The E.B. White Read Aloud Award was created to honor books that are great to read aloud~~ for reading aloud is a ‘pleasure’ at any age. Masterpiece by Elise Broach has received the 2009 award.
Masterpiece by Elise Broach is a story of unlikely friendship between a young beetle named Marvin and an eleven year old boy named James. Marvin lives with his beetle family under the kitchen sink in the Pompaday’s New York City apartment. James lives with his mother, stepfather and baby brother and has occasional visits from his artist father. When James’ father gives him a pen and ink set for his birthday, James is less than thrilled but when Marvin uses the ink to sketch an amazing miniature drawing, with his teeny tiny legs, the adventure begins.
Together, these two characters become incredible friends and disparate detectives as they work together to solve the mystery of a stolen Albrecht Durer drawing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ms. Broach has used rich imagery to enhance a story that creatively draws readers into the curious world of visual art, stolen artifacts and forgery. The fast paced adventure has enough action for a reluctant reader and plenty of intrigue for accelerated readers engaged in solving the crime.
If you are interested in adventure, suspense, mystery and crime solving, this book will be our feature read on September 17th at The Purple Cow Bookstore’s Adventure Club (for kids ages 11-13). Check the blog later on this month for additional information.