After arriving in Venice, Ethan and Ella embark on a high-speed gondola chase in the second book of this chapter book series about mystery, travel, and adventure.

When Ethan and Ella first land in Venice, they are in awe of all the canals and tiny little streets. They’re especially excited to look for a five-hundred-year-old-mosaic near Calle Farnese that Grandpa Harry tells them about. While the twins are out getting gelato later that day, they notice someone looking around suspiciously as he unties a gondola from a dock.

The next morning, the twins hear two gondoliers arguing, one of them accusing the other of stealing his most beautiful boat. The gondolier begs Ethan and Ella to help him find the boat. They agree, and also tell the man they need to get to Calle Farnese. Will the twins be able to find the stolen gondola and their Grandpa’s favorite mosaic...before dinner?

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Greetings from Somewhere chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Excerpt

The Mystery of the Mosaic CHAPTER 1 The Floating City
Ella Briar and her twin brother, Ethan, had never been to Venice, Italy, before. They’d never been to a floating city, either!

Venice was made up of a bunch of tiny islands connected by canals and bridges. The canals were like streets, except filled with water. So some people were using boats to get around, and others were walking over the bridges from one little street to another!

The Briar family had traveled by water taxi from the airport. The sleek motorboat pulled up to a cream-colored building with lots of balconies.

“Here’s our hotel!” the twins’ mother, Josephine Briar, said brightly.

Their dad, Andrew, pushed his glasses up on his nose and pointed to his guidebook. “It says here that the Pensione Mistero is one of the oldest hotels in Venice.”

“Is it older than you guys?” Ella asked with a sneaky smile.

Mr. Briar laughed. “I should hope so. It was built more than eight hundred years ago.”

The four of them stepped out of the boat with their suitcases. Pink, yellow, and pale green buildings lined both sides of the canal. Pretty flowers and vines filled the window boxes. There were no cars or bicycles on the cobblestone streets, only people walking.

About The Author

Harper Paris

Harper Paris loves to travel. Her favorite cities in the world are Paris (like her name!) and New York City. She has collected many souvenirs on her travels, including a good-luck coin from Japan and a reindeer-horn pendant from Sweden. She also loves mysteries. When she was a kid, she read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books after bedtime with a flashlight. She now lives with her family (including two cats and a bunny, who are not good travelers) in Ithaca, New York.

About The Illustrator

Marcos Calo

Marcos Calo has worked as a professional artist for more than fourteen years. He has worked in different fields including illustration, animation, and comic books. He lives with his wife and daughter in A Coruña, a small Spanish town by the seaside.

Product Details

Publisher: Little Simon (January 7, 2014)
Length: 128 pages
ISBN13: 9781442497214
Ages: 5 - 7
Lexile ® 580L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®