Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
puzzle-piece plot coupled with powerful prose, 19 Feb 2006
Blue Balliet's first book is well crafted and difficult to put down. Calder and Petra, both three-dimensional characters, are unique and instantly likeable and very quirky and cool. The requisite red-herrings and bountiful conincidences move the plot forward in a satisfyingly fresh manner, keeping the reader guessing "who dunnit" all the way to the end. Balliet is a master at turning out a sound simile, conjuring an imagery laden metaphor, or finding just the right details to describe Hyde Park.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 14 Oct 2006
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 posted on Amazon, 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 it's 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.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A good book, 14 Jan 2006
This is a really intriguing book, written in a style similar to Lemony Snicket. It follows the story of two kids, Calder and Petra and how they try to unravel the mystery of the robbery of a priceless Vermeer painting. It is a really good light read.
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