A review by daltongirl
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

3.0

A clever, exciting mystery. I got a little bogged down with the pentominoes (and I love pentominoes), and the encoded letters that I had to decode, and the pictures I was supposed to find clues in. The story itself was really fun, but I kept thinking that it was written more for a kid who is so smart she is bored in regular classes and needs extra activities to keep her interest. For someone who could never solve an Encyclopedia Brown mystery, this just made me feel stupid.

I liked the way the story illustrated what happens to people and relationships under threat from a terrorist. This kind of stress brings some people together and forges unlikely friendships, and draws others apart.