The fun comes not from solving the mystery, but from watching chasing vermeers main characters figure it out. The characters are realistic everyday people that come together to form an engaging, actionfilled plot that uncovers a missing part of history and a public appreciation for art. Chasing vermeer simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Read chasing vermeer by blue balliett available from rakuten kobo. First book in the series featuring art sleuth friends calder and petra. The book was written by blue balliett and published printed by scholastic in 2003. This is a newish book, published in 2004, and while i had never read it before, i had high hopes. Illustrated by brett helquist, it concerns the fictitious theft of a painting by 17thcentury dutch artist johannes vermeer. Characters who appeared and or had a role in the book chasing vermeer, main and secondary character. Chasing vermeer, released by scholastic press in 2004, is her bestknown and most highly praised book.
When a famous johannes vermeer painting, a lady writing, is stolen, the two kids work. In chasing vermeer, fred steadman is the name of the man posing as tommys new stepfather. When a book of unexplainable occurences brings petra and calder together, strange things start to happen. The lawrence public library has chosen chasing vermeer as the 2015 read across lawrence book for kids. The callers cards were cut from our vocabulary definitions printed on cardstock. Chasing vermeer is a highly engaging novel that forces the reader to become tangled in its web. Response must be less that 100,000 characters thank. Everything you need to know about chasing vermeer movie.
A famous vermeer painting, the lady writing, is stolen while in transit to a chicago museum. When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings petra andalee and calder pillay together, strange things start to happen. Who is the main character in chasing vermeer answers. Hussey challenges her class to the question, what is art. Pentominoes are included in the clues they need to decode.
Hogan last directed mental and confessions of a shopaholic. The following discussion questions will help you inspire critical thinking skills in your middle school students. If you enjoyed these books by blue balliett, explore these other artful mysteries. The first 5 chapters are pretty boring but if you ready. An intriguing story about children who solve a mystery in the world of art. Puzzles nest within puzzles in this ingeniously plotted and lightly delivered first novel that, revolving around the heist of a vermeer painting, also touches on the.
The same characters from chasing vermeer appear in this latest art mystery, this time surrounding the robie house in chicago built by the famous frank lloyd wright. Big bird with the pearl earring classic paintings recreated using characters from sesame. Tying in questions of coincidence, art history, deception, and a convincing whodunit, the book challenges tweens to think beyond the mystery itself. Frankweiler and desired to write what she wished to read. Chasing vermeer by blue balliett was given to me by a friend because it was similar to from. The house is in very poor disrepair and scheduled to be dismantled into sections and divided among three museums. The fun comes not from solving the mystery, but from watching chasing vermeer s main characters figure it out. Chasing vermeer is a mystery that is solved by paying attention to the little coincidences in we all experience in everyday life, which is also the theme of the story. When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings petra andalee an. Print your own vocabulary list and definitions from scholastics chasing vermeer teachers guide. When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious vermeer painting disappears, elevenyearolds petra and calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. This book will be a challenge even for accomplished young readers the author and illustrator encourage poring over it carefully and pausing to think and experiment.
The characters are multicultural, and it is set in an exciting educational environment. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal. Balliett used art and blank plates as inspiration for the characters names. Its original purpose was a book to read to her class for fun. See more ideas about girl with pearl earring, teaching reading and famous artwork. Chasing vermeer meeting the characters johannes vermeer calder pillay questions to answer. Chasing vermeer by blue balliett is a story about two sixth graders who go on a magical adventure. Chasing vermeer is blue ballietts first published book. Set in hyde park, chicago near the university of chicago, the novel follows two children, calder pillay and petra andalee. And too characters named petra and calder want to find it they use. Chasing vermeer is not a terrible book, but it didnt live up to my expectations. Blue balliett is the author of several bestselling, acclaimed mystery novels, including hold fast, chasing vermeer a book sense book of the year and an edgar award winner, the wright 3, the calder game, and the danger box. A mysterious letter, a stolen painting, and two savvy kid detectives make this book a great choice for anyone who loves a perplexing puzzle.
Petra and calder, classmates at the university of chicago lab school, think they may be able to solve the mystery. When they strike up an unlikely friendship they discover they have a lot more in common that their age 11 and their. Balliett uses the hyde park neighborhood and its interesting cast of characters to great advantage. This study guide consists of approximately 26 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of chasing vermeer. Their friendship grows, however, and they work together to recover a stolen paintinga valuable vermeer. For example, in the book chasing vermeer, one of the characters is petra andalee. Chasing vermeer 2004 read online free book by blue balliett. Chasing vermeer character descriptions for teachers. Book information and related resources for chasing vermeer, the art mystery book by blue balliett. The climax dragged too much and there were too many unnecessary details.
