CHASING VERMEER
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| Chasing Vermeer - mystery book review |
Scholastic
Press
2004
Available: Hardcopy, paperback, audiobook
Eleven-year-olds, Petra Andalee & Calder Pillay, are in Ms Hussey's
sixth grade. Although they're not friends, they have a lot in common. Both are
bright, outsiders and just love their teacher Ms Hussey who challenges them to
"think outside the box."
On a school fieldtrip they discover a shared interest in art, which
leads them into a tentative new friendship. The story is set in Chicago. When
an art thief steals a valuable Vermeer painting on its way to be displayed in
their hometown museum. Petra and Calder decide team up to find the missing
painting. They follow a trail of clues when the local paper publishes letters
from the thief.. The stakes are raised even higher when the he or she threatens
to destroy the painting.
There's no doubt that this is a mystery from page one. The story line is
complex. Like an adult thriller, seemingly random events from different
viewpoints are woven together and peppered with puzzles and art history. All as
the growing friendship between Petra and Calder develops. In the end everything
comes together.
TARGET AUDIENCE: grades 6-8
MYSTERY / SUSPENCE: high & complex
KID APPEAL:
High for good readers
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