First published 2005
A teenage girl and her younger brother wander through Mexico City's streets, lost and desperate for shelter. They discover Casa Azul, the vibrant home where artist Frida Kahlo once lived and painted. Inside this mystical house, everything possessing a face can speak. Kahlo's pet monkey chatters with wisdom. Her cat offers comfort. Even the portraits hanging on walls join conversations with the frightened children. The house itself seems alive, pulsing with the creative energy Kahlo left behind. As the siblings explore room after room, they encounter Kahlo's famous painting Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. The artwork shifts before their eyes, transforming from a dark vision of suffering into something radiant with hope. The children must decide whether to trust this strange place and its talking inhabitants. Through their encounters with Kahlo's world, they discover that art can heal wounds and restore faith in life's possibilities.
Genres: art, historical-fiction, fantasy, magical-realism, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, magical-realism, talking-animals
Setting: Casa Azul, Mexico City
Period: 20th-century
160 pages · Hardcover · Watson-Guptill