Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance is an adventurous middle grade novel full of friendship, magic, and mystery.
There is a world behind the canvas. Past the flat faade and the crackling paint is a realm where art lives, breathes, creates, and destroys.Claudia Miravista loves art but only sees what is on the surface-until the Dutch boy Pim appears in the painting in her room. Pim has been trapped in the world behind the canvas for centuries by a power-hungry witch, and he now believes that Claudia is his only hope for escape. Fueled by the help of an ancient artist and some microwaveable magic, Claudia enters the wondrous and terrifying world behind the canvas, intent on destroying the witch's most cherished possession and setting her new friend free. But in that world nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. Not even friendship. From the author of The Heartbreak Messenger, this is an adventure that will enchant readers. Praise for Behind the Canvas: A VOYA 2016 "Top of the Shelf" Pick "This well-paced mystery offers a pleasing protagonist and a very unusual setting. Vance cleverly injects the story with a bevy of secondary characters, many of whom readers will recognize from European paintings and popular art, and humorous footnotes from a fictional art-history textbook balance the tension. Themes of trust and loyalty figure prominently in this story, which explores what it means to be a true friend." --Booklist "Readers will end up learning a great deal about art history along the way . . . an inspired concept." --School Library Journal