| Creative ability -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Magic -- Juvenile fiction |
| Art -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Fantasy fiction. |
| Creativeness |
| Creativity |
| Art, Occidental |
| Art, Primitive |
| Art, Visual |
| Art, Western (Western countries) |
| Arts, Fine |
| Arts, Visual |
| Fine arts |
| Iconography |
| Occidental art |
| Visual arts |
| Western art (Western countries) |
Available:
Library | Shelf Number | Shelf Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Dartmouth - Southworth | J FIC DIM | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Elizabeth Taber Library | J MID DIM | MIDDLE READER | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Mansfield Public Library | J FIC DIMARTINO | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Plainville Public Library | J DIM | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Seekonk Public Library | JFIC DIMARTINO | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In twelve-year-old Giacomo's Renaissance-inspired world, art is powerful, dangerous, and outlawed. A few artists possess Geniuses, birdlike creatures that are the living embodiment of an artist's creative spirit. Those caught with one face a punished akin to death. When Giacomo discovers he has a Genius, he knows he's in serious trouble. Luckily, he finds safety in a secret studio where young artists and their Geniuses train in sacred geometry to channel their creative energies as weapons. But when a murderous artist goes after the three Sacred Tools--objects that would allow him to destroy the world and everyone in his path--Giacomo and his friends must risk their lives to stop him.Magic, mystery, and mayhem come together in this page-turning new series, featuring striking black-and-white art throughout.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-The cocreator of the award-winning television series Avatar: The Last Airbender has written his first book for children, and the result is an interesting, if overly long, blend of Renaissance art, sacred geometry, magic, and a hero origin story. Playing with the Renaissance theory that a genius is an actual being who guides talented people in their art, DiMartino introduces readers to Giacomo, an orphan in a world where art has been outlawed. All geniuses were captured by the tyrannical government, but Giacomo, who has been living in the sewers, finds himself in possession of a genius shortly after the narrative begins. His new companion leads him to join a secret group of students learning to use their artistic powers to fight against oppression. The students represent a range of diverse features and skin colors. A highlight of the Avatar series was its detailed setting, and Giacomo's lush and intricate world does not disappoint. The plot hits some familiar notes and does more telling than showing, but readers will be drawn into this highly stylized world. VERDICT Though this series opener is not perfect, the author's famous past works should lead to high interest in most public and school libraries. Give this one to fans of Lisa McMann's The Unwanteds.-Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In an adventurous children's book debut, DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender, draws inspiration from Renaissance Italy for an epic tale of art and magic, first in a planned series, in which talented children seek to keep a legendary artifact from falling into the wrong hands. In the Zizzolan Empire, the tyrannical Supreme Creator has outlawed music and art; those who can play music or draw have been driven underground or killed. Twelve-year-old Giacomo is an artist living on the streets after the death of his parents. After a "Genius," a birdlike creature, links with him, it allows him to manifest his work in strange new ways and brings him into contact with a secret group of rebel artists who train him in the ways of sacred geometry. When they set out to find the long-lost Compass, an item with the power to change the world, they must battle all manner of terrifying threats. While the story draws on a number of well-worn fantasy tropes, DiMartino keeps it fresh with a richly imagined setting, a fast-paced story line, and numerous deftly sketched illustrations. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In a fantasy world based on Renaissance Italy, art is magical and artists have "Geniuses" (bird-like manifestations of the artist's inner-self). But a despotic ruler has outlawed art, killing people's Geniuses. Orphan Giacomo discovers his Genius then joins forces with three young artists-in-hiding to obtain Sacred Tools. Though animation-director DiMartino's writing stumbles at times, his world-building is complex and creative and the adventure is captivating. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Giacomo is a 12-year-old orphan on the run from the orphanage he would rather die than go back to. The white lad lives underground in a sewer and survives on what scraps of food he can steal. In his society, art of any kind is powerful and also illegal. All artists are in possession of Geniuses: birdlike creatures that manifest an artists creative spirit. Any artist caught with a Genius faces severe punishment. When his own Genius suddenly appears one night, Giacomo now has an extra problem to deal with. To his surprise, he is discovered by a group of young artists who tell him of a safe space for their kind where they can learn to channel their creative energies using sacred geometry. But then, while training, Giacomo learns of a murderous artist who plans to go after the three Sacred Toolsobjects that have the power to demolish the world. Giacomo must now, putting his life in danger again, join the mission to stop the artist. DiMartino creates a Renaissance Italyinspired world and ties history and magic together within it. The artwork that accompanies the storyblack-and-white drawings that emulate Giacomosadds an extra dimension to its themes of artistry and creativity. Inspired worldbuilding and nonstop action should hook readers, and they may find themselves spurred to try their own hands at creating. (Fantasy. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Giacomo is a 12-year-old orphan who lives in the sewers of Renaissance-inspired Virenzia. His prized possession is a sketchbook, though drawing is risky as the Supreme Creator, or dictator, has outlawed art. When his personal Genius a birdlike creature that enhances artistic abilities finds him, he is dangerously marked as an artist. Shortly thereafter, a trio of other artistic children find him and take him to a safe house where they are allowed to flourish. There they are taught sacred geometry and how to use their creative energies as weapons. When an evil artist begins hunting for the three Sacred Tools of the Creator, with the intent of destroying the empire, Giacomo is called upon to lead his new compatriots on a quest to stop him. This debut novel, by the cocreator of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, is the first in a planned fantasy series. While some of the combined magic and geometry falls flat, there is action and adventure galore, including narrow escapes, surprising twists, and stunning turns.--Fredriksen, Jeanne Copyright 2016 Booklist