The illustrations by Helquist, of Lemony Snicket fame, contain hidden messages that present challenging puzzles to the reader.-Patricia Morrow. The ending comes a bit too quickly without enough evolution and there are a number of loose ends, but most readers will overlook this flaw for the fun. The adults are given good characterizations although the young people do not know whom to trust and perhaps get in a little deeper than they should. This exciting romp will appeal to middle school readers and make them think about clues and even art. Plenty of clues, wrong directions, speculation, and good guesses lead Petra and Calder on a sequence of adventures to find the art work before it is destroyed. Calder's friend Tommy sends coded messages and then goes missing. And then there is something odd about Mr. Their teacher, Miss Hussey, seems to be involved, as does elderly Mrs. Who was Vermeer? What does Charles Fort have to do with it all? (He was real.) And why do Petra and Calder get clues about what has happened? Petra sees images that relate to the picture of the lady, and Calder's favorite game pieces, from pentominoes, give him clues.

Two eccentric sixth graders at the University School find themselves in the middle of a major art theft. How exciting to find a book that conjures up these innovative, well-loved titles.' - Booklist, starred review 'Puzzles, codes, letters, number and wordplay, a bit of danger, a vivid sense of place, and a wealth of quirky characters enrich the exciting, fast-paced story that’s sure to be relished by mystery lovers.' - School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates DecemMix classic artworks with crime? It seems to be a popular plot that makes its way here to a thriller for young readers. How exciting to find a book that conjures up these innovative, well-loved titles.' - Booklist, starred review 'Puzzles, codes, letters, number and wordplay, a bit of danger, a vivid sense of place, and a wealth of quirky characters enrich the exciting, fast-paced story that's sure to be relished by mystery lovers.' - School Library Journal, 'The Westing Game.

Chasing vermeer by blue balliett