“We shall pick up an existence by its Frogs, was a phrase Petra found looking through Lo!, a book at the book store.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett is about two kids, Petra and Calder, recent friends. They both are interested in finding A Lady Writing by Johannes Vermeer. The painting has been stolen while on its way from New York to Chicago. While Calder and Petra are looking for “The Lady”, Calder’s best friend, Tommy who has just moved is looking for Frog. Frog, Tommy’s new neighbor, has suddenly disappeared. Frog’s disappearance also hints towards the frogs in the pictures and I think makes the book more mysterious.

The suspense and surprise amaze me. Like Petra and Calder looking in the basement of the elementary school. In the basement they find a painting, about the size of “The Lady” and take it home. At their house they find it is not “The Lady.” The details are just amazing, like the “blue ones” or blue m&ms they eat every time they make a discovery.

I love how Balliett starts the book with a mystery, making it hard to stop reading. The mystery starts with the three letters. The letter says that one of the world’s greatest painters has been wronged and he/she has taken it upon themselves to fix it. It also says that there were two other people in the world that got the letter and that they would never know who they were. To end the letter it said if they show the letter to anyone they would be placing their life in danger. The letter had no name and no return address.

In conclusion, I love this book and would rate it a 10 out of 10. I think anyone and everyone should read this book. It is surprising, detailed, and just plain amazing.