“The Second Mrs. Gioconda” by E.L. Konigsburg

I decided to read this book because it combined a few of my favorite things – the Renaissance, historical fiction, and E.L. Konigsburg. While it’s actually located in the Juvenile section of the library, I decided to read it anyway. It was a quick read, so my reluctant readers out there might enjoy it.

This one follows Salai, the apprentice to the great Leonardo DaVinci, as he grows up in Leonardo’s service. There are some interesting ideas in this book, like how Leonardo might have done research, as well as documented ways he painted stuff (like the Last Supper). Salai isn’t an entirely likeable character, which adds to his characterization, and at just 150 large text pages, it’s quite a quick read. There wasn’t as much on Leonardo as I had hoped, so this one only gets a 5 from me – Leonardo’s Shadow by Christopher Grey was much better, but we don’t have that book. Try the adult book Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex.