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    Masterpiece
    Masterpiece
    Masterpiece
    Audiobook5 hours

    Masterpiece

    Written by Elise Broach

    Narrated by Jeremy Davidson

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays' apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. He is very much an eleven-year-old boy.After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer. But James can't go through with the plan without Marvin's help. And that's where things get really complicated (and interesting!). This fast-paced mystery will have young readers on the edge of their seats as they root for boy and beetle.

    In Shakespeare's Secret Elise Broach showed her keen ability to weave storytelling with history and suspense, and Masterpiece is yet another example of her talent. This time around it's an irresistible miniature world, fascinating art history, all wrapped up in a special friendship— something for everyone to enjoy.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateSep 30, 2008
    ISBN9781427205155
    Author

    Elise Broach

    Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of Masterpiece, Shakespeare’s Secret and Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain, the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy, as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher’s Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

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    Reviews for Masterpiece

    4/5

    295 ratings57 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was a cute book teaching that friendship and art can bring two very unlikely people together. In this book, a boy becomes friends with a bettle who helps him draw pictures that please the boy's parents.
    • 4/5
      What a fun read: relationship between James and Marvin (beetle) explores friendship; enjoyed reading about artwork, especially of artists that previously I had not been familiar; quite an adventure story
    • 5/5
      This is such a great book! A beetle, named Marvin, becomes friends with a boy named James, whose house he lives in. Marvin sneaks into James' room and becomes intrigued by a pen and ink set James received for his birthday. He decides to draw a picture with his little tiny beetle feet and it is nothing short of a masterpiece! James discovers Marvin and they become friends. Meanwhile, James' family thinks that he is the one who drew the masterpiece. Through many trips to the art museum in NYC, they become involved with an art heist, solve the mystery together and become (unlikely) best friends. I think this book should be a movie.
    • 3/5
      children's fiction. Likeable story that should appeal to boys and girls, drags a bit at the end (and they never do catch the criminal). Should work well for a read-aloud.
    • 3/5
      This was a family listen, though one of my kids had read it before. Though it is geared toward middle readers (grades 3-5) it was still an enjoyable story and made me think twice before carelessly swatting a bug. Like a Cricket in Times Square, this story presents a talented lovable insect who is able to interact with humans. Marvin is a beetle living in the Pompaday family's NYC apartment. When 11-year-old James gets an ink drawing set from his artistic father, Marvin and James' friendship begins. Marvin crawls through the ink one night and then onto paper to create a stunning cityscape as a birthday gift for James. James is a bit of a misfit at school and is living with his mother, step-father and demanding step-baby-brother and Marvin witnesses his dejection. The drawing is an attempt to cheer him up. However, Mrs. Pompaday finds it, assumes James made it and importunes Carl, his father, to take him to the Met for further art exposure. James is asked to create a copy of one of Albrecht Durer's drawings to foil an art robbery. Marvin actually does the drawing, and James gets the credit, and together they solve the mystery. A sweet story and an excellent way to get kids interested in art in the tradition of Blue Balliett and E.L. Konigsburg.
    • 2/5
      This one got so much hype, and I was disappointed. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very good, either. I'm not sure what kind of reader would sit through the first part of talking cockroaches in the walls, and then be interested in a discussion of the Four Virtues. The crime/mystery part was interesting, but it took entirely too long to get there.
    • 3/5
      A beetle who discovers he can draw with his antennae makes friends with a boy and the two set out to solve an art heist mystery together at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Great for book club at school and we invite the art teacher to join us.
    • 4/5
      My record of this must have been lost when I brought my records over from GR. I know I read it, and I remember liking it quite a bit but not being floored by it. I wouldn't mind rereading it someday, maybe for a discussion group.
    • 3/5
      A story of friendship between a boy and a beetle. My favorite lines in the story: "A great friendship is like a great work of art. It takes time and attention and a spark of something that is impossible to describe. It is a happy, lucky accident, finding some kindred part of yourself in a total stranger."
    • 2/5
      I think this book has some pretty great messages for children about friendship, honesty, and being open to the world and all of its possibilites. I don't have much to say about it because I honestly didn't think it was that fantastic. I would recommend it for 8 or 9 year olds who like art and art history.
