It's fun (for me, anyway) to read a story based in Chicago, like Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Vermeer was a painter in the 1600s, and Petra and Calder are friends who are trying to solve the mystery of a Vermeer painting that disappeared on its way to the Art Institute. Several random events are described, as well as a cast of interesting characters, and it's hard to figure out how in the world they'll all fit together (but they do in the end). The book includes chapter illustrations containing a puzzle that relates to the mystery, too. Some of the clues and patterns the kids discover are pretty cool, but some seem too coincidental. Even though I wasn't crazy about the ending (kind of weak), I enjoyed going to the computer a few times throughout the book to see more details of the Vermeer paintings described.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A Chicago mystery
It's fun (for me, anyway) to read a story based in Chicago, like Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Vermeer was a painter in the 1600s, and Petra and Calder are friends who are trying to solve the mystery of a Vermeer painting that disappeared on its way to the Art Institute. Several random events are described, as well as a cast of interesting characters, and it's hard to figure out how in the world they'll all fit together (but they do in the end). The book includes chapter illustrations containing a puzzle that relates to the mystery, too. Some of the clues and patterns the kids discover are pretty cool, but some seem too coincidental. Even though I wasn't crazy about the ending (kind of weak), I enjoyed going to the computer a few times throughout the book to see more details of the Vermeer paintings described.
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1 comment:
Definitely check out Blue Balliett's new book, The Danger Box. Very different from her first three Calder-Petra-Tommy series.
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