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    Chasing Vermeer
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    Chasing Vermeer
    Unavailable
    Chasing Vermeer
    Audiobook4 hours

    Chasing Vermeer

    Written by Blue Balliett

    Narrated by Ellen Reilly

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee & Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth they must draw on their powers of intuition, their skills at problem solving, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 9, 2004
    ISBN9780307206749
    Unavailable
    Chasing Vermeer

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    Reviews for Chasing Vermeer

    3.5/5

    868 ratings76 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Can you imagine working on a mystery that even the FBI can’t solve? In Chasing Vermeer, Petra Andalee finds a book about odd occurrences that completely captures her interest and makes her start thinking. This book connects her to classmate and neighbor, Calder Pillay. Soon after their friendship begins strange things start to happen and they find connections between events that don’t seem related at first. It isn’t long before a Vermeer painting goes missing and Petra and Calder find themselves in the middle of an art scandal. As the mystery unfolds they must use their problem solving skills, research techniques, and their own unique strategies, like pentominoes, to try to find out “who done it”. Will Petra and Calder be able to find out who the art thief is? Will they be able to get out of a dangerous situation alive? Read this unique mystery to find out about friendship, art, and the power of knowledge.

      I loved the style that Blue Balliett used to write Chasing Vermeer. Petra and Calder have such distinct personalities and I could relate to both of them in different ways. Before reading this book I had never heard of pentominoes, but after seeing the way Calder uses them to solve riddles I definitely want to get a set! I enjoyed the way Petra and Calder worked on the mystery because they had such a unique way of looking at the clues. I recommend this book to anyone from third grade through 7th grade. I also think that adults and older kids will be captivated by this fast paced story.
    • 4/5
      Great book, demonstrating the power of clever, creative young people.
    • 4/5
      Calder Pillay enjoys puzzles and is fascinated with pentominoes. Petra Andalee aspires to be a writer. They are classmates in Ms. Hussy's 6th grade class. They are not really friends, but become good friends through this adventure.Ms. Hussy is very interested in art and uses a creative way to teach the class. She uses Vermeer's "A Lady Writing" and "The Geographer" in presenting questions about whether letter writing is important and ideas in art as "a lie that tells the truth."When Vermeer's "A Lady Writing" disappears in transit from Washington D.C. to Hyde Park, Calder and Petra decide to try and find it. Looking for hidden places in old buildings. Using an old book as a source of idea and thinking. Secret codes, pentominoes and other puzzles aren't just part of the story, they are also to be found by the reader in the illustrations in the book.I'd say this is a book you'd want to take your time with and keep aware of any possible clues that may come up. The illustrations have a lot to offer in telling the story and providing possible clues.There is a section in the back with more information about the author, the puzzles, the illustrations, the actual art mentioned in the book. There is also a taste of the second book "The Wright 3" which I find I already have.A good read!
    • 4/5
      Looking for a good book for younger children with high reading levels? This might be a winner! No zombies, death, vampires or blood! Follow Petra and Calder as they try and unravel mysterious clues about a book, a letter and the lady in Vermeer's painting, "A Lady Writing". Fun and full of interesting twists-and-turns, this book keeps kids guessing (and reading!) to discover the ending. A definite read for the art lovers, too!
    • 4/5
      This book could be an independent read by a 5th-grade class to introduce geometry. The use of the pentominoes throughout the book inspires the use of these tools to teach shapes. Students would be given a set of the pentominoes and asked to make a rectangle with 2, then 3, then 4 and so on. It would get their creative thinking going and introduce these geometric shapes. This book could be used in many other ways as well, this is one of many. Fifth-grade seems old enough to understand the book and this concept of pentominoes.
    • 5/5
      Sheer brilliance!
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      A fun read!
    • 5/5
      This interesting and suspenseful story involves math, problem-solving, and allows students to make predictions about the story. I really enjoyed it and it kept me on my toes throughout my reading it.
    • 3/5
      This book was being checked out a lot at our library by the youth, so I decided to read it. I didn't expect it to be as satisfying a mystery as an adult mystery would be, I knew I was reading a young persons book. So I am surprised at the number of people that "didn't find the mystery satisfying".What I enjoyed most was the fact that it contained ideas and things to (hopefully) think about. For example, Petra thinks that perhaps humans need questions more than they need answers... or she wonders why yellow is a happy color or whether ideas and thoughts have a life of their own. She also begins to understand that Fort is suggesting the possibly that the world changes if/when we change our view of what we are seeing. These little gems don't take over the story, and the mystery, but they are there like little seeds waiting to sprout in a person's mind.I am going to read the rest of the books in the series and I am hoping that this holds true in the rest of the books.
    • 3/5
      Chasing Vermeer is a middle-grade novel centering around two slightly odd eleven-year-olds, whose intellectual curiosity brings them together to solve a mystery.What I liked: It’s a mystery! I love mysteries, especially when they’re about kids out-smarting adults. The book incorporates art into the story, educating the reader on some pretty interesting art history. The cover and the interior drawings are wonderful.What I didn’t like: Although it is a mystery, the two kids don’t really use problem-solving or reasoning to solve it. There are way too many coincidences throughout the book, and the finale is pretty disappointing and flat. The two main characters are likable, but it would’ve been more interesting if they had used their intellect to solve the mystery rather than rely on dreams and coincidences. I would’ve liked to have seen them discover clues and then put together the pieces to discover the bad guy and find the painting.All-in-all, it was well-written and beautifully illustrated, but a bit disappointing throughout.3 out of 5 stars
    • 2/5
      I found this book on a shelf in the waiting area of the The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg, Virginia, while I was waiting for my parents to finish their tour of the museum. It was a quick read--I got about 3/4ths of the way through the book while I waited--but I can't say that I would have ever read it on my own time. It was interesting and I would certainly recommend it to kids who like art or mysteries.
    • 2/5
      Help! I don't read mysteries, and though I'm done, and though I read carefully, I guess I just don't have the skill set. I still have questions!

