In Which I Begin to Investigate a Missing Vermeer

Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window
Circa 1659
Could this be the missing Vermeer?

I refused to let my spirits be dampened by the somewhat disappointing read, The Westing Game (here). Therefore, I checked out another book that I thought sounded intriguing  and was mentioned in the recent article about great kid detectives - Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.

Just a few chapters in and I am already smitten. The action takes place in Chicago. So far there are three mysterious letters; two young students - Petra who loves words and writing, and Calder who prefers patterns and numbers; their exciting and eccentric teacher Ms. Hussey; the puzzling pentominoes; a missing valuable painting; and, a bookstore.

There are also illustrations by Brett Helquist that contain hidden messages to help solve the mystery.

So, what's not to like?

Here is a brief description of the bookstore:

Powell's was one of Petra's favorite places; it was peaceful, and you never knew what you might find. It looked more like a warehouse than a store -- books were piled everywhere, and the rooms were jumbled together in a mismatched way. Although Petra had been inside many times, it always felt like a labyrinth. One dimly lit area led to the next, and suddenly you were back where you started without knowing how you got there. No one asked if you needed help. No one frowned if you read but didn't buy.

Sounds like my kind of place.

In Which the Young People Solve the Mystery

I love a mystery and have spent many long hours reveling in the revelation of clues and blithely stepping over bodies in the library.

I got my start with Nancy Drew, the fearless amateur sleuth whose adventures I followed growing up. And I even managed to help solve a few mysteries with the Hardy Boys, brothers Frank and Joe.

So I enjoyed reading the recommendations on the Huffington Post website by Jordan B. Neilson "The 15 Greatest Kid Detectives" (here). 

 

The Great Cake Mystery (and we love cake!) features the young Precious Ramatswe's first case involving missing pastries from her school. Precious, who as an adult founded the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is the creation of Alexander McCall Smith. She is one of my favorite detectives. Although this book is written for ages 5-7, it would be enjoyable to take a peek at how Mma Ramatswe got her start.

Others that sound amusing are:

Chasing Vermeer (ages 10-12) by Blue Balliett which has sixth graders Petra and Calder tracking down a missing painting by the artist. It promises puzzles and twists and even more clues included in the illustrations by Brett Helquist.

The Westing Game (ages 10-13) by Ellen Raskin is a 1979 Newbery Award winner and introduces Turtle Wexler as the solver of the riddle proposed by an eccentric millionaire.

There are also Lemony Snicket; the updated Nancy Drew Diaries; Cam Jansen and her photographic memory; the sharp-witted Red Blazer girls of St. Veronica's; and, two sisters who carry on the work of their descendants The Brothers Grimm, who, as it turns out, were detectives themselves. Who knew?

Any of these might be a nice change from adult sleuthing and I am pretty sure gore and guts will be missing. At least I would hope so.