Blue Balliett

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Elizabeth "Blue" Balliett Klein is an American author, best known for her award-winning novel for children, Chasing Vermeer.

[edit] History

Balliett was born in New York City and attended The Brearley School. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in Art History and currently lives in the Hyde Park area of Chicago, Illinois with her husband and three children.

A teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory School, she was involved in a number of unique projects, such as one where she sent a CD into space with astronaut John M. Grunsfeld, and others that were later featured in the local newspaper. [1]

[edit] Professional works

Balliett's first attempt at publishing was a series of books about ghost hauntings on Nantucket. The Ghosts of Nantucket: 23 True Accounts was published in 1984 and featured a number of stories Balliett researched about ghost hauntings on the island. The books were updated and rereleased in 1990 and again in 2006.

Chasing Vermeer, released by Scholastic Press in 2004, is her best known and most highly praised book. Illustrated by Brett Helquist, it is about the fictitious theft of a Johannes Vermeer painting. It was a bestseller and won a number of accolades and awards, including the 2005 Edgar Award in the Best Juvenile category, and it was optioned by Warner Brothers for a film version. A second book, The Wright 3, was released in April of 2006 as a sequel, and a third book is rumored to be in the works.

[edit] Biblography

• The Ghosts of Nantucket: 23 True Accounts - Down East Books - 1984
• Chasing Vermeer - Scholastic - 2003
• The Wright 3 - Scholastic - 2006