Framed

The storage of paintings from the London National Gallery inside an abandoned mine near the tiny Welsh town of Manod, drastically changes the dreary town where it rains all the time, and alters forever the life of Manod's only boy, Dylan, who is fond of soccer (which, being the only boy, he doesn't

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often get to play) and cars (which, helping at his parents' gas station, he sees a lot of), but not particularly interested in paintings. Things are especially stirred up when Minnie, Dylan's criminal-mastermind-in-training sister, decides to pull the art heist of the century.

This is an entertaining story full of amusing incidents, and nine year old Dylan is a hilarious narrator, who does not always have a complete grasp on the events happening around him. For instance, Dylan befriends Lester, a Londoner who is the paintings' primary caregiver, after a mixed message conversation-- Dylan was talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but Lester thought he meant the Renaissance artists, and mistakenly concluded that Dylan was a young art prodigy; further mishaps do nothing but reinforce Lester's inaccurate view. The supporting characters are all eccentric, but still realistic. The story's greatest strength, though, is the way that one by one, the people of the town (and also Lester), are inspired by art around them and slowly begin to change Manod and their lives for the better, creating a unique story about the transformational power of art. Readers ages nine through thirteen will best appreciate the book's humor.

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When evacuated paintings from the National Gallery come to Manod, their influence on the residents begins to transform the little town into a work of art. The author paints lovely portrayals of how each painting effects different people differently. A quiet yet exciting story of family and

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community.

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As an adult did I enjoy it - yes, it was okay. If I was a child would I enjoy it - definitely. This is a great book for children but not so much for adults reading children's books. Highly enjoyable, short chapters and some great characters.

The author saw a press cutting describing how, during the

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Second World War, a collection of valuable paintings from the National Gallery was evacuated to Wales and stored in slate mines for safe keeping. He then went on to think about living on top of a mountain full of treasure. So think Tracy Chevalier then bring it down to kids level :-)

If you are a parent and want to be involved in kids reading then this is a good one because it could lead to finding out a lot about different pieces of art and their artists. As a teacher, the list is endless - I think this could become a teaching book for me - there is some great stuff to get your teeth stuck in to. This could lead to all sorts of cross-curricular stuff - Science, Geography, Art, Languages (Welsh), film and English as it is set in a dairy format.

The plot is intriguing as you aren't given any clues as the reader to tell you how it will all work out. The blurb (as in all children's books) is very important as it is clear from this what you can expect as you are reading it. I enjoyed this and because the Ninja Turtles are still a hit this will go down well for quite a few years more.

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Very cute story about how the small town of Manod is affected when the National Gallery moves its art collection to the town's abandoned quarry. Similar in style to Boyce's first book, Millions, Framed focuses on one boy's quirky perspective of Manod. This is wonderful for showing how art inspires

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each person who views it. The story is filled with many interesting art history facts mixed together with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and car trivia.

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Dylan and his sisters have some ideas about how to make Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel into a more profitable business, but it is not until some strange men arrive in their small town of Manod, Wales with valuable paintings, and their father disappears, that they consider turning to crime.

Dylan Hughes is the only boy living in Manod, an uneventful Welsh town of drizzling grayness that Dylan thinks is full of Hidden Beauty. His best buddies are two agoraphobic chickens named Michelangelo and Donatello after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His family runs the Snowdonia Oasis Auto

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Marvel garage. When the business falters, his father takes off, and Dylan, Mam, his older sister, Marie, and his aspiring criminal genius younger sister, Minnie, try to make Oasis more profitable so that Dad will return. Flooding in London causes the National Gallery to evacuate its paintings to the safety of Manod's old quarry mine. (An actual evacuation to the Manod slate quarry occurred during World War II.) Lester, the art expert in charge, takes a shine to Dylan as an art connoisseur on hearing the chickens' names. When he agrees to put one masterpiece at a time on view, the villagers' lives are changed. Minnie concocts a hilarious scheme to nick Van Gogh's Sunflowers, replacing it with a paint-by-number affair. All gets sorted out and Dad comes home.

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Frank Cottrell Boyce aims this charming story of family and community life, from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy, at tweens, but it will have adults rolling with laughter. An extremely well-crafted book, with disciplined editing, which I attribute to Cottrell Boyce's first career as a

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screenwriter. An immensely entertaining read, with mystery, suspense, humor, and a subtle and effective argument in favor of the supreme importance of all people.

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