Chasing Vermeer

"On a warm October night in Chicago, three deliveries were made in the same neighborhood. A plump tangerine moon had just risen over Lake Michigan. The doorbell had been rung at each place, and an envelope left propped outside."

Is it a coincidence that Ms. Hussey, the sixth-grade teacher at University School, challenges her class to think about letters that changed lives? This book is filled with coincidences, ones that sixth-graders Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay think may not be coincidence.

Why do the pentomino pieces that Calder carries seem to give him messages? How is it that Calder has a box with a reproduction of Vermeer's The Geographer that also hangs in the home of Mrs. Louisa Sharpe, whose book by Charles Fort Petra has show more found at Powell's Books, and why does Petra dream about Vermeer's Lady Writing? Is there any connection with the theft of that painting from the Art Institute of Chicago, and what about the odd things Calder's friend Tommy writes to him about in a pentomino-based code?

Described by the publisher as "a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art", this "children's book" delighted this adult. Truly about the importance of seeing things new ways, reminding one of Holmes' comment, "you see, Watson, but you do not observe", Chasing Vermeer will have you looking at the world, at patterns, at coincidence in ways you never did before.

And there really is a puzzle for you to solve, hidden in Brett Helquist's black-and-white chapter illustrations. (You can go to the book's website for the solution if you want, but it's much more fun to figure it out on your own.)

This book had the extra attraction for me of being set in my neighborhood. It was great fun to have part of it take place at Powell's, one of my favorite used book stores, and to know which buildings Balliett renamed. It was a bit of a shock, though, to look at the map in the front of the book and find that the First Unitarian Church has been replaced by a Post Office, and that some other landmarks seem to have disappeared! show less

Calder and Petra, sixth-grade students at the University School in Hyde Park, Chicago, get swept up in the mystery of a stolen Vermeer painting, A Lady Writing. Unbeknownst to them, three people in their lives received letters from the thief: their teacher; their neighbor; and a local bookseller. Following clues, hunches, and messages from the Lady (Petra) and a set of pentominoes (Calder), the two team up to find the missing painting. Calder also exchanges letters in code with his friend Tommy, who moved away; readers must decode the letters between the friends to get their full content (I missed some details because I didn't take the time to decipher).

Quotes

"One can't learn much and also be comfortable. One can't learn much and let show more anybody else be comfortable." -Charles Fort, Wild Talents (epigraph)

That was the problem with being an only child: your parents were always paying attention to you. He envied kids whose families forgot about them once in a while. (24)

Fort understood what Petra had often felt: There is much more to be uncovered about the world than most people think. (49)

"Listen to your own thinking." (Ms. Hussey, 51)

Art, for him, was - something puzzling...Something that gave his mind a new idea to spin around. Something that gave him a fresh way of seeing things each time he looked at it. (51)

Calder's pentomino code (57)

"Do you suppose that ideas overlap like this all the time, and people just don't realize it?" (Petra, 89)

Events that were purely accidental were beginning to feel like they fit together, but not in a way he understood or even knew how to think about. (98)

There was comfort in making plans. (126)

"Looking and seeing are two very different things." (Mrs. Sharpe, 207)

Maybe the greatest ideas were quite simple. (249) show less

When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and 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?

I had been coveting this children's book since it was released in hardcover, trying to convince my children that they wanted to read it, thereby granting myself permission to buy it. I haven't managed to convince them yet but when it arrived on the table at the school book sale, it was my duty to buy it to support the school library, right? And now that I've read it, I will be pushing the kids even harder to read it. A truly delightful and inventive tale, this had overtones of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or The Westing Game. Calder Pillay is mourning the loss of his best friend, who has moved out of state, when a strange book about unexplained happenings brings Calder together with Petra, a fellow student with a show more keen eye for coincidences. Petra and Calder build a friendship as they try to unravel the several mysteries: that of an elderly neighbor, that of their teacher's sudden nervousness and distractability, and of course, that of the missing Vermeer painting to which they feel a kinship connection. As the mysteries unfold, Calder and Petra race to find the painting before it is too late as they also seek to explain the other more minor mysteries. The plot abounds with leads, intuitions, and wrong turnings and the reader delights in following these endearing, slightly eccentric kids as they work their way through the clues, both intentionally and unintentionally uncovered. Everything about the book is meticulously done and the puzzle pieces are slotted together so expertly that I only figured out the connections slightly ahead of the characters, which either points to my thickheadedness or their genius (or both). But the true genius here is Balliett, in drawing such an appealing and engrossing story for both boys and girls, one that celebrates intelligence and friendship and perserverence and all those things that can easily cause a less accomplished book to come across as moralistic and dull. This book is anything but that and should be recommended to any and all children in your orbit. show less

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 show more 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 show less

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 show more 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. show less

MARISA WALL'S REVIEW (11/17/08)
I highly recommend the book Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett for fifth or sixth grade readers who love mysteries, have an appreciation for art, and are willing to accept the idea that coincidences might be messages from the universe. If you’re an older reader who enjoyed books like The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, then reading this book would be like visiting an old friend.

The two main characters, sixth grade students Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee, get caught up in solving the mystery of a stolen Vermeer painting. Both of them are lonely at the beginning of the book and putting together the pieces of the art puzzle helps them find the answer for the big friendship question in each show more other. As their journey unfolds in the most unlikely places– into an old bookstore, various buildings on the University of Chicago campus, a baffling book by Charles Fort, Petra’s dreams, pentaminoes, an old lady’s apartment, and the secret life of their classroom teacher – Calder and Petra start to realize that everything in life seems to be connected.

When I read this book, I started asking myself more questions about the coincidences in my life and whether or not they were really coincidences. In the book, the universe seems to be its own character, unveiling delightful surprises for Petra and Calder. What would life be like if I saw the universe as a partner that was actively participating in helping me solve all the questions I have?

Now that I have read Chasing Vermeer, I feel as though I have more curiosity about life in general. I also have extreme curiosity about the real life aspects of the book. I want to learn more about the artist Vermeer and the mysteries of his stolen paintings. I want to learn more about Charles Fort and see if I can get my hands on the book Lo! that Petra discovers. I also wonder if I would have as much fun going to the University of Chicago as I have going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Plaza Hotel in New York City now that I’ve read The Mixed Up Files.. and the Eloise books. In addition to the spark for life that the words have given me, the wonderful illustrations by Brett Helquist hold a code of their own, and I had a great time figuring out the actual code in the pages of the book written by Ms. Balliett. Read this book and see your curiosity grow! show less