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Masterpiece (Paperback)
$7.99
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Description
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?
About the Author
ELISE BROACH is the author of Desert Crossing and the ALA Notable Book Shakespeare’s Secret (available from Square Fish). She lives with her family in Easton, Connecticut. Visit Elise Broach at www.elisebroach.com. KELLY MURPHY has illustrated many books for children including Hush Little Dragon. She lives in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Visit Kelly Murphy at www.kelmurphy.com.
Praise for Masterpiece…
“Murphy’s own pen-and-ink spot art reflects the text’s sweet insouciance. With suspense, art history, complex family relationships (human and arthropod), and a resonant friendship, this enjoyable outing will satisfy the reserved and adventurous alike.”—Booklist
“With overtones of Chasing Vermeer and The Borrowers, this inventive mystery involves two families that inhabit the same Manhattan apartment . . . Broach packs this fast-moving story with perennially seductive themes: hidden lives and secret friendships, miniature worlds lost to disbelievers.”—Publishers Weekly
“This is a great mystery for young adolescents.”—KLIATT
“Delightful intricacies of beetle life . . . blend seamlessly with the suspenseful caper as well as the sentimental story of a complicated-but-rewarding friendship that requires a great deal of frantic leg-wiggling on Marvin’s part. Murphy’s charming pen-and-ink drawings populate the short chapters of this funny, winsome novel.”—Kirkus Reviews
