Dive into a world where art comes alive in this adventurous new middle-grade series!

Vincent and his sister, Lili, go to visit their art restorationist great uncle and get swept into a high stakes world of intrigue and art along with their spunky cousin, Georgia.

I love discovering a new middle grade series to recommend, and this one hits the marks for me. An engaging adventures that draws the readers in with compelling characters and a rich landscape of art history, with a devious. Excellent world building with a creative fantasy premise, that was well presented and fun. I loved the themes of using your gifts for good, not letting your emotions rule you, as well as seeds of faith that I hope will grow as the series progresses.

A well written adventure that kept pulling me back in, I liked how we see Vincent's heart changes over the course of the story, as well as how he sees his quirky cousin. Georgia is a take charge kind of girl, courageous and ready to face down monsters. I liked her quick thinking, and how she doesn't give up on Vincent.

Overall, a fantastic read perfect for middle grade readers, I loved learning cool tidbits of art history along the way. A great start to a new series, with plenty of room to expand. I hope many find this great new series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

** "There's a difference between making art and making a name for yourself. Making art focuses outside yourself, on the art itself and the people who will experience it. Making a name for yourself just focuses inward, on what the art can do for you." **

Carolyn Leiloglou celebrates art and its power in "Beneath the Swirling Sky."

When Vincent finds himself, along with his younger sister Lili, at his great-uncle Leo's house while his parents go off on a cruise, he's less than pleased. Especially when he also meets his quirky cousin Georgia, who's enigmatic and frustrating.

But when his sister seemingly disappears through a painting, a skill Vincent didn't realize his family has, he must rely on Georgia to help find her and bring her home. It seems his family comes from a long line of Travelers ("Traveling is stepping into a painting. Getting to walk around in the mind of an artist") -- trying to maintain the safety and purity of art from the Distortionists, who try to steal and destroy art.

Will Vincent and Georgia find Lili? Will they figure out who the mastermind is behind the evil they find within the artwork?

Leiloglou creates fun and quirky characters, all while filling "Beneath the Swirling Sky" with several great themes, like art expresses beauty and truth; being brave and selfless; fear shouldn't get to decide what we do; finding our potential; and Jesus sees our worst parts and still accepts us.

The talented Vivienne To adds fun illustrations to add to the story, which is due out Sept. 12.

Five stars out of five.

WaterBrook provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

It's been a long time since I read a middle grade title that I enjoyed as much as I did Beneath the Swirling Sky. This creative and whimsical story follows a pair of cousins whose family has the unique gift of being able to travel through paintings. Of course it's not all fun and games, and Vincent and Georgia discover this up close and personal when Vincent's young sister Lili is kidnapped inside a painting, and it's up to the two of them to rescue her and stop the villains in the process.

What follows is a tumultuous journey where our two protagonists will have to face their fears, discover who they're truly meant to be, and find their rightful place in their family's destiny. With well developed, three dimensional characters, an innovative world built upon the history of many beloved art pieces, a wonderful plot that keeps the reader engaged throughout, and beautiful illustrations that truly bring the story to life on the page, Beneath the Swirling Sky is an innovative, original story that I can't possibly recommend enough.

As someone who studied art history a bit in college, I loved how central the history of many art pieces is to the story, and I found bits and pieces that I didn't know about before choosing to pick this one up. While there is a brief content piece of talking about "nude art", I thought it was handled tastefully, and shouldn't be enough to be off putting for any young readers.

Most of all however, I loved the fact that there's a brief faith element included that I wasn't expecting, and it was beautiful and showcased such a wonderful and authentic redemption arc.

Final Rating: 4/5.

This is definitely a winner in my eyes, and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the next title in the series. I'm especially hopeful that certain plot points that were introduced in this one will be continued on in the next one. If you're looking for an adventurous middle grade with superb world building, then this is definitely the book for you.

Thanks so much to Waterbrook for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Waterbrook) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.