Lydia loves to draw - once, when she got carried away, she even painted the walls of her room - and she can admire old paintings endlessly. If only it were possible to talk about the secrets of craftsmanship with their authors! One day, a twelve-year-old artist's pencil and sketchbook disappear, and after returning the missing items and talking with a strange boy who looks like a bird, Lydia discovers that she has an ability she never knew she had. Putting her hand to Rembrandt's canvas, she is transported to 17th-century Holland - and immediately meets the artist! The unusual appearance of the guest surprises him, but their common passion for painting helps them find a common language. The journey continues, and Lydia meets Velazquez, da Vinci, Degas and other painters of the past. Together with her, the reader can look into the workshops of legendary artists and even spy on some of the secrets of their creativity. But where can you find a painting that will bring her home? Swedish writer and musician Finn Setterholm (born in 1945) recreates the spirit of bygone centuries vividly and convincingly, as if he himself had visited each of them. A fantastic plot encourages interest in works of art and a better understanding of them. “The Amazing Journey of Nils Holgersson with Wild Geese in Sweden” and “Sofia’s World” are the books that inspired Setterholm, and “The Secret of Lydia” is not inferior to them either in educational or entertaining terms. The Russian-speaking reader is introduced to the story by Lidia Starodubtseva - in her translation you You’ve probably read “Nobody Sleeps” and “Not Apollo at All” by Catarina Chieri. And the publication was illustrated by Masha Sudovykh, known to readers of CompassGuide from the books by Dmitry Ishchenko “In Search of the Boyish God” and Tamara Mikheeva “Swim to the Grotto.”