Artania and the Missing Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa needs rescuing in Laurie Woodward's The Kidnapped Smile. A year after their first visit to Artania, Alex and Bartholomew are called back to the magical realm to investigate her kidnapping. The mission gives their return a clear purpose, while putting Artania's safety in question as well.

A familiar image becomes someone to find

The premise treats Mona Lisa as part of a living fantasy world. That shift is the book's distinctive invitation: an image readers may recognize belongs to a place where a kidnapping can happen and rescuers must take action.

Alex and Bartholomew are joined by Gwen. Their task leads them toward ruthless pirates, with gods and sea monsters adding to the hazards. These are practical obstacles to reaching the missing figure, rather than a reason to assume the rescue will follow any familiar version of a museum mystery.

Returning heroes face a new responsibility

Because a year has passed since the first journey, the pair are returning visitors rather than complete strangers to Artania. Knowing the realm exists does not mean they can take its safety for granted or predict what this adventure will require.

Artania turns a recognizable image into someone whose safety depends on the companions' efforts. Mona Lisa's absence gives the journey its destination, while the pirates and other hazards make reaching her uncertain. The friends' return becomes a responsibility to the realm they already know and the figure they have been called to save.