Art Fraud Detective - Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime!

by Anna Nilsen, A Kingfisher Book






My daughter had so much fun with this book that my other children hardly had a chance to get into the book.

The book begins with a mysterious caller contacting the old security guard, Mr. Bassett, at the Museum of Art. The caller alerts the guard that 30 of the gallery's paintings have been stolen and replaced with fakes. There are four gangs of art forgers who are suspects in the thefts and you get to be the "clever private detective" to find out which paintings in the gallery are forgeries.

Using a magnifying glass (included in the book), and the "Museum of Art Catalog" (which contains photos of the 34 original works of art on display in the museum) you must compare the originals in the catalog to the art work in the museum. You have to look for symbols that link the artwork to one of the 4 gangs of forgers, and the number of differences you find between the forgery and the original determines the gang member who forged it. All of the information you find is recorded on a chart (which you will make by following the example in the book). When you've examined all of the artwork and charted your findings you will have solved the mystery. Answers are in the back of the book if you need help.

Degas, Van Gogh, Monet, and Da Vinci are just a few of the artists featured in this book.

MY RATING: 5 stars for keeping kids interested, giving them an up close experience with 34 of the world’s art masterpieces, and providing some information on the artists and their style of painting, as well as background on the paintings themselves.

NOTE: While there are no art pieces in this book that contain nudity there are a couple of pieces that you may not be comfortable with. One is titled "Venus and Mars" by Sandro Botticelli which shows a man that is only covered in the most private of places. The text reveals this painting to be Venus, the goddess of love, watching her sleeping lover. The other is "A Grotesque Old Woman" by Quinten Massys which portrays an old woman in a very low cut dress.


Other books by this Author:

I haven’t had the opportunity to look at these books, but found through some searching on the internet that Anna Nilsen has written other art books. I cannot endorse these books because I haven't seen them, but wanted to make you aware that they are available.

The Great Art Scandal: Solve the Crime, Save the Show! By Anna Nilsen

Art Auction Mystery by Anna Nilsen



Blessings and happy reading,
Missy