Would you risk your life to protect a culture the world was trying to erase?
Erin McGuire makes her debut as both author and illustrator in The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis, a gripping picture book biography that earned a starred review from Kirkus for its visually stunning storytelling. The narrative follows Rose Valland, a real-life French museum curator working in Paris during the German occupation in World War II. While Nazi officers systematically looted masterpieces to ship them away, Valland remained at the Jeu de Paume Museum, playing the role of a quiet, unassuming employee. However, her secret fluency in German allowed her to track the destination of every stolen crate. By documenting these movements and passing the information to the French Resistance, she became an unsung hero responsible for the recovery of thousands of artworks. McGuire’s graphite and mixed-media illustrations do a wonderful job of conveying the tension and emotional weight of the era, making a complex historical event feel immediate and personal for elementary and middle-grade readers.
For librarians building a collection focused on ethical leadership and justice, this book provides a concrete example of SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. It aligns perfectly with the IB Learner Profile attribute of being principled, showing how one woman maintained her integrity and respect for heritage under immense pressure. Teachers can use Valland’s journey to spark a debate on what it means to be courageous when you cannot speak out loud. In a classroom setting, this narrative serves as an excellent anchor for a history or art unit where students research specific recovered artworks to understand the concept of restitution. A practical project could involve students designing their own museum exhibits based on historical items they value, writing curatorial notes that explain why certain treasures deserve protection. This book inspires agency by demonstrating that intelligence and observation are powerful tools for change. It proves that standing up for justice doesn’t always look like a loud protest; sometimes, it looks like a curator with a hidden notepad and the iron-willed resolve to ensure history isn’t lost.
