Chasing Vermeer: A Christian Perspective

 

Chasing Vermeer is a children’s mystery book written by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist. When an odd book called Lo! brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay, eleven-year-olds, together, a string of strange coincidences occur that sucks them into a mystery surrounding Vermeer. Now the two must solve the mystery before time runs out.

The book was very enjoyable to read. It’s a slow-paced book, but not too slow-paced, and it works for the story. I loved the mystery surrounding the Vermeer painting A Lady Writing, the anonymous writer of the letters, and the other characters in the story. I never knew who the culprit was until the very end of the book, and the reveal was surprising and unexpected. The mysterious events and clues kept me hooked and it made me want to read more and more until I finished.

The writing style is unique. I like how the story discusses strange things happening that are eerily connected somehow, because that is what happens to me and to my family sometimes. Sometimes, God will give us dreams and later on that same day they come true in ways we don’t expect.

There is also a puzzle readers have an opportunity to solve. You have to decipher a message by finding the pentominoes that are hidden within some of the illustrations. Finding the pentominoes and deciphering the message within the book was very fun.

One thing I didn’t enjoy was that sometimes the main characters lied in order to make a cover for their sleuthing. The book doesn’t necessarily condone these actions, and negative consequences happen to the characters as a result of that. However, it’s not clear if the main characters will stop lying from that point forward. One time, the book describes Calder as a “hybrid child” because his parents are of different ethnicities, which I found a bit weird. 

One message of the book is that you shouldn’t take things at face value. Ask questions and look deeper into things to see what’s truly going on. Lots of strangely similar occurrences happen within the story. Instead of dismissing them as mere coincidences, Petra and Calder investigate these odd events throughout the book. Petra and Calder’s ability to hear and see clues in their mind, their cleverness, and their unique perspectives of the world helps them work through the mystery. There are times where one of the characters questions their reasoning and wonder if they’re being illogical but decides they must use their imagination and think outside the box. It’s important to observe things around you, because by observing you learn. Don’t just dismiss something because it may seem illogical or merely coincidental at first. Instead, try to look at things from a different perspective so you can see the big picture.

If strangely connected coincidences like that in the book were to happen to me, I would think it was God trying to talk to me. God will sometimes try to speak to us by showing us an image in our minds or giving us dreams and then later we see that same thing in real life. Sometimes He’ll show us patterns to grab our attention and try to tell us what’s on His heart. For example, one time my family and I saw a number twice, and we later discovered the number was related to a Bible verse in Psalms. God is truly amazing and awesome. If things like this do happen, it could help to ask God if He is trying to tell us something and to show us what’s on His heart, and what the dreams or patterns mean.

It can be easy to dismiss things as simple coincidence, and sometimes it can be. But it’s important to stay mindful of what God is saying to us. God talks to us, but we may not always notice because we’re distracted. Sometimes we may dismiss what we hear from the Holy Spirit as being our own thoughts. The only way we can discern this is if we spend time with God, listen, and read His word. It can take some practice to discern our voice from the Holy Spirit’s voice and to make sure that we do not confuse the enemy’s lies for the truth. But if we seek God, it will become easier to discern between our voice, the enemy’s voice, and the Holy Spirit’s voice.

I think this book is more for children around eleven and up, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes children’s mystery books.