From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9–It is 1497, and young Giacomo does chores for his master, accompanying him when needed and running errands to the merchants of Milan. He also spends much of his time making excuses to those who have commissioned the artist's work and fending off the many merchants who come trying to collect debts. With smooth words and false promises, the boy keeps them at bay–for the time being. Da Vinci has a commission for a great painting, but he will not work. Why is a mystery, but until he finishes this painting of the Last Supper, he will not be paid. Even worse, the Duke of Milan, whose temper is legendary, is getting impatient. Giacomo worries about starving, about freezing, and about dying by order of the duke or the gentlemen whom Da Vinci insults. But, mostly, he worries about his great master, whom he thinks might be his father. In the beginning of the book, he is chatty and breezy as he introduces his city and surroundings. As the book progresses, he becomes more serious, and readers can see him maturing and becoming more responsive to the atmosphere and problems around him. Grey seamlessly blends fact and research about the inventor/artist with imagination. The basic time line and characters of the story fit with what we know of Da Vinci's life. Easily readable, this novel incorporates adventure and mystery with history.–Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. A disoriented runaway boy, Giacomo, is taken in by Leonardo da Vinci and grows up as the great man's servant, protecting him from his creditors even as Leonardo is pressured to finish The Last Supper. Although part of Leonardo's life, Giacomo still has dreams of his own: to be an artist and to find the secret of his parentage (which he hopes will lead back to da Vinci). Grey cleverly takes Dickensian conventions (a sweeping saga featuring an orphaned lad seeking his fortune, who bumps up against a host of memorable characters) and resettles them during the Renaissance. A first-time author, Grey writes intelligently, but even sweeping sagas sometimes need trimming. Moreover, the book needs an author's note. There's a short bit at the end, about The Last Supper, but the fact and fiction about da Vinci's art, his inventions, and even his sexuality, an issue raised in the novel, need clarification. The story itself, however, is enticing, and Giacomo's yearnings about his past and future will speak to readers. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
