My fifth graders and I recently finished reading Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett together.
The story begins when three unknown characters each receive an identical note revealing that a famous work of art has been stolen. Then, we learn about the book's two main characters and sleuths, Calder and Petra. The world is turned upside down by disappearance of the painting and strange coincidences begin to happen. Luckily, Calder and Petra are able to work together to connect the pieces of the mystery and reveal the thief's identity.
I thought the book was pretty good. It definitely has moments of action and excitement. Some of the chapters end on cliffhangers, which I love as a teacher because it keeps the kids interested. Sometimes I felt the story was a little wordy, but overall I loved the mystery of it. It provided many prediction opportunities throughout. It also provided a few opportunities for the students to decode messages from one character to another. I would recommend this book to other teachers or students.
Here's what my kids thought:
- 58% of the students said they liked the book and would definitely recommend it to other people.
"I liked the mystery and action."
"...it kept me on my toes."
"... It teaches us about famous art historians."
- 37% of the students thought the book wasn't their cup of tea but that other people might like it.
"I liked the mystery but there wasn't much excitement or action."
- 5% of the students didn't like the book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone, ever.
The author of Chasing Vermeer also wrote two other similar mystery books:
The Wright 3
starring Petra, Calder,
and Calder's friend Tommy
The Calder Game
starring Petra and Tommy,
in search of Calder
in search of Calder