Starry Nights

July 15, 2013
A cross between The Da Vinci Code and The Night at the Museum, this sophisticated fantasy from Whitney (When You Were Here) borrows from art history and ancient mythology as chaos erupts at museums around the world. Seventeen-year-old Julien, whose mother runs the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, has recently learned that the museum’s paintings come to life by night. Just as he becomes enamored with a girl in a Renoir work who returns his affection, other paintings begin changing and behaving strangely, and reports surface that paintings in America, Great Britain, and Russia are doing the same. To prevent the destruction of dozens of masterpieces, Julien tries to locate the source of the trouble, with help from fellow art-lovers, Renoir’s favorite model, and at least one of the nine muses. Whitney’s anecdotes about artists and their works create a solid foundation from which magic springs. Her romantic interpretation of artistic temperament, inspiration, and beauty will tempt even the most grounded readers to vicariously enter the world behind painted images. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michelle Wolfson, Wolfson Literary Agency.

August 1, 2013
Famous paintings, fantasy and wish-fulfillment romance blend in contemporary Paris. French teen Julien feels merely adequate, but his privileges and abilities are improbably golden. As his mother runs the Musee d'Orsay and wants to bribe the art-loving Julien into getting better grades, this 17-year-old has unrestricted access to the world-famous museum, even after hours. Despite the present-day setting (iPods; texting), museum security is presented as (as Julien explains) "a myth," with no electronic or technological surveillance to inhibit his night roaming. He's first to see when a "peach falls out of a Cezanne" and a girl "dance[s] her way right out of a Degas." He perceives Renoirs inexplicably losing their color before anyone else does. Soon, at the Louvre, paintings are flooding and burning themselves. From a long-lost Renoir springs a girl to share heady romance with Julien. She's Clio, an Eternal Muse. Julien's sure special, from his authority over the Louvre's assistant curator to his unique status as human muse, the only human an Eternal Muse has ever loved and the only being who can fix the fading Renoirs. To readers unbothered by preposterous premises, implausible explanations and some overblown prose ("She was a revolution and she staged a coup d'etat in my heart"), Whitney offers Muse dust, delightful sartorial quirks and the ghost of Renoir. An oh-so-slight flight of fancy. (author's note) (Fantasy/romance. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 6-9-Julien is a Parisian teen who loves art and gives tours of the Musee d'Orsay, which his mother runs. He falls in love with the mythological muse Clio, who emerges from a Renoir painting "finally free" and describes herself as "just a 16-year-old girl." Otherwise, Julien is an ordinary teen with typical issues. It's Julien's passion for art, for feeling it with his whole heart, that makes him and the novel different. Readers will learn a fair amount about art history and the sometimes-not-so-wonderful personalities of artistic geniuses. This delightful read has enough magic to enchant the most jaded, and it is a welcome break from zombies and dystopias.-Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2013
Grades 7-9 Seventeen-year-old Julien, whose mother runs the Mus'e d'Orsay in Paris, sometimes sneaks into the museum at night, when he alone can see people from the paintings come alive. Ballerinas regularly step down from Degas' paintings to dance, and one night, a beautiful young woman named Clio leaves her Renoir portrait to fall in love with Julien. When famous paintings in museums around the world suddenly begin to degrade, Julien has the magical ability to make things right again, but only if he's willing to let Clio go. Although the story's supernatural elements require powerful suspension of disbelief, readers familiar with European art history will enjoy the many references to renowned painters and their works. Surprisingly, the love story is less convincing than the fantasy and less intriguing than the mystery of Julien's power. Still, for those inclined toward magical realism, the first-person narrative delivers an unusual mix of elements: the past and the present, the true-to-life and the idealized.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
Parisian teen Julien, a curator's son, begins to see paintings come alive. When a long-lost, supposedly cursed Renoir painting resurfaces, Julien falls in love with its subject, Clio (one of the mythologized nine Muses in human form). There are holes in Whitney's conceit and the dialogue is stilted, but art lovers will relish the abundant detail-rich references to famous works.

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