Under the Egg [Paperback]

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. FrankweilermeetsChasing Vermeerin this clever middle grade debut

When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.

“Uniquely readable, entirely charming, and a pleasure from start to finish. Debuts this good are meant to be discovered.” —SLJ Fuse 8 Blog

“Riveting from start to finish.” —BookPage Praise forUnder the Egg 

An Indie Next List Pick!

It's really a very compelling read and I don't know how she did it. – Kate DiCamillo on NPR

“With surprising twists, heartwarming moments and historical facts, Laura Marx Fitzgerald creates the perfect adventure in Under the Egg. Art enthusiast or not, any girl will love this book.” – GirlsLife.com

* Along with the themes of research, family commitment, and Holocaust history, fans of Koningsburg’sFrom the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweilerand Balliett’sChasing Vermeerwill thrill at the chance to solve a new mystery centered around art. -Llãe