands well on its own. It’s a fun and fast-paced read that should easily appeal to a young audience interested in history, art, travelling and languages. They’ll get to familiarise themselves with the French language and culture, as well as learn a few things about the Second World War. The author did a thorough job to offer detailed descriptions of the local areas, maybe a bit too detailed and descriptive at times to my taste though. Personally, I didn’t feel very invested in the story. At the end we learn that the author actually pitched Disney to make Daisy Tannenbaum into a movie. I think it would still be a good idea to see that through.

An okay book for young children. Not very exciting for older young adults. Thank you for sending me this e-ARC.

The heroine in this story was just brilliant. My whole class throughly enjoyed listening to parts of this. All were keen to purchase as soon as possible. A really engaging book with some cool twists and turns.

Very interesting read! I loved reading Daisy's story with her knack for finding adventure there's never a full moment. Great setting and description and a cast full of badass women. Safe to say it's a YA James Bond with a female protagonist. Can't wait to see what Daisy gets up to next. Gorgeous cover too!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Very cool cover on this one!

This was my introduction to the Daisy Tannenbaum series (and J.T. Allen), and it was a super cute middle grade read. It was well written and well paced. Held up well as a standalone. I adored the Paris setting. The plot was engaging, and had some heartfelt moments. The characters themselves were very likable. However, I do think Daisy and her friend's read like they were older than 12. (and 15?). I also thought the ending felt a little rushed, but overall this was a quick and entertaining read. I'll definitely keep my eyes out for the next in the series.

**ARC Via NetGalley**