    • 5/5
      Marvin is an amazing artist and suddenly a lot of attention is lavished on his art work. The thing is, he's a beetle! Marvin lives with his family under a sink in a New York City apartment. James, 11, leaves his pen and ink set out one day and Marvin goes to work. James ends up getting the credit. On thing leads to another and pretty soon they are in the middle of a staged art heistMarvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays’ apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. He is very much an eleven-year-old boy.After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Durer. However, James can’t go through with the plan without Marvin’s help.
    • 5/5
      "Honesty is the best policy" is a major theme in Masterpiece. This is the story of Marvin and James and the development of their friendship and all of the adventures that ensue. In the end, Marvin and James find that honesty is really the best policy after they see all of the webs that lies can weave. Broach's story is cute and appropriate for students just entering the world of novels.
    • 5/5
      A great novel to share with students. It describes a student who isn't really good at art but with the help of his little friend the beatle who knew how to draw well.
    • 5/5
      A beetle family lives underneath the sink in James' house. James and the beetle become friends and help a museum catch a picture thief. I loved this story. I think that children need to read stories likes this so that it can build their imagination.
    • 4/5
      James is a young boy who starts an unlikely friendship with a small beetle named Marvin who lives underneath the kitchen sink in his home. The odd pair end up going on an adventure that ultimately solves the mystery behind an art heist. The book involves everything from friendship, family, art, theft, and honesty. This book by Elise Broach would be great for young readers because it requires them to use their imagination and believe in the impossible.
    • 4/5
      Marvin is a beetle that lives in a little boys house. One night while the boy is asleep Marvin draws a beautiful portrait with the boys new ink set. Marvin and the boy become friends and Marvin begins to draw masterpieces for the boys parents, while they think it's really their boy drawing them. The boy and Marvin go on adventures and do many different things all in the name of art and friendship. This book would be great for 4th grade and up. Even though it is a fantasy novel, because beetles could never talk. It shows a great example of friendship.
    • 4/5
      Masterpiece is a masterpiece! Such a great little book following a beetle who lives in a boys house and the adventures they go on. The book includes theft, forgery, and adventure. Definitely a page turner. I also really liked the fact that although it is a fantasy book the artist that the book revolves around is an actual person. I thought Broach did a great job of creating a fantasy book that also has characteristics of actual things. I also found it very cute that a beetle and a boy could be friends.
    • 5/5
      Marvin is a young Beetle who wants to do something special for the young boy who lives in his house. When the boy gets an art set from his father for his birthday the Beetle becomes intrigued and makes a tiny masterpiece for the boy. This greatly changes both of their lives.
    • 4/5
      This is a cute book where James, a young boy, meets a very unlikely friend who takes him on a once in a lifetime adventure. This friend is named Marvin, a beetle, who lives under the kitchen sink in James's home. However, Marvin and James weave a web of lies that they can't seem to get out of where James is posing as a brilliant artist when really it is Marvin. Ultimately, Marvin and James solve and prevent a major art heist from happening. This story is a fun adventure book that teaches the foundations of a friendship in a very simplistic fashion. This may have been a simple book, but I love a good mystery with a bit of adventure!
    • 4/5
      This novel is a fantasy packed novel about a young boy and a beetle. Marvin, a beetle, forms a friendship with James, a young eleven year old boy. One day, Marvin paints a very beautiful picture for James and everyone seem to believe James is the artist. Farther in the book James is asked to make a forged copy of a painting in order to save a piece of art. James is terrified because he can't really paint. This is an exciting book about the power of family and friendship and also adventures.
    • 4/5
      This story is about an adventurous beetle. Marvin isn't any kind of beetle though; he is a talking beetle who loves to swim and draw. Marvin befriends a little boy who lives in the same house as he and it is up to them to find who is stealing the famous Druer drawings, but will they catch the culprit?
    • 3/5
      James gets into a sticky situation when his mother, Ms. Pompaday, finds a beautiful tiny drawing on his desk. Ms. Pompaday thinks that James has created it when in fact it is the work of a beetle, Marvin, who lives with his family within the Pompaday's walls. Later, when James is asked to recreate a famous Druer drawing he knows that he cannot do it with out the help of his new bug friend Marvin. Marvin agrees to help him go into the dangerous outside world of New York City despite his family's wishes. In the end, Marvin is safe and helps lead to the discovery of who stole the Druer. Themes of this novel include unexpected friendships and family. I did not really love this book but I do think that most students would enjoy it. I would possibly use "Masterpiece" as a "chapter a day book" because every chapter ends in a way that makes readers want to know what is going to happen next.