      For example, there's supposed to be some sort of puzzle in the pictures. I spent way too much time examining those and got nothing good. The author's note says check the website to check your answer, but that page seems to be down. (Actually, I tried one more time, and got an answer that I'm satisfied with. Still not happy about how much work it was, though.)

      Well, even if I did understand all the plot, I don't think I'd like the book. I like books I can immerse myself in - and every time I had to break out scratch-paper and solve the ciphers I was distracted enough to want to abandon the book. (But I didn't because I'm reading it with the Children's Books group here on GR.) It's not like the ciphers were even interesting - simple letter-substitution, with code provided.

      And the characters didn't feel quite real for me - they seemed like carefully-drawn representations. I mean, why is it important to know their exact ethnic heritage, however interestingly mixed? It's not like it affects the story.

      I also didn't like the implication that the paranormal is real. I mean, it's great to look for patterns, to see beyond the superficial, etc. But to imagine that your pentominoes are speaking to you - no. It was Calder's subconscious speaking to him - and that's actually much more interesting, in my opinion.

      And what's up with Denise? She's a very superficial character. What would we find if we examined her with Vermeer's or Fort's questioning mind? The author doesn't give us a clue (unless I missed it?

      Reading other reviews, it looks like I'm not alone in finding the mystery confusing, in part because of randomness and unbelievability of clues. Also, I've no interest in DaVinci Code.
    • 4/5
      “Dear Friend: I would like your help in identifying a crime that is now centuries old.” This simple anonymous letter left on the doorsteps of three different residents of the same town kicks off a complex mystery involving the theft of a Vermeer painting. Classmates Petra and Calder come together and find themselves at the center of this international art scandal.

      A series of coincidences, unanswered questions and secret codes are a central part of this story which is part mystery, part puzzle and part adventure. Petra and Calder must put all the pieces together without knowing who can help because everyone is under suspicion. And they are racing against the clock so they can find the thief before he goes through with his threat and destroys the valuable piece of art.

      This is a fun, slowly-unfolding story with lots of twists and turns.
    • 4/5
      I loved it, but I think that the characters won't actually appeal to my students, unfortunately. They are just too clean and cerebral.
    • 3/5
      This book had potential but I felt like it didn't really go anywhere and I lost interest because of this.
    • 5/5
      This book would be good to use when encouraging students to answer their own questions. I think students will like this book because of the mystery that takes place and how the students solve it.
    • 4/5
      This is a Young Adult book and I can certainly see why it would appeal to them but I enjoyed it too.Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee live in the Hyde Park area of Chicago. Hyde Park adjoins the University of Chicago so many people who live there work or study at the University. Calder and Petra attend the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and they don't follow a set curriculum but study what interests them. Calder and Petra don't start out as friends even though they are in the same class and live a few doors from each other. But circumstances draw them together and they find they have the same interest in puzzles and reading. When a priceless Vermeer painting is stolen on its way to an exhibition in Chicago and the thief challenges ordinary people to examine paintings said to be by Vermeer but possibly by others, Petra and Calder are fascinated. They start to hunt for the missing painting using clues that are perhaps provided by the painting itself.Calder introduces Petra and others to the puzzles called Pentominoes. There are 12 pentominoes in a set and each pentomino consists of 5 squares. They can be fit together to form a rectangle. Calder also uses them as a code for writing to his friend Tommy.I liked the fact that Petra and Calder are friends even though they are different genders. They get teased a bit at school but they just ignore that and enjoy discovering things together.
    • 2/5
      The synopsis looked promising, with phrases like: "unexplained occurrences" and "seemingly unrelated events connect." The author did a reasonable job in linking together coincidences, synchronistic events, made several allusions to tapping into the collective consciousness (via dreams and other cognitive means).

