Chasing Vermeer
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 First US edition cover |
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| Author | Blue Balliett |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Brett Helquist |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's Mystery Fiction |
| Publisher | Scholastic Press |
| Released | 2003 |
| Media type | Print Hardcover |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-439-37294-1 |
| Followed by | The Wright 3 |
Chasing Vermeer is a children's book by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist, illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
In this art mystery, two sixth graders, Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay, are intertwined in the story by a series of unknown coincidences. These events continue, drawing them ever deeper into the theft of a Johannes Vermeer painting, A Lady Writing a Letter, en route from the National Gallery of Art (in Washington D.C.) to Chicago.
The mathematical puzzle known as the pentomino plays a great role in the book, as well as emphasizing the admittedly empty spaces in accounts of the Vermeer's life.
[edit] Code
As stated in the preface, throughout the book there is a code hidden in the illustrations. The code involves images of pentominoes and a particular animal. To decode the code you must count the number of frogs in every other illustration, as well as find the hidden pentomino. Once you have collected these facts you may use the same code presented in the story (on page 57 of the American Version) that Calder and Tommy use in the book. When decoded the message reads "The Lady Lives." The book also uses this same code as a narrative device which, in turn, becomes a clue to the illustration puzzle.
[edit] Awards
Chasing Vermeer received much critical acclaim following its release. It was the Book Sense Book of the Year Award winner, as well as the recipient of an Edgar Award and an Agatha Award. Parents' Choice Foundation and Child Magazine both gave it honors, and it was a Booklist editor's choice, as well as listed as a "Top 10 youth mystery." A New York Times notable title, it also won the Chicago Tribune Prize for Young Adult fiction.
[edit] Trivia
- A sequel, The Wright 3, was released in 2006.
- Warner Brothers recently acquired the rights to a film version of the book. No release date has been announced.
