Chasing Vermeer
Final Project;Lit Lab period 6
Calder Pillay
Calder is a very very curious kid who likes to figure things out.Calder is one of the main characters in Chasing Vermeer.He uses pentominoes during his journey to find the "Lady Writing".The pentominoes give him a clue or an idea that help him figure out where the panting is.Usually the first word or letter that he chooses comes to his mind and helps them get closer to the Vermeer painting.Calder is a hard working and high-minded kid who likes to help others in any way he can.
Petra Andalee
Petra is also a main character in Chasing Vermeer,.she helps solve the mystery in finding "The Lady Writing".She is also curious just like Clader,she thinks her teacher is acting strange after the painting went missing so her and Calder get on the case.Petra and Calder go to Delia Deli and get M and M's,and said it stands for secrecy.Petra is magnanimous and very trustful in these situations,she also likes to help others like Calder.
Who got the 3 letters??
Mrs.Sharpe
Mrs.Sharpe is a mysterious women who gets one of the letters from the thief.The letter says not to go the police but instead she gets police protection because she felt threatened.Petra also got a book from her it was called"Lo!.
Mr.Watch
Mr.Watch is a mystery man and isn't very known well to others.He got one of the letters because of Calder,they were both supposed to read it but it flew out of his hand and a man stepped on it.
Ms.Hussey
Ms.Hussey was a very nice woman,she taught Calder and Petra in school.She also got a letter and later on she acts very strange among her students.Petra and Calder noticed she was acting strange so they got on the case.
Setting
This event where the painting went missing is in Chicago.The painting was supposed o be delivered to the Chicago Art Institute but never made it there so someone stole it on the way to Chicago.
Plot Summary
The book begins with a mysterious letter that is delivered to three unknown recipients, two women and one man. The letter tells them they are of great need to the sender, but begs them not to tell the police.Sixth-graders Calder Pillay, who enjoys puzzles and pentominoes, and Petra Andalee, who aspires to be a writer, are classmates at the Middle School in Hyde Park, Chicago. Their young teacher, Ms. Hussey, is very interested in art and teaches them in a creative way. Through her pressing questions, they discover the artist Johannes Vermeer and his paintings, especially A Lady Writing and The Geographer. Petra also finds a used book called Lo!, written by Charles Fort, at the local Powell's books, owned by a man named Mr. Watch. They also meet an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Sharpe, who is also a fan of Vermeer and Fort. Calder receives letters from his best friend Tommy Segovia, who is currently living in New York City with a new stepfather.The children learn that A Lady Writing was traveling from The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. to Hyde Park. The next day there is a story in the paper of how the painting mysteriously disappeared. A letter from the thief appears in the newspaper, telling the public that he will not give back A Lady Writing until they prove which Vermeer paintings were truly painted by him. This sparks worldwide uproar. Calder and Petra investigate as their friendship grows. Mrs. Sharpe requests police protection and it is revealed that she and Ms. Hussey were two of the three recipients of the thief's letter. Calder and Petra eventually conclude that the painting is hidden in the local Delia Dell Hall, and they sneak out and find it. They barely escape from the thief, who is later found dead from a massive heart attack on the train by the police. They learn that the man is Xavier Glitts,also knowned as glitter man,who was posing as Tommy's stepfather under the name Fred Steadman. A known art thief, he was asked to steal the painting and sell it for sixty million dollars. The other recipient of the letter is revealed to be Mr. Watch.