      However, in my opinion, the plot could have been more engaging -- I kept waiting for the story to pick up. If the author is planning on a followup book, she should make a bolder foray into exploring quantum and metaphysics, and to make firm(er) assertions in the story itself. Still, I am grateful for having read this book, as it providentially led me to: "On The Plurality Of Worlds' (David Lewis) and 'The Roots Of Coincidence' (Arthur Koestler) -- which I will get around to reading at a later time.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of two unlikely friends who work together to unravel a mystery. Petra has no trouble expressing herself while Calder struggles to find the right words, yet these two join forces to solve the mystery of the stolen Vermeer painting. Students will like trying to put the clues together with Calder and Petra. All the uses of the number 12 will interest students who like solving puzzles. You can use this text to discuss Vermeer and to learn about pentominoes - I didn't know what they were used for. It got a little confusing at the end, but I think 4th and 5th grade students will like the book.
    • 5/5
      Two offbeat kids work together to recover a priceless stolen painting. As a fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was drawn in by the gorgeous Brett Helquist art. While this story is much more grounded in reality than Lemony Snicket's timeless, placeless, neo-Victorian world, there are enough similarities that fans of the former will likely enjoy this engaging mystery. I especially liked that the book examined different kinds of intelligences instead of having the kids be generically "smart" -- each has a specialty (Petra reads heavily and makes verbal associations, Calder is good with math and patterns) and initially finds the other to be rather weird. This would be a fantastic book for a reader who likes puzzles and activities, as there are several messages in cipher to figure out and clues hidden in the pictures; it could even be used in conjunction with a math class to introduce pentominoes.
    • 4/5
      Great middle school book. Fun and clever, the pictures have things hidden in them. Very mysterious and well written. The story moves along at a good pace. The characters are interesting, but it is the mystery that is the star of this book. There are many art references. Very enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The characters were fun and the story reminded me of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. But I don't really care for stories (particularly supposedly realistic fiction) that rely so much on "no such thing as coincidence" to move the plot forward. I doubt I'll read more of this series.
    • 3/5
      I generally enjoy these lighter mystery books written for young adults. A quick read with no heavy emotional baggage so wade through. The mystery behind this one was well thought out, and the characters were definitely unique and not cookie cutter transplants from any other story in the world.My biggest problem was that the idea underlying the story, that coincidence doesn't exist and everything is mysteriously interrelated, was not worked into the story well enough for it to be compelling. It just seemed like the kids were pulling clues out of their backsides and somehow that was the correct revelation they needed. They never had to interact with anyone. All they had to do was think up something random in their heads and that random thing was the breakthrough that led them to the end. This was less a mystery solved by characters finding clues, or even by following reasonable inferences, than it was a mystery solved by the author. I just kept thinking, "give me a break, how can they really use that random thing that floated into their imagination that relates to absolutely nothing in the story and expect to solve a mystery." But that is exactly what the author let them do.I rate it as high as I do because this particular mechanism of solving mysteries doesn't seem to be what the series is about. It is about these interesting kids and their strange neighborhood. The preview for the next book, called The Wright 3, included at the end looked more promising. Maybe that one will be at the book fair next time. Otherwise, I'll have to pass on these books.
    • 4/5
      A bit too intuitive for my tastes, but overall a cute mystery for YA.
    • 3/5
      New friends Petra and Calder set out to discover an art thief and recover a stolen Vermeer painting in Chicago. This is a fast-paced, engaging chapter book for 4th and 5th graders who enjoy mysteries, puzzles, and perhaps even art history. This title could be included in a book list or display featuring nonfiction titles about Vermeer or art history in general, as well as art instruction books for children. Fans of E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will enjoy this mystery starring two investigative kids in a big city.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyable, a much better lesson in diversity than Boomtown. Some misfits of all ages get together to solve an outrageous crime. Clever and rather well-written. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
    • 5/5
      An awesome book that makes people (of any age) think about art in perhaps a different way than before. the codes and little twists in the book are excellent, the teaching style of the class the main characters are in inspires my teaching, and the illustrations are artistic puzzle excellence. (definitely show the pictures , or make copies of them to hand out to students to look at if you read it aloud)
