A searchable database of books recommended by the CCBC.
(More information on CCBC book recommendations)
The Art Thieves
CCBC Review:
In 2052, Stevie (Cherokee), a recent high school graduate and aspiring photographer in Texas working at a modern art museum, is looking forward to starting college at UT Austin. Stevie adores her much younger brother Levi (Cherokee/Black), and her two best friends, Loren and Jess. And she appreciates her mom and stepdad, even if they are overprotective. Adam is a new artist intern at the museum especially interested in the museum’s piece Ladder for Booker T. Washington by Martin Puryear. With romantic tension between them building, Stevie is more than a little angry when he bails on attending a special museum event. When Adam finally explains, she doesn’t want to believe his story: He claims he’s come from 200 years in the future to steal The Ladder, part of a humanitarian mission to save meaningful art about human history and experience from the global disaster that’s about to strike—a three-month pandemic, continued climate crisis, and the unraveling of society. Then Levi is diagnosed with a rare cancer—one that will likely kill him if Adam’s story is true. But if Adam’s story is true, can the future save her little brother? This deliciously head-spinning time travel story offers hope in Adam’s assurance that the unraveling of society as Stevie knows it provides the foundation for building a more just and compassionate world. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
African Americans
Art and Artists
Cherokee People
Climate Change
Families
First/Native Nations
Love and Romance
Mothers
Science Fiction
Stepfathers
Survival
Suspense
Time Travel
Diversity subjects:
Indigenous
Latine
Publisher:
Levine Querido
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781646143788
CCBC Location: Fiction, Rogers