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gadrake 's review for:
Chasing Vermeer
by Blue Balliett
This proved to be a delightful book with great illustrations as well and will have great appeal with the late elementary / early adolescent set. First, I like the character’s names. They do not allow you to have an automatic sense of the type of homes they come from or the population of the school. Chicago can mean many things and I like the way the author structures the setting. More kids can perhaps relate who are not Caucasian.
Petra is a bit of a geek; Calder is fumbling with how to act around girls and adults. Many kids can relate to these personas. I also like how they show it is okay to work as a team, use your intelligence, love art, and enjoy adult company.
There are clear messages about ethical behavior and good manners. Not looking at someone else’s mail, offering to help the bookstore owner, and simply trying to save a painting that is so very meaningful are all examples of maturing behavior.
There is an important subtle message within the story, i.e, that everything is not always what it may seem to be. Scary old ladies can be quite likeable. Ordinary people can have really interesting stories to tell. The reader is encouraged to look closely for truth. Isn’t this a good habit for life?
This is also a very good mystery. I could not see where it was going. As the story progressed, the reader cannot help but use their mind to sift through the clues and analyze the illustrations. This falls into the category of a good ‘page turner.’
Petra is a bit of a geek; Calder is fumbling with how to act around girls and adults. Many kids can relate to these personas. I also like how they show it is okay to work as a team, use your intelligence, love art, and enjoy adult company.
There are clear messages about ethical behavior and good manners. Not looking at someone else’s mail, offering to help the bookstore owner, and simply trying to save a painting that is so very meaningful are all examples of maturing behavior.
There is an important subtle message within the story, i.e, that everything is not always what it may seem to be. Scary old ladies can be quite likeable. Ordinary people can have really interesting stories to tell. The reader is encouraged to look closely for truth. Isn’t this a good habit for life?
This is also a very good mystery. I could not see where it was going. As the story progressed, the reader cannot help but use their mind to sift through the clues and analyze the illustrations. This falls into the category of a good ‘page turner.’