Chasing Vermeer
Title: Chasing Vermeer
Author: Blue Balliett
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Grade Level: 6 th-8 th
ISBN # and cost: 0-439-70318-2, $16.95
Synopsis:
When a priceless Vermeer painting is stolen on its way to Chicago for a special exhibition, sixth graders Petra and Calder team up and follow a wild assortment of clues in an attempt to solve the mystery and rescue the painting from destruction.
General Review:
Sixth graders Petra and Calder become friends when they are drawn into a suspenseful mystery revolving around a stolen Vermeer painting. This story combines mystery, art, puzzles and codes, patterns, and coincidences to produce a fascinating tale that invites the reader to play “armchair detective” to discover how all the pieces of the story fit together. Illustrator Brett Helquist adds to the fun by hiding clues and a secret code in the pictures. Mystery fans will love this intriguing book that breaks the mold of the traditional mystery story.
Themes: Mysteries; Art; Coincidence; Secret Codes; Johannes Vermeer (artist).
Author Information:
BookPage Interview with Blue Balliett: Mystery at the Museum
http://www.bookpage.com/0406bp/blue_balliett.html
Scholastic.com Author & Illustrator Index. Scroll down and click on Blue Balliett. http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/ab/biolist.htm
Scholastic.com Moderated Author Chat
http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/events/balliett/transcript.htm
Blue Balliett. Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2005. (available online through free Kan-Ed access to Literature Resource Center)
“Story behind the story: Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer.” (Interview) Ilene Cooper. Booklist, May 1, 2004 v100 i17 p1496(1) (available online through free Kan-Ed access to InfoTrac)
Scholastic Book Fair video Fall 2005 includes a feature on Chasing Vermeer and interview with the author.
Discussion Questions: (Standard 3, Benchmark 3
- What is art? What makes a piece of art valuable?
- Discuss events in the story that seem like coincidences but come together at the end to help solve the mystery.
- Identify events from the story that are classic parts of a mystery: the crime, clues, motive, alibi, red herring, etc. You will find a great list of mystery terms at http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson865/words.pdf (part of the online lesson plan What's in a Mystery? Exploring and Identifying Mystery Elements ).
- Discuss the importance of patterns in the story, especially the use of pentominoes.
Activity Suggestions:
1. Go to Scholastic’s Chasing Vermeer site http://scholastic.com/titles/chasingvermeer/index.htm to play an online pentominoes game, get the Reader’s Challenge hints and solution (no peeking until you’ve tried it on your own!), and to print your own set of pentominoes. (Standard 3, Benchmark 3)
2. Library Sparks magazine online has a wonderful FREE web resource file of word puzzles and codes in their January 2005 edition at http://www.highsmith.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Production/LSP/pages/2005_pdfs/lsp_jan05_vermeer.pdf. Students don’t have to have read Chasing Vermeer to enjoy these activities, and it could be a great way to introduce the book to students. (Standard 3, Benchmark 3)
3. Study the work of Vermeer or other famous artists. Study different types and styles of art. Compare and contrast the work of different artists. Visit an art museum, either in person, through a book, or virtually through the web. Students could create their own “art museum” by choosing their favorite pieces of art and explaining why they would have them in their personal collection. (Standard 1, Benchmark 1; Standard 3, Benchmark 2; Standard 5, Benchmark 2)
National Gallery of Art: links to Vermeer works
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/psearch?Request=S&Name=Vermeer&Title=
Other good art resources online:
1. Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
2. ArtCyclopedia (a guide to great art on the Internet)
Search for works by Vermeer or another artist of your choice.
3. The Louvre in Paris, France
4. Author Blue Balliett was awarded the 2004 Chicago Tribune Prize for Young Adult Fiction (see article online at http://www.writenews.com/2004/072304_tribune_balliett.htm). Do you think her book deserves this award? Why or why not? Imagine you have been chosen to introduce her. Write a speech that explains why Chasing Vermeer won this award and why the author deserves to be honored. (Standard 3, Benchmark 3; Standard 3, Benchmark 4)
Follow-Up Books:
If you liked Chasing Vermeer, you might also want to try:
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (winner of both the Newbery Medal and William Allen White Award)
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Newbery Medal, past WAW nominee)
The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base (a picture book mystery with codes and clues hidden in the illustrations)
Short mysteries to be solved:
Dr. Quicksolve Mystery books by Jim Sukach
MysteryNet’s Kids Mysteries -- http://kids.mysterynet.com/solveit/
