Manhunt

My daughter said this book was awesome! She had Skyped with the author while in 4th grade and was super excited to find out that the villain name she suggested was selected! While going I to 7th grade now that fact may have had some impact on her review but she reads lots of books and really enjoyed this one!

This is the third book in this series by Kate Messner. My 10 year old and I have enjoyed reading them together. I think I like them as much as he does. The story is clever and the book is action packed. You can't help but cheer Henry, Jose and Anna on page after page. And when I grow up, I want to be a Silver Jaguar too!

The Book came in exellent condition and the book wasn't damaged at all

Middle schoolers should love this book.

Three kids must hunt down the stolen Mona Lisa through lots of Paris landmarks while being pursued by scary dudes.I've heard this series described as a cross between Harriet the Spy and National Treasure. I totally agree with this description. This installment is like an art-based National Treasure, set in Paris.Having not read the first 2 books in this series, Capture the Flag and Hide and Seek, I was really glad that Kate Messner did such a great job of making this book make sense without that background knowledge.Manhunt is well-researched and wonderfully written. I've never been one to fantasize about visiting Paris, but Messner made me feel totally present in the dusty environs of Notre Dame, the Catacombs, Shakespeare & Co bookshop, and the Conciergerie. I loved the photos provided in the author's note at the end, and I know kids will love that too.My only complaint is that the primary protagonist, Henry, was really really annoying for the first half of the book. He is constantly complaining, whining, and pouting. It was painful to be reading his perspective because I really just wanted to whack him in the head. Luckily he got better when the danger quotient ratcheted up.

I adore this series - there's so much action and danger. I loved learning more about Paris, especially Notre Dame and the catacombs. I loved traveling through the streets of Paris with the gang and eating all the food. I wanted to travel to Pris after reading this one (but then who wouldn't?) I love the friendship between Henry, Anna, and Jose. I love the Harry Potter references. I loved the messages in the wall in the bookstore. Although I would love more in this series, it's a great ending to a fun trilogy. Looking forward to more books by this author!

Book #103 Read in 2014Manhunt by Kate Messner (YA)This is the third book in a young adult mystery series but I was able to have no issues with not reading the two prior books (though I did order the first book in the series to read because I enjoyed this one so much). Henry, Anna and Jose are junior members of a secret society committed to keep artistic masterpieces safe. Their parents or aunts and uncles are adult members of this society and are trying to recover multiple stolen pieces while protecting those not yet taken. This book had a good mystery to it and good literary and artistic allusions. Fans of Chasing Vermeer would like this series. I would recommend it for middle school to high school students. I borrowed this book from my town library.http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Kate Messner's "Manhunt" with its "art theft set in Paris" plot sounded very intriguing! As someone who likes a good mystery, thrilling adventure and good MG literature I was looking forward to this book and was almost positive I'm going to like it. Well...As someone who is also a strongly character driven person I was a bit disappointed... The story itself was easily engaging and Paris was described in the most charming way that made me want to travel there.I want to look at the bored gargoyle and go to "Shakespeare and Company" bookstore! I want to take batobus to Eiffel tower and go down the Catacombs! I want... Eh, the setting was probably the most exciting part of the book. Adventure itself seemed a bit contrived, because quite a few time while reading I asked myself if parents really would be so careless or ignorant in the events that happened...Maybe I read too much MG, but usually in these stories they are much more cautious about their kids, and children have to work around it to make the adventure happen (which is usually only adds to the story) - it seems more natural that way rather then what presented here...Another very questionable plot turn that was mentioned on the blurb (about senior members gone missing) seemed almost forced. Like "Hey, all the important, smart, powerful, strong people just disappeared together within few first hours, so now it's up to the kids to solve what none of the "adults" could" . Very convenient. No one is in the way.Then there is constant separation on kids and adults/grown-ups. It caught my eye unwillingly every time it was mentioned, and it was mentioned a lot! ( "adults gonna sit here and kids here"; "where did grown-ups go?"; "adults probably deciding something"; "grown-ups said to call only in emergency"; "adults said we have to stay and wait"...etc)I ended up feeling like "adults" is some kind of lump of people (and,yes, in this book they are ALWAYS together) that is always busy with silly things and frequently incapable of anything even in serious situations... But even all that could have been absolutely unnoticed in favor of fun runs through Paris' museums, constant guessing if one of them is really who he say he is and attempts to retrieve a stolen masterpiece if not for Henry. Henry ruined this adventure for me and like another reviewer above me noticed, I just wanted to smack him really hard about 90% of the time. There is a bit of back story on him, and at some point I even felt a little sorry, but then it just got out of control. By end of it all he was simply impossible to like for me. All the whining, complaining and generally conniving behavior could have been possibly accepted as a part of character, but the way he treated his friends and his aunt (who was so easily disregarded in favor of other things), how selfishly he managed to behave and how very very childish (compare to all the other kids) he acted was beyond irritating. And he did something stupid. Twice! I mean, enough is enough - my heart couldn't take it anymore! I get that everyone has their different personalities, and I welcome protagonists with strong identities that can include negative qualities, but to my opinion the main hero from whose point we read majority of the book has to be able to make me relate to him. He has to be at least likable. All I felt towards Henry is that I would never EVER want a friend like that. Ugh! Not to mention CONSTANT video games comparisons that drove me crazy (although it might have been because I couldn't stand Henry himself) In the end I would give it about 2.88 stars ;) The description of Paris is enchanting and the story moves fast, it's a pretty easy read. However, with books like  Under the Egg , From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler , Chasing Vermeer , and the entire "Nancy Drew", "Hardy Boys" and "Five Find-outers and a Dog" series (just to name a few) out there, this will be just a relatively entertaining book to kill a few hours. If you're not so much character driven as I am, you might enjoy this adventure a bit more. I do recommend to check it out of the local library and judge for yourself before buying. This was my first Kate Messner's book and although I'm reluctant - I will probably try her other books someday (maybe from a different series), because her writing is engaging and fast-paced. As of right now, I'd rather move on to something else.I blame it all on Henry!