Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Educational, but draggy, September 13, 2007
My son has always loved the Magic Tree House books, but he had a hard time getting excited about this latest book in the series. I read it myself afterwards, and I must say I agree with his lack of enthusiasm. Monday with a Mad Genius is a very, very educational book. Mary Pope Osborne has, as always, done impeccable research, and the details about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, everyday life in Florence, and Renaissance art are all great. A child can learn a lot from this book. It's not, however, very exciting literature. The pace is very slow (for example, Jack and Annie seem to spend an extraordinary amount of time in the marketplace, being told by a series of people: "Oh, Leonardo? He just left - I think he went that way..."). Some of the best Magic Tree House books, like Christmas in Camelot, have quite exciting plots and some literary qualities as well. In Monday with a Mad Genius, the interesting questions (why did Mona Lisa smile?) seem to drown in excessive historical details.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No prior familiarity with the series is required to make this a fun, inviting read., October 7, 2007
ary Pope Osborne's MONDAYS WITH A MAD GENIUS offers #38 in the 'Magic Tree House: A Merlin Mission' series. Here a mysterious message from Morgan le Fay, magical librarian of Camelot, involves two children the key to helping magician Merlin discovery joy in his life again. First they must journey to the magic tree house for 1500s Italy, and meet Leonardo da Vinci no prior familiarity with the series is required to make this a fun, inviting read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An adventure worthy to start the week, April 18, 2009
//Monday with a Mad Genius// is the 38th installment in the Magic Tree House series. For this volume, siblings Jack and Annie are set to begin a new school year ... and a new adventure aboard the magical tree house. Eager to perform the task given to them by Merlin the magician, Jack and Annie find themselves in Florence, Italy, 400 years back, looking for one of the greatest minds which lived in that time and area - Leonardo da Vinci. As the children spend the day with the "mad genius", they get to hear his stories, see his works, touch his notebooks and tools, meet the people he interacted with, and experience his experiments along with him. At the end of the adventure, the kids come out with an understanding of Leonardo, not just as a painter or a scientist, but also as a person who thinks and behaves just like them.
Meant to be a reading material for young kids, this book is actually very engaging even for an older audience. The subject matter is interesting (who has not wanted to learn a thing or two about the artist behind the "Mona Lisa"?), and each chapter ends with an exciting hook that moves the reader to continue reading the next one. For parents and educators who plan to use the story to teach life lessons -- sibling love, kindness to animals, patience, keeping one's word -- many opportunities can be found in this book. The related activities and information at the end of the volume also assures that the readers will be well occupied long after the last page has been turned.
Reviewed by: D. Harms
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by Mary Pope Osborne
by Mary Pope Osborne