    • 4/5
      Masterpiece is the story of a little beetle named Marvin who lives with his family inside of James' house. James is a little boy who lives with his mother and step father. It turns out that Marvin can draw exceptionally well and together, he and James uncover stolen masterpieces for the museum. James and Marvin can understand each other without speaking verbally to one another. At first I didn't the story would be that interesting to me, but it turned out to be a very cute story! I love how we get a point of view from the beetles. Who knew beetles could be interesting?! When I was little, I used to always talk to bugs and animals as if they could actually understand me, so this book made me realize that the child version of me wasn't insane after all. It's only crazy if the animal talks back...
    • 4/5
      While first reading this story, I thought it wasn't going to be very interesting. But it turns out its actually a cute little book. Marvin the beetle can draw exceptionally well, and the parents of the boy think its him who can draw when he can't even draw a stick person. This is a fantasy book as well as a little mystery.
    • 4/5
      This is a nice story of a boy and a beetle that form an unlikely team in creating artwork that is comparable to art masters. Together the solve the mystery of the stolen Druer drawings from museum. This would be a good book to capture the interest of younger children. It would also be a nice lead into the world of art appreciation.
    • 4/5
      Marvin, a beetle, forms a close bond with James, an eleven year old boy. The two are unforeseen friends are brought together when Marvin gives James a painting for a gift and everyone takes it as the work of James. James, and Marvin, are asked to help save an expensive, as well as valuable, piece of art by creating a forged copy. The two have an exciting experience neither will ever forget, and along the way they both learned a lot about family and friendship. Personally, I did enjoy this fantasy novel because of the added mystery and the twist towards the end. Also, because it was not overly simple nor too complicated. However, I felt the author laid everything out there in the open for the reader (e.g. the theme of friendship, the theme of the four cardinal virtues). The reader did not have to dig awfully deep to find meaning and purpose in the text. I think this novel would make a better teaching tool if it prompted more critical thinking. However, I still think it is a great book to encourage students to read independently.
    • 4/5
      This novel was about a beetle named and a young boy named James. Marvin painted a picture for James birthday and everyone believes that James can actually draw. So James dad brings him to an art gallery and they ask James to draw a durer. To help solve a mystery about who is the one behind all of the theft of the durer's. When Marvin paints the picture and James gets the credit for it. He finds out that the one that was really the mastermind was Denny who had stolen the other three of the four durers. The mystery is solved and Marvin and James become close because of their way of solving a mystery in their own way.
    • 4/5
      James was a young boy who finds himself in a truly unexpected kind of friendship with a beetle named Marvin. Although Marvin is a small beetle, he is capable of creating big things. Marvin uses James's art set to create a detailed piece of art. James takes credit for the picture, and his parents are impressed by "his" abilities. When his parents bring him to the museum, the museum workers decide to ask James to create a duplicate of a painting they had in their gallery in order to prevent the real one from theft. But when the authentic painting is stolen, James and Marvin embark on an adventure together to catch the thief. Friendship is the main theme of this story, for James and Marvin share a unique type of friendship, a friendship put together so perfectly enough to be considered a masterpiece in itself.
    • 4/5
      Masterpiece is the story of an unlikely friendship between James the little boy and Marvin the Beetle. The friendship came about when Marvin found himself in James’ room. He across drawing items and decided to leave James a picture. The picture was absolutely amazing! When James meets to creator of the masterpiece, they become best friends. When everyone thinks that James was the one to create the picture, they decided to keep up with the lie. Throughout the book, we meet several other characters and go on a fun adventure of finding a thief. This would be an interesting book for children because it’s an exciting fantasy tale with friendship and adventure. Details: This book was written to interest children in grades 5-8 and is on a 5.4 reading level.
    • 4/5
      A story about friendship, art and family values. Marvin is a beetle who lives in James' house. They end up becoming friends. James received an ink set for his birthday, which Marvin use to make him a drawing for his birthday. This drawing lead to many adventures and bonded the two together. This book would be great to talk to students about friendship, family, values, and art.