Book Eight.

Title: Chasing Vermeer.
Author: Blue Balliet.
Summary: Petra and Calder live in a neighbourhood where strange things have started to happen. Seemingly unrelated events connect, a sharp old woman seeks their comany - and a priceless Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two children are drawn into an international art sensation where no one is above suspicion. They must rely on their intelligence, and a newly-acquired knowledge of the artist Vermeer, to crack an art crime that has left everyone baffled.
Genre: Mystery.
Time Started: 4th January, 2:30pm-ish.
Time Ended: 20th January, 4:00pm.
Page Count: 242.
Age Rating: 11+
Warning: N/A.
Appeal Rating: 3/10.

I did not choose to read this book. It's a book we've been reading in English class, and when we finally get to take it home, I finish it within fifteen minutes. Isn't that great? Yeah, it doesn't really matter...

I like this book only because it makes you think twice and use your brain. It gets you involved, whether it's finding the frog and pentomino in the majority of pictures, decoding Tommy's messages to Calder, or merely thinking over what Charles Fort or Ms Hussey says. It teaches many things, like how unrelated things can appear to be linked, and maybe by a chance of fate, they might just be that. I'm not keen on how the kids work out where A Lady Writing (the stolen painting) was hidden, because it was EXTREMELY unrealistic. Now, I'm not always a big believer of coincidences, I do think that a lot of stuff (but not all) happen for a reason, but this is just pushing it to the limit. Twelve, twelve, twelve, twelve, twelve, twelve. Gahhh.

I have to admit, I suspected both Mrs Sharpe and Ms Hussey at certain points. I won't tell you whether they did commit the crime or not (in case, for some unknown reason, you would like to read it), but I'm just saying ... I suspected them along with Petra and Calder, though as different points in time.

All in all, an attempt at a slightly realistic fiction story failed completely, and it's not fantastic. The pictures, although pretty good and imaginative, aren't my cup of tea (I'm not a baby, I don't read picture books -.-), and the way it involves the reader forcefully kind of spoiled it for me (I purposely didn't decode Tommy's messages ... okay, I did the first one out of boredom, but that's it ... because I'm stubbornly refusing to let the book control me xD). I think it would have been a better book if it allowed us to be the reader, instead of being forced to be the third part of a trio without us really being there. Also, the writing and development could have been better. Less coincidences would have been a major improvement, too, though I liked the involvement of the pentominoes.

Remember, art is a lie that tells the truth, and frogs can fall from the sky. Oh, and whatever word pops into your head when you look at a pentomino, will somehow help you along in life (Sarcasm, that one, in case you couldn't tell).

Recommend it? Not really, unless it's your thing.