I used printbingo to create vocabulary bingo cards. Chasing vermeer is the debut novel of childrens author blue balliett. It another ya purchase from green apple books, and to be honest, a disappointment. Johannes vermeer was born in1632 and died in 1675 he lived all his life in the city of delft in the netherlands. The kids tried to make as many rectangles as they could. Chasing vermeer simple english wikipedia, the free. In chasing vermeer, the nonlogical clues like a dream about a piece of clothing that leads to a book that leads to a clue are charming. Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. Shes a club sandwich of cultures, with relatives from many countries. When a book of unexplainable occurances brings petra andalee andamp. To make the bingo cards reusable, i slid them into plastic sheet protectors. Aug 26, 2009 he died and met god, and he wasnt ready.
Through an art theft and other mysterious happenings, the main characters, petra and calder, become friends, grow to be more courageous, and solve an art crime. A look at the chasing vermeer behindthescenes crew and production team. In pieces and players, its just a deluge of random nonsensical remarks by i enjoyed all of blue ballietts other books, and when i realized this one brought all the characters from the other books together, i. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. The book has a lot of art related themes, which will allow an artintegrated unit to. Im not really a mystery fan but i was still hoping for something. Chasing vermeer 2004 read online free book by blue. Chasing vermeer character descriptions calder pillay.
Chasing vermeer is a 2004 childrens art mystery novel written by blue balliett and illustrated by brett helquist. Blue balliett booklist blue balliett message board. Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth they must draw on their powers of intuition, their skills at problem solving, and their knowledge of. Pentomino rectangle activity a book club member surprised us by bringing pentomino sets. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like the oneness of all things and perceiving patterns. The book starts out by 3 anonymous people receiving a letter asking for help to uncover the truth about an artist named vermeer. This is a book trailer to introduce chasing vermeer by blue balliett that i created to show to my 7th graders before i began a unit on the mystery novel. Chasing vermeer, by blue balliet and illustrated by brett hellquist,is a fascinating mystery novel that continually draws readers in. Chasing vermeer ebook by blue balliett rakuten kobo. Chasing vermeer by blue balliett paperback book the. Chasing vermeer joins the scholastic gold line, which features awardwinning and beloved novels. In blue ballietts novel chasing vermeer scholastic, 2005, petra and calder, the main characters, are in the same class but barely know each other. For starters the two main characters, calder pillay and petra andalee, are perceived to be extremely geeky. It was written by elizabeth balliett klein under the pseudonym blue balliett.
It says many things about the dutch painter johannes vermeer. Great for use with the book chasing vermeer by blue balliett. Chasing vermeer is a 2004 childrens art mystery novel written by blue balliett and illustrated. Read chasing vermeer pdf about chasing vermeer book pdf. It turns out he is an art thief by the name of xavier glitts. May 01, 2005 blue balliett is the author of several bestselling, acclaimed mystery novels, including hold fast, chasing vermeer a book sense book of the year and an edgar award winner, the wright 3, the calder game, and the danger box. It is about two children noticing strange coincidences relating to art. The book centers around two chicago sixth graders, calder pillay and petra andalee, who come together through a series of unexplainable coincidences. All aspects of the novel play well of each other, creating a fun and engaging read. Next book club, it might be fun to add places in the book as well as characters to the bingo cards.
The kids circled or drew a line through the called words with a dry erase marker. When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious vermeer painting disappears, elevenyearolds petra and calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. Balliett is also the author of the wright 3 and the calder game. The story is set in chicago and the main characters are sixthgrade intellectuals petra andalee and calder pillay. Chasing vermeer is about when a painting by vermeer is stolen and 2 kids calder and petra attempt to get it back. Chasing vermeer meeting the characters by callie gruber. Balliett is currently working on another art mystery novel, titled the wright 3. She writes in the laundry room of her home in chicago, illinois, and you can find her online at. Feb 05, 2012 this is a book trailer to introduce chasing vermeer by blue balliett that i created to show to my 7th graders before i began a unit on the mystery novel. Chasing vermeer book jefferson county public library.
Chasing vermeer is a fictional book that teaches young readers about art, writing, math, and history in a way that is fun and exciting. First published in 2004, the book is a childrens art mystery novel. What is the book summary of chasing vermeer answers. It says many things about the dutch painter johannes vermeer the sequel to. Chasing vermeer characters blue balliett this study guide consists of approximately 26 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of chasing vermeer.
Calder pillay together, strange things start to happen. See more ideas about book club books, vermeer paintings and teaching reading. This bewitching first novel is a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art. Character profile for calder pillay from chasing vermeer chasing.
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