About This Book
Chasing Vermeer is an engaging art mystery novel for middle-grade readers, following eleven-year-olds Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay in Hyde Park, Chicago. When Johannes Vermeer's painting, 'A Lady Writing,' is stolen, the thief challenges the art world to question the authenticity of Vermeer's works. Petra and Calder, with their individual quirks, collaborate to decipher clues, including anonymous letters and pentomino codes, to recover the painting. The book explores themes of art, chance, coincidence, deception, and the power of young minds. It's an excellent choice for children who enjoy puzzles, art, and a suspenseful adventure.
When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. First book in the series featuring art sleuth friends Calder and Petra.
peril_danger
Character Death
Discussion Prompts
1
What do you think makes a piece of art valuable? Is it the artist, the history, or something else?
2
Petra and Calder pay close attention to coincidences. Do you believe coincidences are just random, or do they sometimes form patterns?
3
If you were Ms. Hussey, what art assignment would you give your class to make them look at art more closely?
4
Calder uses pentominoes to send and receive messages. Can you think of other ways to create secret codes?
5
What qualities make Petra and Calder a good team? How do their different strengths help them solve the mystery?
External Reviews
Google Books
4/5 (14 ratings)
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