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alisonhori's review against another edition
4.0
Cute kids book. I read it with my 3rd grade son and the author visited the school today. Kind of a weird kids book in that a fair amount of the vocabulary is tough compared to the level of the book itself but both he and I enjoyed it as a read together book.
jenisliterate's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
What an adorable and engaging story! Broach tells the story of a young beetle named Marvin and what happens when he befriends the boy whose apartment his family lives in. When James's 10th birthday turns out to be pretty disappointing, Marvin wants to do something to make it up to his favorite human. But the drawing the Marvin ends up making James sets of a chain of events that ends up getting them involved in a major art heist. I don't even know where to start explaining what a good book this was. It was just quality throughout: entertaining and intellectually satisfying.
onceuponacarm's review against another edition
3.0
When James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, he's a little less than excited...until he wakes up to find an intricately beautiful ink drawing on his desk the next morning. When he discovers Marvin, the talented beetle responsible for this masterpiece, the two become fast friends (in spite of being unable to talk to each other). Together they end up involved In helping the Metropolitan Museum of Art try to recover some stolen Durer drawings, while trying to keep Marvin's identity a secret from all the adults.
Though some parts are overly technical (I got so sick of hearing the adults talk!!) it is mostly a fun story that can be enjoyed by fans of books like The Cricket in Times Square, art, and mysteries. It's fun imagining the way beetles appropriate human objects and use them for their own tiny needs!
Though some parts are overly technical (I got so sick of hearing the adults talk!!) it is mostly a fun story that can be enjoyed by fans of books like The Cricket in Times Square, art, and mysteries. It's fun imagining the way beetles appropriate human objects and use them for their own tiny needs!
lavoiture's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could give this 3.5 because I think 3 is a little low, but 4 is too high. I'm a little perturbed that all of the Durer drawings discussed in the book were not even real! But it was a cute story about an anthropomorphized beetle, and since I have a spot in my heart for anthropomorphized bugs (see Charlotte the spider, Chester Cricket, etc), I liked Marvin the beetle. Sometimes I thought it was a bit over-the-top, like that the beetles go for picnics with a picnic hamper, or they go camping.
katec9999's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book because I had just finished Elise Broach’s other book, Shakespeare’s Secret, and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, although it’s quite different from Shakespeare’s Secret. This story is about Marvin, a beetle who lives in the apartment of a boy named James in New York City. James is a quiet boy, kind of overwhelmed by his career-driven mother and step-father, and his artist father. Marvin is an adventurous beetle, who loves to explore James’ apartment and swim in his pool, a bottle cap filled with water. One day while exploring, he discovers a pen-and-ink set in James' room. He dips his front legs in the open ink, and starts to draw the scene that he sees out the window. The picture Marvin creates is beautiful, but James’ family thinks that he was the one who drew it. James discovers Marvin’s talent, and they even figure out how to communicate with each other. Their friendship grows as they become involved with helping to solve an art theft at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and during the adventure they both learn the value of honesty.[return][return]This is an adorable book. The friendship between James and Marvin is one of the most touching ones I’ve ever read about. Kelly Murphy’s illustrations of Marvin and the pictures he creates are one of my favorite parts of this book. If you like mysteries about art like Chasing Vermeer and the sequels, or books about animals, you’ll love Masterpiece!
aprillikesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Reread this book aloud to my child for the first time in 6 years and enjoyed it just as much this time around. The adventures of the beetle family are at times both funny and suspenseful – they capture the importance of enjoying what little of life we have while we are here! The story provides an opportunity for a bit of outside research or artist study – checking out some of the famous artists mentioned in the book to see what they created, learning about art forgery and theft. This book briefly mentions the famous heist of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, which is worth reading about separately and finding photos of (such an eclectic collection!).
A few things to note: the book uses God's name in vain a few times, which we edit out while reading as the use of His name adds nothing to the story and is completely unnecessary, mentions divorce, and there's one instance of talking about a statue of a naked woman (it's art, obviously, but worth noting depending on the level of sensitivity of the child reading or being read to).
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My 4 year old son and I took about 5 months to read this book, with me reading it aloud to him. Letting him stop me to ask as many questions as he wanted – he asked a lot! Especially toward the end when the suspense picked up. A clever story, tying together an unlikely friendship, art, mystery and theft. This ones a keeper. Looking forward to rereading it in the future when he's older.
A few things to note: the book uses God's name in vain a few times, which we edit out while reading as the use of His name adds nothing to the story and is completely unnecessary, mentions divorce, and there's one instance of talking about a statue of a naked woman (it's art, obviously, but worth noting depending on the level of sensitivity of the child reading or being read to).
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My 4 year old son and I took about 5 months to read this book, with me reading it aloud to him. Letting him stop me to ask as many questions as he wanted – he asked a lot! Especially toward the end when the suspense picked up. A clever story, tying together an unlikely friendship, art, mystery and theft. This ones a keeper. Looking forward to rereading it in the future when he's older.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story from the perspective of a beetle. Imagines his life in the kitchen cabinet of a New York apartment, and his friend with the boy who lives there. Turns out, Marvin (our beetle friend) is a fabulous artist, skillful enough to imitate the greats. Thus begins an art theft adventure, with Marvin venturing further from his home than ever before.
Old-fashioned (includes some illustrations), cool art element, appeals to lovers of the borrowers. Engaging, nonthreatening and sweet. Worth booktalking to the 5th-6th grade crowd.
Old-fashioned (includes some illustrations), cool art element, appeals to lovers of the borrowers. Engaging, nonthreatening and sweet. Worth booktalking to the 5th-6th grade crowd.