Title: Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet, ISBN: 0-439-37924-1, Scholastic Press, New York, 2004, 254pp.

Genre: Young adult/historical fiction/mystery  Grades 6-8

Characters: Calder and Petra are both in sixth grade at the same school. The two both consider the other weird, and rarely speak to one another until they are suddenly thrown into an international mystery they are determined to solve themselves. Their teacher, Ms. Hussey, seems to somehow be involved, along with an old lady named Mrs. Sharpe, and the local bookstore owner Mr. Watch.

Plot: Ms. Hussey is Calder and Petra’s sixth-grade teacher. She is a very different type of teacher who allows her class to have fun and learn at the same time, and the students all love her. One day, Ms. Hussey gives her students an assignment to find some art and describe it. While her students get caught up in the assignment, an international disaster takes place. A famous Vermeer painting (The Lady Waiting) has been stolen and is threatened with destruction if the so-called “art experts” do not take a closer look at the works of Vermeer and come to the same conclusion as the thief: all of the works accredited to his name were not actually done by him. This accusation is huge in not just the art world but everywhere, and soon an entire world becomes caught up in the mystery. Calder and Petra might be just kids, but they are determined to solve the mystery themselves. It doesn’t help that a number of weird things keep happening to them and others around them that they can’t understand. And why is Ms. Hussey acting so strange lately, even for her?  Mrs. Sharpe seems to be hiding something, too, along with the bookkeeper, Mr. Watch.

This fast-paced mystery unravels at incredible speed, as Calder and Petra get closer and closer to finding out what happened to the painting, and also about all of the weird things that have been taking place. The book ends with the young kids finding the painting before authorities and taking it straight from the thief himself.

Touchy Areas: None. The book is extremely appropriate for young adult readers, with no foul language or violence.

Related Titles: The Da Vinci Code (This book is for adults, but Chasing Vermeer made me think of a young adult version of  The Da Vince Code)

Movies: The Da Vinci Code

Music: ‘Until I Find You’ by Bryan Adams

Related websites: www.scholastic.com/chasingvermeer This website contains more information about the book, including answers to the author’s challenge for readers.

Art: The Lady Waiting

Evaluation: I really enjoyed reading this book because it was fast-paced, interesting, and a mystery, one of my favorite genres. The book truly reminded me of a young adult version of The Da Vinci Code in a way, and I think that students in middle school would enjoy this book a great deal. It moves quickly and will keep their interest. I also like that the book proposed several challenges to the reader, including solving the mystery of the painting and the artwork challenge. I would rate this book an 8 out of 10.

Reviewed by: Kelly Altepeter, University of Toledo