    • 3/5
      Characters: Calder, Petra, Mr. Watch, Ms. Hussy, Mrs. Sharpe, TommySetting: Hyde Park, Chicago, October through DecemberTheme: friendship, problem solving, powerful thinking, thinking outside the box, revealing truth, reading between the lines, searching underlying message, raising awareness to what is simply passed as common or coincidenceSummary: The novel begins with Mr. Watch (the owner of the bookstore where Calder works at), Mrs. Sharpe (Calder and Petra's grouchy neighbor whose husband was a Vermeer expert), and Ms. Hussy (Calder and Petra's schoolteacher) receiving a mysterious, ominous letter from the same sender. Calder and Petra are not usual sixth graders. Calder loves pentominoes and Petra is odd in an uninteresting way. When they learn "A Lady Writing" by Vermeer is missing, or stolen, they inductively investigate to reveal the thief and bring back the painting safe and sound. With hints gathered from the recipients of the letter, notes from Tommy, Calder's best friend, a used book called "Lo!", instincts, and coincidences, they succeed in securing the painting from Delia Dell Hall. It turns out the stunt was a scheme contrived by Tommy's stepfather whose plan was to sell the painting for sixty million dollars.Review: My expectations for this book were too high to enjoy the novel to the fullest. One of the major problems I had was the total waste of the character, "Mr. Watch." His character was given a name, not a role. Also, Ms. Hussy's teaching method is unheard of, only dreamed of; as an educator, it is hard to escape the state standards-centered curriculum and standardized tests. Although I enjoyed descriptive details, constant, sudden change of point of view between Calder and Petra, and solving puzzles from illustrations, there were some moments I had to cock my head. Would a missing painting stir such a worldwide chaos? Why would Petra make a poignant mistake of deserting the painting in the car, unguarded? Why did Denise show hatred toward Petra? These questions, unattended with explanations, were in the way for me to truly appreciate the book.Curriculum ties: Music and history (art, Vermeer), inductive reasoning
    • 4/5
      Chasing Vermeer was written by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist in 2004. This is a mystery novel for children ages 8 and up. I believe this would make a great book in a classroom when learning about art. I did take away one star because I was a little bored reading it. This story is written in third person. It is about Calder and Petra working together to help solve a case about a missing Vermeer picture. Petra has visions that allow her to help with the case and Calder uses pentominoes throughout the story to help him solve the case. For example when Calder pulled out a U pentominoe, he started thinking. “It’s U for under. ….Maybe it’s also U for University School!” The author keeps you interested in the book through the character’s thoughts about the case. For example Calder and Petra are in Gracie Hall when they see Petra’s dad with a rectangular package. They believe this package may be the missing picture. They go throughout the story giving ideas about who the thief could be, and it keeps your mind wondering. You will be surprised in the end who has stolen the Vermeer picture and whether or not Calder and Petra where able to locate it. I believe the author wrote this book to teach children about Vermeer’s paintings, but made it a suspense story so they would keep reading. I read this book with my children’s literature class. The author has a Contents page at the beginning of the book with the introductions and chapters being listed. After the contents page there is a map of the city, so you can follow along in the book and know where the characters are. I believe the map is very helpful, because it allows the readers to stay connected with the characters. The author gives you an introduction about pentominoes. I believe this introduction is helpful because it allows the readers to know what pentominoes are. The chapters are wonderfully laid out. Each chapter has a title that matches perfectly with what’s about to happen within that chapter. It also begins with XXX, before the first word of the chapter. The author goes back and forth with Calder and Petra’s characters. Anytime she changes characters or settings, she puts XXX before the beginning of the paragraph. I believe this is a helpful tool in helping children stay connected with whoever is carrying out the story and where they are in the story. The illustrator, Brett Helquist, did an outstanding job. The jacket of this book is a wonderful picture of the story. Petra’s pose makes you think she heard something and had to turn her head to see what it was. Calder is holding a flashlight, as if he was looking for something. Each chapter has one full page picture. The first picture is an image of the three people receiving a letter that is later talked about in the story. The second picture perfectly portrays, “Picking up a yellow leaf, she held it in front of her face.” I believe the picture should have been on the previous page, so the children could see it as they read the line. The third picture, “Petra took off on her own,” was also a great image of Petra walking by a painting and Calder watching her. Each chapter follows this suit. Every picture lines up with what is being said in the story. The illustrations are done in black and white drawings, and some of them have hidden frogs and pentominoes.