This book is one of the best books I have ever read. The book was interesting because Leonardo da Vinci was in it. He was very much into the nature and loved buying birds and then setting them free. They say that he wrote in a notebook that a bird had visited him in his cradle. At the beginning I thought the book was about finding the secret of happiness. Later Leonardo thought that fame was the secret of happiness. At the ending of the book, the secret was really curiosity. One true fact was that Leonardo wrote backwards and when you hold it up to a mirror you can read it. Leonardo also had about 13,000 notebooks but only about 7,000 were found. Leonardo painted a picture named The Battle of Anghiari located in the hall of the great council of Florence. They would call this a fresco because it was painted on a wall or ceiling. On this painting Leonardo experimented with a new paint, but the painting was damaged while trying to dry it with fire. After his accident with his Fresco, Leonardo quit and thought about leaving Florence, Italy. Jack and Annie talked to Leonardo and convinced him not to leave town. Leonardo was very precise with his work. It took him 3 years to paint a picture of Mona Lisa. Jack and Annie traveled back in the Magic Tree House to Florence, Italy to find the second of four secrets of happiness. To do this, they must help Leonardo da Vinci all day, "morning, noon, and afternoon, till the night bird sings its song." One of Leonardo’s ideas is that he tried to fly a machine he made and no one really knows if it was a success. This book hooks you by the first chapter you read. The book is an adventure because it made me feel like I was there. The author of this book, Mary Osborne, is a beautiful writer. I think all kids will enjoy her books which teach you about history. Mary Pope Osborne is the best kid’s author to me and she should keep writing books because I am still waiting for her next one. Her husband is also an author who wrote many books also.
The series is about Jack and Annie who have a magic tree house a few blocks away from their house. In this book, they go to Florence, Italy and search for Leonardo da Vinci. They find him in a birdshop where they get in trouble for setting free one of the birds. Then Leonardo da Vinci leads them to his paintings and they have to put out a small fire because they cooked something too long. Then Leonardo da Vinci goes up a hill and puts on the Great Bird, one of his inventions, and tries to fly. He gets hurt really badly. Jack and Annie use their magic wand to give themselves wings and they fly high in the sky. Then they go back home in Leonardo da Vinci's wagon. I think this book was really good. (Sam)Reese also read this book in October 2010. Here is what she has to say about it: Jack and Annie have a mission from merlin le fay to spend a day with Leonardo da vinci in Florence italy.This book was very detailed and facinating it even includes sounds in the background,i give it a 5 star rating.
What do You think about Monday With A Mad Genius (2007)?
I read it with my daughter, after finishing Coraline. I wasn't impressed at all. For me any tree house is already magic and this thing of using the tree house to travel in time and show the kids exposed to historic figures seems kind of lame. I much more prefer the way Monteiro Lobato did with Reinações de Narizinho or any of the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo gang. I'm wonder if there are any English translations of them.My daughter loved the book and it even sparked the interest on her in going to her school library and read several other books from this collection. Now she is reading them by herself, which is a good thing.
—Teresa
This story is about a brother and sister named Jack and Annie that is going on a great adventure. It was early in the morning when Jack and Annie woke up and went to the magic tree house in frog creek woods. They both climbed up the ladder and picked a book from the book shelf. When they wished that they was their, the tree house spun and spun until it came to a stop. Then, Jack and Annie found a town. They saw a a man in a store and went inside. The man showed them birds, pictures, paintings, and clothing. They looked at an action book about a super hero. The man was very nice and offered Jack and Annie a feather . He waved good bye and Jack and Annie went into the tree house and went back home. The end
—Maya Orama
In "Monday with a Mad Genius", Jack and Annie traveled to Italy during the Renaissance. Jack and Annie traveled 500 years back in time to spend a day helping Leonardo da Vinci in the hope of learning another secret of happiness. They had trouble finding Leonardo at first, but Annie used the Wand of Dianthus to locate him. They found him and Leonardo agreed to let them shadow him for the day. "Monday with a Mad Genius" is a short and easy read, I would recommend this book to children and adults, because "Monday with a Mad Genius" is a short and easy read.
—Alicia Samson
