Anyone who wants to learn about a true hero

Leonardo de Vinci was an artist, an architect, an engineer, a musician, a scientist, a dentist, and an inventor.

He knew that new ideas are beautiful.

I got really excited about this book because Leonardo de Vinci was on my list of people I was hoping Brad Meltzer would write about. I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed.

Leonardo de Vinci is by far the most interesting person featured in this series so far. He never focused on just one thing. He was truly an amazing person with a thirst for knowledge. The man was ahead of his time. It wasn’t until technology and innovations caught up with his ideas, were they all proven correct. What makes this story stand out amongst the rest in the series are the illustrations which features Leonardo’s actual artwork, including the Mona Lisa and many of his invention designs.

Amazing Fact!: The Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum episode I Am Leonardo da Vinci aired on PBSKids before this book was published.

Anne Frank’s diary, documenting her life while hiding from the Nazis during World War II, continues to be one of the most read and most inspiring books in the world.

She believed that people are truly good at heart.

I was not expecting Brad Meltzer to write about Anne Frank but I’m happy he did. I liked that the story includes snippets and phrases from Anne’s diary.

My 5^th grade class read Anne Frank’s diary as a class read. Like most things in school, I didn’t fully understand what I was reading. Presented in a way that is age appropriate, I recommend that kids read this book before reading Anne Frank’s Diary. The diary is a bit intense.

Compared to Anne Frank hiding for two years and one month in the Secret Annex, the three-month self-quarantine everyone went through during the pandemic of 2020 was a cake walk. We didn’t have to be quiet, we had technology to keep us entertained and could take walks outside. We are all complete wimps compared to her.

Benjamin Franklin was a printer, a writer, an inventor, a scientist, a scholar, and a Founding Father.

He believed in improving yourself and improving the world.

This book might be the longest and most information packed one in the series. Like, Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin did so much in his lifetime. He truly was a great and inspiring man.

He wrote many different phrases that we still use today. Phrases like “early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” and “haste makes waste”. Or variations of the phrase like “no gains without pain” became “no pain, not gain”. My favorite phrase is “he that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas”.

This weeks’ Weird but True Facts about Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin

Leonardo da Vinci kept the “Mona Lisa” with him until he died.

During World War II, kids were offered carrots-on-a-stick instead of ice cream.

Ben Franklin went door-to-door in Philadelphia to raise money for street cleaning.