Thirteen-year-old Vincent has a very special talent: He can jump into paintings and move around inside them. When the painting The Thunderstorm by an old Dutch painter is stolen from a London mansion, Vincent decides to track it down. During his search, to his great surprise, he meets Holly, who can dive into paintings just like him. The two make a bet: Whoever finds The Thunderstorm first, wins. Vincent is sure he will be faster, but the search turns out to be difficult, and then something is wrong with Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. Why is it that when Vincent jumps into it, the painting feels like a fake?

Here’s a story rich in historical facts, humor and sarcasm — and it mentions so many paintings that art lovers will definitely love it. The start’s lack of introduction and description actually adds anticipation and thrill.

The only weakness is too many plot twists — so many that forward momentum and excitement are stalled. Indeed, had the author focusing in on fewer sub-plots and strengthened those, I think it could have been more riveting and less baffling. Sometimes the simpler, the better.

Although the ending was mediocre (perhaps due to reader fatigue from the twists and turns), I enjoyed the characters, even the antagonist, and the settings and theme. This story is different, even refreshing, a work that fiction bookworms will want to try.

– Kevin Velayo