JUST BOOKS: REVIEW - MASTERPIECE

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

REVIEW - MASTERPIECE

This book is for 2 of my reading challenges.
Outdo Yourself Challenge(90/200)
Young Readers Challenge(Wrap-up)

"Masterpiece" by Elise Broach
Product Description(Amazon.com)
Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays’ apartment. He is very much a beetle. James lives with his family in New York City. He is very much an eleven year-old boy. After James gets a pen and ink set for his birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. Then James ends up with all the credit, and is expected to do it again. Before they know it, the unlikely friends are caught up in an art heist that could lead them to a long-lost drawing by Albrecht Dürer. Of course, James can’t go through with the plan without Marvin’s help. But can a boy take a beetle to a museum and let him recreate a master work of art without anyone knowing about it? Even more important, can he bring the beetle safely back home?
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (March 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312608705
ISBN-13: 978-0312608705

MY THOUGHTS: What do you get when you have a boy, a beetle and ink? You get a mixed up mystery of art theft. Marvin is a beetle that lives in James Pompaday's house under the kitchen sink. Marvin lives there with all his family. He knows James's family very well. On James's birthday, Marvin decides to give James's something. But he can't figure out what. He decides on a buffalo nickel he found. Marven carries the nickel to James's room. When he gets there he sees James's ink and pen on the desk and decides to draw a picture for James. This begins a journey that James and Marvin will continue together. The picture is believed to be James's drawing and leads to James "drawing" a copy of a masterpiece of Albrecht Durer's miniature pictures. But of course it was really Marvin who drew this picture. This all leads to a picture theft. Marvin and James have to find these masterpiece's and return them without anyone knowing that Marvin is the one who did all the work of finding them. Which leads to a really big whopper of a lie by James. Do they find the Masterpiece drawings? Do they catch the thief? You'll have to read the book to find out.

MY RATING: 5