HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

Behind the Canvas

by Alexander Vance

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
9313289,076 (4.09)2
Seventh-grader Claudia Miravista loves art, but socially she is always the odd girl out--but on a trip to the local art museum she sees a boy in a painting, who moves from painting to painting, and soon she embarks on an adventure behind the canvas, determined to free the boy Pim from the artistic prison he has endured for over three hundred years.… (more)
None
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 2 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
  fernandie | Sep 15, 2022 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Early Reviewer Audio Book:

A fun and fantastical story. Metaphorically explaining the links between art and 'magic' through a gifted young lady (Claudia), her interesting surroundings and family. Filled with wisdom and humor.

Read excellently by Erin Moon. She gives the story beautiful depth, reading it perfectly and narrating between characters with charm and wit.

Totally enjoyable listen. ( )
  readysetgo | Mar 3, 2017 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Who wouldn't enjoy being able to go into a painting of your choosing? Behind the Canvas is a great book for all ages of people who love art or want to love it. Claudia Miravista is a young artist that discovers something strange on a school trip to an art museum. I won't say more about the story because I don't want to spoil it! I really enjoyed the audio book, the narrator did a great job. However I feel like I might have missed some things by listening instead of reading a hardback or paperback copy. At the beginning of the chapters there would be excerpts from what felt like an art textbook, which was fun and educating but I was worried that I was missing seeing paintings and artists that they were talking about. I will have to purchase a physical copy of the book to see if this is true, I hope so! If not then I recommend reading the book with a notebook and pen to write down paintings and artists to look up, which sounds fun anyway!
  book_in_hand | Feb 15, 2017 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Behind the Canvas was one of my LibraryThing Early Reviewers program wins. At first I wasn't enjoying listening to it because I remember when I was a shy kid and how much it hurt when other kids laughed at me. I cringed as Claudia was telling the truth and no one believed her.

The listening got easier after Claudia first talked with Pim, the boy with the amazing crystal blue eyes. It was interesting learning about the world behind the canvas but even more interesting once Claudia got there. I loved the snooty tone Ms. Moon assumed whenever she was 'quoting' from the art appreciation book. (I wish more of the characters had been mentioned on the back of the cover since I don't know how to spell their names.)

Claudia learns things that she really didn't want to know. She meets characters from paintings, most notably a dragon, three Dutch men, Mona Lisa, and Cash the bulldog.

Her life is in great peril much of the time. I wasn't familiar with either the Fireside Angel or the Elephant of Celeb, but the descriptions got across their menace. It's a good thing I've never been a nail biter because listening to the action forces me to stay at the narrator's pace. I can't speed up my reading or (tsk!) peek ahead. The suspense was getting to me.

While Aunt Maggie's gift was not put to the use I expected, it really came in handy. Two of the big revelations came as no surprise to me (I am 61, after all), but there were more than enough things in the story that kept me guessing.

My thanks to the list at Mr. Vance's website. Being able to see the paintings/objects I hadn't seen before was a big help.

http://media.wix.com/ugd/09ab22_1d7af3017ff240a0aa2c72c67399a251.pdf

All in all, it's a painless way to learn more about art while enjoying a good fantasy.

Dog lovers should take delight in Cash.
Cat lovers, I'm afraid the cat isn't such a delight. There's an implication in its appearance that I found most disquieting. ( )
  JalenV | May 17, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
A fantasy/mystery with a 12-year-old narrator/heroine, Behind the Canvas has an interesting premise - another world behind the scenes of famous paintings.  While I'm not much for either fantasy or mystery, I did enjoy some of the funny characters (especially Cash, the bulldog from the Dogs Playing Poker painting series), as well as the entertaining (and educational) quotes from the fictional art encyclopedia that separated many chapters.  Erin Moon was a perfect narrator, as I really felt she could be heroine Claudia Miravista.

Author Alexander Vance has a helpful chart on his website listing the artists, artworks, and art topics that appear in the book, down to the page number.  A real art encyclopedia would best accompany this audiobook so the listener could take a look at the images and concepts described in the story.

© Amanda Pape - 2016

[I received this audiobook through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.  It will be added to my university library's collection.] ( )
1 vote riofriotex | May 13, 2016 |
Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Alexander Vanceprimary authorall editionscalculated
Moon, ErinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Murray, DeniseCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

Seventh-grader Claudia Miravista loves art, but socially she is always the odd girl out--but on a trip to the local art museum she sees a boy in a painting, who moves from painting to painting, and soon she embarks on an adventure behind the canvas, determined to free the boy Pim from the artistic prison he has endured for over three hundred years.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

LibraryThing Early Reviewers Alum

Alexander Vance's book Behind the Canvas was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.09)
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3 1
3.5 2
4 8
4.5 3
5 2

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,186,417 books! | Top bar: Always visible