Introducing

“Chasing
Vermeer”
By: Blue Balliett

LG
 About the Author
Blue Balliett is a award winning author known for her young
adult mystery novels, winning awards for many of them. She was
personally awarded Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoan of the Year for
Literature in 2010.

Her first four mysteries- Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, The

Calder Game, and The Danger Box , have been The New York
Times, Publishers weekly, USA Today, and IndieBound bestsellers.

Balliett grew up in New York City and studied art history at

Brown University. She has lived in Chicago for many years and
was a classroom teacher at The University of Chicago Laboratory
Schools. She is now a full time writer, mother, wife, and
grandmother.
About the Illustrator
Brett Helquist graduated from BYU in 1993 with a BFA in
illustration. He says he was first inspired by illustrations
through his love of reading the comic strips in the daily
paper as a young boy.

His first book he illustrated for was “The Bad Beginning”

by Lemony Snicket. Since then he has illustrated for
multiple authors and books including “Chasing Vermeer”.
He has won many awards for his work.

He says that his work is influenced by traditional Japanese

and Chinese art, comic books, N.C. Wyeth, and Howard
Pyle.
LG
 The Mystery At Hand
Three residents of Hyde Park receive very strange and anonymous letters. These letters are asking for help
from the recipients in order to solve an art mystery. In the following days, Ms. Hussey, a teacher to two
students Petra and Calder, asks for several assignments related to unique letters.

One day, Petra was in her favorite book store and struck up a strange friendship with Calder by spying on
Ms. Hussey to figure out what kind of books she liked to read. The pair each had their own unique interests
that made them quite the pair. Calder loved pentominoes and decoding messages, while Petra was
adventurous.

Ms. Hussey’s string of unusual assignments continued and was informed to present their interpretation of
something they found artistically inspiring. Through this assignment, Petra has a vision and dresses as the
woman from her vision for Halloween. After seeing her costume, Calder recognized her as the woman
from a painting from his chosen art piece.
 The Mystery At Hand Cont.
Once the children realize that Ms. Hussey has received a letter, they then realize that the
painting is on school property. When they find the painting, a thief begins to chase them
and, through a series of events, the thief makes off with the painting.

During the entirety of the events, Calder’s old friend wrote to him about how his
stepfather had abandoned them and Calder and Petra were about to put together the final
clues needed to solve the mystery.
 Meet the Characters
Calder Pillay- a 6th grade boy with a love of pentominoes and puzzles.

Petra Andalee- a 6th grade girl who aspires to be a writer and is fascinated by the unknown

Ms. Hussey- Calder and Petra’s unconventional 6th grade teacher who encourages exploration in learning
and has a personal investment in the stolen piece of art.

Mr. Watch- the owner of Powell’s books and another highly interested party in the case of the missing art.

Mrs. Sharpe- an eccentric older woman who has a similar interest the artist Vermeer and author Charles
Fort. She is also personally invested in discovering the mystery of the stolen art.

Tommy Segovia- Calder’s best friend and former neighbor who recently moved away. They write each
other in code.

Fred Steadman- Tommy’s stepfather and… perhaps a whole lot more.

 The Setting
● Middle School in Hyde Park
Chicago
● Powell’s Books
● Art Institute of Chicago
 Questions To Ask During
- What is the conflict?
- How would you react in their situation?
- What events are most important in the story?
- Could this story take place where you live? Why or why not?
- Did you learn anything from the characters?
- What hardships did the characters face, and how would you have reacted?
- What art piece speaks to you, and how do you interpret its meaning?
- Who is your favorite artist mentioned in the book?
 Vocab Words Chapters 1-4
- Pretentious These are words that have been picked out found in
- Suspicious chapters 1-4. These are words that are used in
- Gullible everyday life, and that a student should know.
- Relevant
- Throughout the book, the student’s should identify
Unpredictable
- the page number and chapter that they have found
Exceptionally
- these words in, define them, and then use them in a
Mediocre
- sentence.
Despaired
- Stupendous
- Hybrid
- Staggered

SJ
 Vocab Words Chapters 5-9
- Bushels Chapter: ___________________
- Requirement
- Definition: ___________________
Credulity
- Premises Sentence: ___________________
- Repetitions
- Opportunity
- Abruptly
- Dreadfully
- Coincidence
- Symmetry
- Sickening
- Muttered
 Vocab Words 9-13
- Absentmindedly Chapter: _____________________
- Squinting
- Definition: ____________________
Irreplaceable
- Identified Sentence: ____________________
- Intriguing
- Frustrating
- Instantaneous
- Exhilarating
- Scholarly
- Interior
- Honorable
- Outstretched
 Vocab Words Chapters 14-24
- Glowered Chapter: __________________________
- Genuinely
- Definition: ________________________
Quadrangle
- Emerged Sentence: ________________________
- Energetically
- Idyllic
- Vaulted
- Maniac
 The Role of Art

The Geographer by Vermeer A Lady in Writing

by Vermeer
Lo! By Charles Fort and
Pentominoes

LG
The Puzzle Inside the Illustrations
 Resources
Author bio: Blue Balliett. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2021, from
https://www.scholastic.com/blueballiett/blueballiett_bio.htm

The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March, 2021, from
https://www.art.com/products/p34990441606-sa-i9407630/johannes-vermeer-the-geographer.htm

The Lady In Writing by Johannes Vermeer [Digital image]. (2017, November 7). Retrieved March, 2021, from
https://wamu.org/story/17/11/07/dutch-artists-painted-their-patriotism-with-pearls-and-parrots/

Portfolio index. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2021, from https://www.bretthelquist.com/portfolio2.html

Quill and Brush. (n.d.). Lo! by Charles Fort [Digital image]. Retrieved March, 2021, from
https://www.qbbooks.com/pages/books/54762/charles-fort/lo

T, J. (n.d.). [Pentominoes]. Retrieved March, 2021, from

https://www.instructables.com/3D-Pentominoes-Puzzle/

Tales Untangled. (2016, September). [Pentominoes Code]. Retrieved March, 2021, from
https://talesuntangled.wordpress.com/2016/09/08/chasing-vermeer-a-tween-da-vinci-code/