Toobit and the Misfits of the Sistine

Toobit and the Misfits of the Sistine is a story about Michelangelo and his struggles with Pope Julius II while painting the panels on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This young adult book was designed with the hopes of intertwining historical fiction into a humorous, enchanting approach to learning. All the main figures are misfits, with Michelangelo being the biggest misfit of all! 

 

The story begins in Florence, the artist's hometown, with Toobit convincing Michelangelo to let him become his agent. He persuaded the sculptor that it is the newest thing in the up-and-coming artist. Toobit soon discovered that being an agent is more challenging than originally envisioned. Throughout the drama and politics of the times, Toobit maneuvers his skills around each daily problem as Michelangelo paints the masterpiece overhead, unaware of what's going on below. Along the way, he is joined by a little mouse named Angelo, a monkey referred to as Rafa, and a very colorful, talking bird called Shirley. Each character has a part, big or small, in this playful story. 

 

Michelangelo never considered himself a painter but a sculptor by trade. Pope Julius II was convinced that only Michelangelo could do his ceiling justice. So, at the age of thirty-three, Michelangelo put down his mallet and chisel for a brush and climbed the scaffolding of the Sistine to establish his destiny as one of the greatest artists of all time.