Under the Egg: 02/06/16

Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald is set in New York City. Theodora Tenpenny's grandfather has recently died, leaving her and her mother to manage the meager remains of a once vast family fortune. Theo's mother isn't well and that leaves her with double duty of school and adult responsibilities, and a very quickly dwindling savings account. The Tenpennys keep chickens, grow their own vegetables, and purchase clothing from the charity shop.

One prized possession — of the sentimental variety — is a painting of an egg in the kitchen. There's a whole ritual involved with presenting an egg to it every morning. But all of this changes when Theo spills some rubbing alcohol on the Egg and finds another one underneath.

Originally afraid that her Grandfather stole the painting during his tenure as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Theo and her best friend set out to discover the painting's identity and its history.

I'm not going to go into any more of the book because the journey to discover the painting's provenance is marvelous. It's the right mixture of adventure, education, and mystery solving. Under the Egg will appeal to fans of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konisburg.

Five stars

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