THE MYSTERIOUS EDGE OF THE HEROIC WORLD
by E. L. Konigsburg
Ginee Seo Books/Atheneum
ISBN-10: 1416949720
ISBN-13: 9781416949725
Ages 10-14
244 pages

Few teenage boys possess the knowledge of and appreciation for art that Amedeo Kaplan does. His father Jake is an artist, and Amedeo’s flamboyant godfather, Peter Vanderwaal, is a museum curator planning an exhibit that will feature artwork condemned during the era of Hitler in Nazi Germany.

When he lived in New York City, Amedeo was more comfortable in the company of adults than children his own age. Before he moved from New York to the naval town of St. Malo, Florida, Amedeo was surrounded by artists and exposed to the art world.

After he and his mother relocate to Florida because of his mother’s job, he finds the climate --- and the way of life --- very different from the one he left behind. One day, after stepping off the bus, Amedeo makes friends with William Wilcox. William and his mom are helping Amedeo’s neighbor, Mrs. Zender, liquidate the belongings from her mansion so she can move into affordable housing.

Aida Lily Tull, the professional name of Mrs. Zender, is an aging opera singer who was once the richest girl in St. Malo and who toured throughout Europe in her younger days. Her mansion is crammed with memorabilia that she and her now-deceased, Austrian-born husband amassed over the decades. Mrs. Zender drives “a pink Thunderbird convertible: stick shift, whitewall tires, and a car horn that pealed out the first four notes of Beethoven’s fifth Symphony.” Her home also has a baby grand piano and a sound system installed by Karl Eisenhuth, who, according to Mrs. Zender, “was the world’s greatest acoustician.”

As the boys sort through Mrs. Zender’s belongings, Amedeo learns about her past. While cleaning out the library, he discovers a framed drawing that looks strangely familiar. When he cannot place where he has seen it before, he calls his godfather for assistance.

Amedeo’s quest for discovery leads him to a place where a mysterious connection between the past and present coincide, shedding light on outrages committed by the Nazis during World War II, including the brutal treatment of artists, homosexuals and Jews. THE MYSTERIOUS EDGE OF THE HEROIC WORLD is a story about friendship, family, history and fate.

    --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt (dvolkenannt@charter.net)

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