Product Description

David is a twelve-year-old boy living in Jerusalem in 1966. His best friend just happens to be seventy-year-old Heinrich Rosenthal, who lives at the Beit Hakerem Home for the Aged. Their friendship takes an unexpected turn when Mr. Rosenthal receives a threatening letter from the man he once knew as "the bully of Heidelberg University." The letter accuses Mr. Rosenthal of stealing a priceless painting and challenges him to a duel if it is not returned immediately. But Mr. Rosenthal didn't steal the painting. Who did? Determined to find some answers and prevent the duel, David plays detective and ultimately uncovers the story of two beautiful paintings, one of a woman's eyes and the other of her mouth, given by the artist to the two men who are now willing to kill one another over them. With some brilliant sleuthing and a bit of luck, David manages to pull together the strings of a story that began more than thirty years before, preventing a tragedy by bringing a long-dead memory to back to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1411888 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7–A brief novel that takes place over a two-day period in Jerusalem in 1966. Twelve-year-old David's best friend is 70-year-old Heinrich Rosenthal, who is accused of stealing a valuable charcoal drawing from Rudy Schwartz, known years ago as the Bully of Heidelberg University. Rudy challenges Heinrich to an old-fashioned duel of honor with pistols. Mr. Rosenthal, although innocent, feels he must honor the code of his youth, even if it means his death. David has until the following afternoon to prevent a tragedy and straighten out the awful predicament that involves three countries, several love affairs, a stolen picture worth millions, and two World War I pistols. To do this, he must use his best sleuthing skills to find out the real thief. Along the way, he learns much about his friend as well as about anti-Semitism and Jerusalem in the 1930s when the potential duelers were in college. David uncovers the story of two paintings, one of a woman's eyes and the other of her mouth, given by the beautiful artist to these two men, who were both in love with her. David, sensitive and imaginative, recounts the story with wit and humor 16 years later. This mystery reads like a tall tale, with larger-than-life characters and dire circumstances. The translation is natural and seamless. The memorable characters and quirky situation make this a great read-aloud.–Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. David is a 12-year-old boy living in Jerusalem in 1966. His best friend is 70-year-old Heinrich Rosenthal, who lives in a home for the aged. Their friendship takes an unexpected turn when Heinrich receives a threatening letter from a man he once knew as "the bully of Heidelberg University" that accuses him of stealing a priceless painting and challenges him to a pistol duel if the artwork is not immediately returned. Although Heinrich didn't steal the painting, he feels he must honor the behavior codes of his youth and agrees to the duel. Determined to save his old friend from possible death, David plays detective, and his brilliant sleuthing uncovers the truth about the painting's disappearance and saves his friend from potential tragedy. Fast-paced and offbeat, this mystery will charm readers with its odd but appealing, memorable characters. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Entirely convincing . . . full of tension." -Philip Pullman

"A writer of passionate self-honesty, unafraid to ask terrible questions." -Nadine Gordimer
-- Review