Monday with a Mad Genius is the thirty-eighth installment to the Magic Tree House series and the tenth of the Merlin Missions.
Synopsis[]
Jack and Annie travel 500 years back in time to Florence, Italy, and spend a day helping Leonardo da Vinci in the hope of learning another secret of happiness.
Chapters[]
- Old Friends
- Looking for Leonardo
- Ten Types of Noses
- Battle Scene
- Knock, Knock
- Thousands of Ideas
- The Great Bird
- Wings!
- The Smile
- Questions
Plot[]
Jack had been feeling nervous about the first day of school. While eating breakfast, he and his sister Annie had been eager to head to the magic tree house. When they did, their friends, Teddy and Kathleen, had been waiting for them. They learned that their new mission was to help the genius Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy, 500 years ago, in search of another "secret of happiness" to help Merlin. Teddy had given them a book about him, and Kathleen had handed them a special parchment with a riddle. The mission had involved spending an entire day helping da Vinci.
When Jack and Annie arrived in Florence, they had quickly found themselves in a bustling city filled with artists and craftsmen. After asking several locals about Leonardo da Vinci, they had chased him through the streets, trying to catch up as he visited various shops—a bakery, a cheese shop, and a blacksmith. When they reached the busy market, they had realized that they had been searching for hours and hadn’t helped Leonardo yet. Annie had suggested using the Wand of Dianthus to find him, and after Jack had reluctantly agreed, she had said the five required words: "Help us find Leonardo now." However, nothing had happened. Suddenly, Annie had been drawn to a bird in a cage that seemed to be calling to her. Feeling a sense of connection, Annie had freed the bird, despite Jack's protests. Just as they were confronted by an angry bird seller, a tall man in a purple cloak and floppy blue cap had appeared. He had looked exactly like the man on the cover of their book—it had been Leonardo da Vinci! The wand had worked, and they had finally found him. Leonardo had explained his love for animals and birds, revealing that he often bought them from the bird seller, Marco, to set them free. After a brief exchange, Leonardo had agreed to let Jack and Annie assist him for the day. He had explained that he had recently discovered the secret to happiness: fame, as it brought admiration from others. However, Jack and Annie had not been convinced that fame was the true answer. Suddenly, da Vinci saw a young girl, he said she was an angel. He decided to draw a sketch of her as an angel and give it to Jack and Annie.
As they had continued through Florence, Leonardo had demonstrated his keen observation skills, explaining how he categorized the various types of noses and mouths people had. He had encouraged the kids to use their imaginations as he did when creating art. They had then stopped and observed clouds, where Leonardo had explained how his art had been inspired by everything he had seen, even things like food stains or rain puddles. He had taken them to the Palace of the Great Council, where he had been hired to paint a fresco. He had revealed that he was facing a challenge with his fresco: his special oil paints and plaster hadn’t been drying as expected. To solve this, he had devised a plan using fire. Jack and Annie had helped him by gathering kindling and assisting in setting up large iron pots filled with wood to create a fire that would dry the fresco. The scene they had been working on was a battle, and the painting had been fierce and chaotic, illustrating the "beastly madness" of war. However, when the fires had been lit, things had gone wrong. The fresco had begun to melt, and Leonardo, horrified, had called for the fires to be extinguished, but the artwork had been ruined. Leonardo, deeply upset, had walked away from the scene, and Jack and Annie had followed him.
They had eventually found him at his home, where he had expressed frustration about his failure and his plans to leave Florence. Jack and Annie had offered to help, but Leonardo had initially rejected their assistance, feeling miserable about his work. However, he had soon invited them inside and shared his thousands of ideas and notebooks filled with sketches and thoughts. He had explained his creative process, including his left-handed writing and his belief in experimenting. He had also discussed his fascination with flying machines, though he had still faced doubts about his ideas.
Leonardo’s studio had been filled with various inventions and creative works. He had shown Jack and Annie his notebooks, which had been filled with drawings and strange ideas, some of which Jack and Annie had recognized as scientifically accurate, while others had been more fantastical. For instance, he had believed that steam and wind could revolutionize transportation. Jack and Annie’s discussion of flying machines had inspired Leonardo to act on an idea he had been contemplating—to prove that humans could fly. Motivated by the children’s support, he had believed that this experiment could bring him everlasting fame, and he had rushed to test his idea. Jack and Annie, uncertain about the outcome, had followed him to the courtyard, where he had prepared to attempt flight.
His long-awaited flying machine, a large, bird-like contraption he had been working on for years, had been ready. He had been passionate about flight, believing he could be the first person to fly, despite lacking the necessary technology like a motor. Jack and Annie had tried to warn him, but Leonardo had insisted on testing the machine, climbing to a hilltop to launch it. As Leonardo had attempted to fly, the machine had failed, and he had crashed to the ground. Thankfully, he had not been seriously injured, though he had felt emotionally defeated, reflecting on his many unfulfilled projects and dreams. He had expressed his heartache over never achieving his goal of flight, and in that moment, Annie, using a magic wand, had granted them all the ability to fly by giving them wings like birds. Jack, Annie, and Leonardo had soared through the sky, experiencing flight for the first time, feeling free and powerful. They had glided over the countryside and Florence, marveling at the world from above. After landing, they had reverted to their human forms, and Leonardo had been stunned, unsure if what had happened had been real. Annie and Jack had suggested it might have been a mystery, something that couldn’t be easily explained. Leonardo, reflecting on the experience, had realized that the spirit of flight, the essence of birds, had been what had been missing from his designs. It had been that spirit, rather than mechanical precision, that had made flight possible for him. He had been content with the knowledge that he had had his moment of flight, even if the world would never know it. Leonardo had decided to continue pursuing his art, unbothered by fame, and he had headed back to Florence to meet with his model for a portrait. Jack and Annie had returned to the cart with him, ready to continue their adventure.
Jack and Annie had felt a sense of joy and wonder about the secret to happiness. Leonardo had contemplated the question but had remained uncertain, preoccupied with a model, Lisa, who had been posing for a portrait for three years without smiling. She had become unhappy with the long process, and despite Leonardo’s efforts to cheer her up, she had refused to smile for him. Jack and Annie had tried to understand why, and it had turned out that Lisa had been afraid that if she smiled, Leonardo would finish her portrait and forget about her. Leonardo had reassured her that if she smiled, he would keep the painting with him forever, and she had agreed, giving him the Mona Lisa’s famous smile. Leonardo had realized that curiosity was the secret to happiness—constantly asking questions and seeking knowledge brought joy. As they had left, the nightingale had sung its song, signaling the end of their visit. Jack and Annie had returned to the treehouse and learned more about the Mona Lisa. They had discovered that the painting, which depicted Lisa del Giocondo, was one of the most famous in the world and that Leonardo had never sold it. It had accompanied him wherever he went. Reflecting on the lessons from their adventure, Jack and Annie had realized that da Vinci's secret to happiness had been his insatiable curiosity, he had told that the secrets are available to everyone all the time. They decided to give his angel sketch to Merlin. Now that they had returned to their own time, they were ready to face school with a renewed sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them.
Notes on time and place settings[]
- Since it was Jack and Annie's first day of their new school year, this book most likely takes place in September, which it means it also takes place six months after Dragon of the Red Dawn.
Publication Note[]
This book was originally published as book #38 of the Magic Tree House Series. In 2017 the books where Merlin sets the mission were separated from the main series and given their own numbering system.
Trivia[]
- At the beginning of the book, there is a quote from the quotes of Leonardo da Vinci. "I wish to work miracles."