Masterpiece

Elise Broach

Macmillan, Sep 30, 2008 - Juvenile Fiction - 292 pages

Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays' apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday 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. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer. But James can't go through with the plan without Marvin's help. And that's where things get really complicated (and interesting!). This fast-paced mystery will have young readers on the edge of their seats as they root for boy and beetle.

In Shakespeare's Secret Elise Broach showed her keen ability to weave storytelling with history and suspense, and Masterpiece is yet another example of her talent. This time around it's an irresistible miniature world, fascinating art history, all wrapped up in a special friendship— something for everyone to enjoy.

Masterpiece is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - CarrieWuj - LibraryThing

This was a family listen, though one of my kids had read it before. Though it is geared toward middle readers (grades 3-5) it was still an enjoyable story and made me think twice before carelessly ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - amandabock - LibraryThing

This one got so much hype, and I was disappointed. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very good, either. I'm not sure what kind of reader would sit through the first part of talking cockroaches in the ...

Contents

• 1 A Family Emergency: 1
• 2 Down the Drain: 6
• 3 The Birthday Party: 14
• 4 A Present for James: 26
• 5 Its remarkable: 35
• 6 A New Kind of Trouble: 41
• 7 It could be a Dürer: 49
• 8 The Temple of Art: 55
• 9 The Woman and the Lion: 62
• 10 The Woman and the Sword: 68
• 11 Left Behind: 77
• 12 In Christinas Office: 82
• 13 To Copy a Copy: 89
• 14 Stealing Virtue: 96
• 15 Hitching a Ride: 108
• 16 Too Risky: 115
• 17 In the Solarium: 121
• 18 TurtleBeetle Battle: 132
• 19 Jamess Problem: 138
• 20 The Art of the Fake: 145
• 21 More Than a Copy: 156
• 22 The Fight: 161
• 23 A Perfect Crime: 172
• 24 Fate and Fortitude: 184
• 25 The Middleman: 192
• 26 The Secret Journey: 196
• 27 Hidden Virtues: 203
• 28 Among Thieves: 207
• 29 Hatching a Plan: 211
• 30 With the Help of a Friend: 219
• 31 Breaking and Entering: 229
• 32 A Revelation: 234
• 33 Trapped: 239
• 34 Reunion: 246
• 35 The Thief of Virtue: 253
• 36 Safe Returns: 265
• 37 Jamess Gift: 272
• 38 Masterpiece: 280
• AUTHORS NOTE: 289
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: 291
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE ILLUSTRATOR: 292

About the author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of books for children and young adults, includingDesert Crossing and Shakespeare's Secret, as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

Kelly Murphy has illustrated many books for children including Hush Little Dragon. She lives in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Masterpiece; Christy Ottaviano books; Volume 1 of The Masterpiece Adventures
• Author: Elise Broach
• Illustrated by: Kelly Murphy
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Macmillan, 2008
• ISBN: 0805082700, 9780805082708
• Length: 292 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Insects, Spiders, etc; Juvenile Fiction / Art; Juvenile Fiction / Family / Blended Families; Juvenile Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories