Chasing Vermeer Review

Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
Author(s): Blue Balliett

Binding: Paperback

Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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When a book of unexplainable occurences brings Petra and Calder together, strange things start to happen: Seemingly unrelated events connect; an eccentric old woman seeks their company; an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has stumped even the FBI?

User Submitted Chasing Vermeer Reviews

May 26, 2010
convoluted and non-sensical
This is one of the worst books I have ever read. Seriously. It is ostensibly a mystery, but the adolescent sleuths don't use any form of reasoning or follow any logical framework for solving the problem before them. When the author needs the kids to know something, she just tosses it at them in a dream or a "feeling." Because the characters don't actually need to do any problem solving, they end up being wooden mouthpieces for the author's convoluted, ill-thought-out plot. This book is truly awful. And the reviews comparing it to THE WESTING GAME are as far off base as they can be.

May 15, 2010
Good Book
This book was a great little read from start to finish. My daughter (12) is now reading it and she is enjoying it also - good book for young and old alike!

April 11, 2010
On "Chasing Vermeer"
I recently had the privilege of joining a first-ever teacher's book club at our school. We are called "The Lunch Bunch", and at our first meeting, each chose a children's book that had made the top 100 list of newly published books. We were to read the book and be ready to discuss it at the following meeting two weeks later.

I chose "Chasing Vermeer", by Blue Balliett. I was interested because it was a mystery about children trying to solve the case of a missing Vermeer painting. That is the simple, one sentence summary. Like all good mysteries, there are many twists, turns, and seemingly unrelated events.

After all, who would ever think to link the number twelve, frogs, pentominoes, a strange book entitled "Lo!", and an ancient, priceless work of art? I will confess I never would have dreamed it! You'll just have to read this book to discover how they all fit together...like pieces of a puzzle!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries. As I said earlier, this is a children's book; the main characters being six-graders. But as an adult...I was certainly captivated!

Karina Harris; author of "Second Chance"

March 23, 2010
a perfect book for mystery fans
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett is one of the best mysteries I've ever read, comparing only to the "Westing game" by Ellen Raskin.In this book a famous and invaluable Vermeer painting goes missing. Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee, drawn together by a book of mysterious events, follow coincidence after coincidence that may not be coincidences after all.

In this suspenceful book Calder and Petra work together to solve a worldwide art scandal that includes mysterious letters, pentominoes, teachers being arrested, concussions and the number twelve.

Blue Balliett has also made two sequels, the Wright three and The Calder Game. I highly reccomend The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I suggest you read Chasing Vermeer. You'll probably like it.

By: Lucas

March 15, 2010
Liked Caulder better!
I was sent the Caulder book, and I sent for chasing Vermeer. I wasn't as excited by this book as I was the first one of Blue's. Fun for teenagers or younger is good reader.

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