The Mystery of the Stolen Painting
By Harper Paris
Illustrated by Marcos Calo
Book #3 of Greetings from Somewhere
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Table of Contents
About The Book
Excited to be in Paris, Ethan and Ella are on the hunt for a secret bakery and a stolen painting in the third book of Greetings from Somewhere, a chapter book series about mystery, travel, and adventure.
Ethan and Ella are excited to get to Paris—they’ve only ever seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower! After arriving, the twins receive an email from their beloved Grandpa Harry. He tells them that there’s a secret bakery near the Louvre museum—so secret, in fact, that you need a password to get inside. Lucky for the twins, their dad wants to take them to see some artwork at the Louvre.
But while they’re browsing paintings at the museum, alarms suddenly go off, the building is evacuated, and tons of police show up outside. A painting has been stolen! And Ethan and Ella are on the case! Can they manage to find the stolen painting and the secret bakery without giving themselves away?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Greetings from Somewhere chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Ethan and Ella are excited to get to Paris—they’ve only ever seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower! After arriving, the twins receive an email from their beloved Grandpa Harry. He tells them that there’s a secret bakery near the Louvre museum—so secret, in fact, that you need a password to get inside. Lucky for the twins, their dad wants to take them to see some artwork at the Louvre.
But while they’re browsing paintings at the museum, alarms suddenly go off, the building is evacuated, and tons of police show up outside. A painting has been stolen! And Ethan and Ella are on the case! Can they manage to find the stolen painting and the secret bakery without giving themselves away?
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 Stolen Painting Chapter 1 The City of Light
Ella Briar gazed out the airplane window. Down below, miles of glittering lights twinkled against the evening sky. “Look, Ethan!” she said to her twin brother.
“That must be Paris,” Ethan replied. “It’s awesome!”
“I think that’s the Eiffel Tower,” Ella said, pointing.
“Did you know that the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris?” their dad, Andrew, called out from across the aisle. “It was built in 1889 for the world’s fair.”
“I see a river!” Ethan announced.
“That is probably the Seine,” Mr. Briar guessed. “It divides Paris into two parts: the Right Bank and the Left Bank.”
“We are staying in a lovely old neighborhood on the Right Bank,” their mom, Josephine, said as she smoothed on lipstick. “There are a lot of fun shops there! And we’ll be close to a famous museum called the Louvre.”
Fun shops? A famous museum? The twins couldn’t wait!
A short while later, their plane landed at the airport. The Briars took a taxi to the apartment they were renting. The building had no elevator, so they had to carry their suitcases up five flights of marble stairs. They were out of breath by the time they got to the top.
The climb was worth it, though. The apartment was enormous, with an elegant balcony that overlooked red rooftops and bustling cafés. Brightly lit boats cruised along the river. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower shimmered like a gold jewel.
Ella remembered from her dad’s guidebook that Paris was often called the City of Light. Now she knew why!
Ethan ran straight to the biggest bedroom. “Dibs!” he shouted.
“Hey, not fair!” Ella protested.
“How about your father and I take this room?” Mrs. Briar suggested. “Ethan, there’s a green room down the hall with soccer posters. And, Ella, the purple room has lots of books in English.”
Ella loved books, and purple was her favorite color! She raced down the hallway with her suitcase and found her room. It had a canopy bed with a lavender bedspread. Black-and-white photographs of Paris covered the walls.
Ella Briar gazed out the airplane window. Down below, miles of glittering lights twinkled against the evening sky. “Look, Ethan!” she said to her twin brother.
“That must be Paris,” Ethan replied. “It’s awesome!”
“I think that’s the Eiffel Tower,” Ella said, pointing.
“Did you know that the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris?” their dad, Andrew, called out from across the aisle. “It was built in 1889 for the world’s fair.”
“I see a river!” Ethan announced.
“That is probably the Seine,” Mr. Briar guessed. “It divides Paris into two parts: the Right Bank and the Left Bank.”
“We are staying in a lovely old neighborhood on the Right Bank,” their mom, Josephine, said as she smoothed on lipstick. “There are a lot of fun shops there! And we’ll be close to a famous museum called the Louvre.”
Fun shops? A famous museum? The twins couldn’t wait!
A short while later, their plane landed at the airport. The Briars took a taxi to the apartment they were renting. The building had no elevator, so they had to carry their suitcases up five flights of marble stairs. They were out of breath by the time they got to the top.
The climb was worth it, though. The apartment was enormous, with an elegant balcony that overlooked red rooftops and bustling cafés. Brightly lit boats cruised along the river. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower shimmered like a gold jewel.
Ella remembered from her dad’s guidebook that Paris was often called the City of Light. Now she knew why!
Ethan ran straight to the biggest bedroom. “Dibs!” he shouted.
“Hey, not fair!” Ella protested.
“How about your father and I take this room?” Mrs. Briar suggested. “Ethan, there’s a green room down the hall with soccer posters. And, Ella, the purple room has lots of books in English.”
Ella loved books, and purple was her favorite color! She raced down the hallway with her suitcase and found her room. It had a canopy bed with a lavender bedspread. Black-and-white photographs of Paris covered the walls.
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 (May 6, 2014)
- Length: 128 pages
- ISBN13: 9781481402965
- Ages: 5 - 9
- Lexile ® 560L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®
Resources and Downloads
Activity Sheets
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Mystery of the Stolen Painting Trade Paperback 9781481402965
