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From School Library Journal

Starred review from October 18, 2024

Gr 3-7-Untitled, a painting owned by the Penelope Art Museum, has been stolen, and the only witness is a tortoise. Unfortunately for sixth-grader Rami, the tortoise has gone back underground to wait for warmer days, leaving his mom, who runs the museum's cleaning crew, under suspicion. With the help of his classmate Veda, Blue (the ghost of the girl from the painting), and eventually the tortoise, Rami must solve the mystery of the missing painting to protect his mom and remind Blue of who she is. Warga employs a fantastic writing style that keeps readers sucked in, even during the simplest of scenes. Every character, tortoise included, is perfectly developed. Apart from the joy of following Rami on his journey to solve the mystery, readers will also discover a beautifully relatable story about the importance of finding the people who see the world the same way you do. Rami is Lebanese and Veda is Indian. VERDICT A delightful mystery sure to captivate all readers.-Mariah Smitala

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Kirkus

Starred review from August 1, 2024
A missing painting, a floating girl, and a mustachioed man: a lonely almost-12-year-old vows to figure it all out. Middle school has been terrible for Rami Ahmed, and now a painting has been stolen from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum, where his mother works as the cleaning crew supervisor. Only the cleaning crew, Ed the security guard, and Rami himself were in the building on the day of the painting's disappearance. As the theft draws unprecedented interest in the small, largely overlooked museum, the pressure of suspicion starts to grow. When a mysterious girl appears to Rami in the museum--and he recognizes her as the girl who's portrayed in the stolen painting--he's certain that she holds the key to its whereabouts. After Rami joins forces with Indian American classmate Veda, an aspiring sleuth, he finds himself in increasingly unexpected situations. The mystery drives this exquisitely paced story that unfolds in short chapters that readers will quickly consume. The characters, though, are the beating heart of this tender, quiet tale. From Rami, the only child of a now-single immigrant mother from Lebanon, to the museum director, who "had that accent that most rich people do...fancy and well educated," to Agatha, the sun-seeking turtle from the garden by the Penelope who observes, learns, and wants to give joy--each character is drawn with texture, depth, and warmth. Rockefeller's evocative illustrations enhance the text. A slowly unfurling delight.(Mystery. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Booklist

August 1, 2024
Grades 3-6 During spring break of sixth grade, Rami feels isolated and unseen: his once-close friends have rejected him, and he wonders more and more about the father who abandoned him when he was two. Meanwhile, his mother's workplace, an art museum, has been rocked by the sudden, unexplained theft of a painting. Determined to solve the mystery and prove his worth, Rami finds himself face-to-face with what seems to be the ghost of a young girl who has forgotten her own identity. With the help of new friend Veda, Rami must make sense of the missing painting, the nameless girl, and his own feelings of loss. Warga's spare prose, sweet characters, and gentle narration offer early middle-graders an accessible, even poetic read, and while the mystery component is somewhat straightforward, this is a story concerned less with thrills and more with a sense of wonder. The budding relationship between reserved Rami and upbeat Veda is a highlight, nicely illustrating the power of affirming friendship in an uncertain period of life. A treat for bighearted, bookish sleuths.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

June 24, 2024
Sixth grader Rami Ahmed is having a terrible time. His best friends dropped him for no apparent reason, and now someone has stolen a painting from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum, where his mother works. It's bad enough that security is suspicious of him, but his mother, who leads the cleaning staff, is considered a suspect, too. Since his father left before he was two, his mother is all Rami has. To make matters worse, he's now hearing and seeing a girl floating in the museum-and she looks like the girl in the missing painting. She soon approaches Rami: she doesn't know who she is and wants his help to figure it out. With assistance from his crime-podcast-obsessed new friend Veda and an artistically inclined turtle called Agatha, Rami determines to find the painting thief and clear his and his mother's names. Though the resolution feels thin, the meticulously fleshed-out museum backdrop evokes impeccable ambiance for a mystery in this cozy tale. Grayscale illustrations by Rockefeller, who collaborated with Warga on A Rover's Story, depict the museum and cast through vivid portraiture. Rami's parents are from Lebanon and Veda's are from India. Ages 8—12. Author's agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group.