Chasing Vermeer

Just finished reading Chasing Vermeer. We have copies of this in our leveled library, and I have one in my classroom library, so I figured I'd give it a go. The story is about two kids, Petra and Calder. They live in Chicago and go to 6th grade at a school located at the University of Chicago. Their teacher is an art aficionado, and is big on flying by the seat of her pants.

At that point a famous painting called A Lady Writing goes missing with some mysterious ransom notes thrown in. The kids then try to find out where the painting is, and why their teacher (and two others that they know) seem to be mixed up in this crime. The chase to find the painting, and the quest for the "real" Vermeer works leads them into danger, and is captivating at times.

There were a few missteps, in my estimation. First is the problem solving ability of the kids. While 6th graders are bright, these two seemed to jump to conclusions awfully quickly, particularly an issue since they weren't friends to start with. Friends tend to finish each other's sentences, but these two were not really friends to start with. The second issue, for me, was the addition of pentominos. What are pentominoes? Essentially they are figures (letters) comprised on 5 squares. Together they can be put together to make rectangles. Calder uses them throughout and they tend to be ominous signs... except that Calder and Petra always guess what the letter means (since Calder fiddles with them and pulls them out of his pocket when nervous). I'd much rather be left to predict meaning than be told.

On the whole, I think the kids will find it enjoyable. I don't think it will be one of my top books, but it will be checked out for sure.