CHASING VERMEER by Blue Balliett
    Illustrated by Brett Helquist
    Category:  Mystery/Thriller
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  5/1/05
    Publisher:  Scholastic
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    I think the fact that I had never heard of CHASING VERMEER before I picked up a copy at the bookstore helped
    in my enjoyment of it.  After I finished reading the book, I read with interest other reviews of the book, which is
    usually my habit after I've written my own review.  I like to see what other readers thought of a story, or how similar--
    or, in some cases, dissimilar--my own thoughts and feelings are from other readers.  I was surprised to see that many
    had touted CHASING VERMEER as a DA VINCI CODE for the younger set.  I was surprised by the supposed
    hype that the book had generated.  I was surprised, in fact, by the way I was caught up in the story myself.  Although
    I can't comment on its similarity to THE DA VINCI CODE (I'm one of probably only a handful of humans on the
    planet who hasn't read it!), I can say that CHASING VERMEER is a mixture of mystery, art, precociousness, and
    ingenuity that made it a joy to read.

    Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay live down the street from each other in Hyde Park, share the same birthday, and
    have as the same sixth-grade teacher the wonderful Ms. Hussey at University School.  It's rare to find a teacher who
    allows her students to have a say in what material they will cover, and both Petra and Calder are aware of this.  
    When Ms. Hussey asks the students to discuss with an adult a letter that changed their life, most students are
    baffled.  When the assignment fails, Ms. Hussey instead takes them on a field trip to the Art Institute--where the
    worlds of Petra, Calder, Ms. Hussey, and Vermeer collide.

    Who was Vermeer?  An artist, it turns out, who has several paintings attributed to him that some members of the
    general public don't agree were done by the painter himself.  Suddenly, Petra and Calder's world is filled with a
    strange book entitled "Lo!", a painting known as "A Lady Writing," an old lady named Mrs. Sharpe, a man who
    owns a bookstore, a set of twelve pentominoes, a bunch of frogs, and a few bags of blue M&M's.

    CHASING VERMEER is, quite simply, an art mystery in the style of Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys, but more
    interesting and complex.  This is a delightful read, and I can't wait to read THE WRIGHT 3, the next story in the
    adventures of Petra and Calder.
Chasing Vermeer
by Blue Balliett