Masterpiece

Elise Broach; Illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Square Fish

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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.

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CHAPTER 4: A Present for James

The journey through the dark apartment to James’s room was an arduous one. Rolling the nickel across the kitchen tile went relatively smoothly, but hoisting it over the door sills left Marvin exhausted and panting. He had to watch for trouble every step of the way, not just night-roving Pompadays, but the booby-traps of forgotten gum or scotch tape on the floor, or worse yet, a foraging mouse.
     When he finally reached James’s bedroom, he had to sit for a minute to catch his breath.

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Masterpiece by Elise Broach--Audiobook Excerpt

Listen to this audiobook excerpt from Elise Broach's children's book Masterpiece. 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.

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Elise Broach on her book Masterpiece

"Hear author Elise Broach talk about her children's book Masterpiece and read an excerpt. In this middle-grade fiction book and fast-paced mystery, young readers will be on the edge of their seats as they root for a boy named James and an artistically inclined beetle. Learn more about the book at http://us.macmillan.com/masterpiece/KellyMurphy Read more about Elise Broach at http://us.macmillan.com/author/elisebroach"

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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
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About the Author

Elise Broach; Illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of books for children and young adults, including Desert 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.

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Masterpiece
Elise Broach; Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Award

American Library Association Notable Children's Books, ABC E.B. White Read Aloud Award, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI), Capitol Choices Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens, CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List, Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Choice Award Master List, Iowa Children's Choice Award Master List, Kansas State Reading Circle, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Maser List, Nebraska Golden Sower Award Master List, Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
Square Fish
March 2010
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780312608705
ISBN10: 0312608705
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 3/16 x 7 5/8 inches, 320 pages, Includes black-and-white illustrations
Age Range: 8 to 13
Grade Range: 3 to 8 Information for Librarians

Information for Librarians


Lexile: NC700LL
AR Quiz Number: 125321
AR Points: 8

$7.99
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Unabridged Compact Disc

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Unabridged Compact Disc
Macmillan Audio
Macmillan Young Listeners
June 2010
Unabridged Compact Disc
ISBN: 9781427211156
ISBN10: 1427211159
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 7/8 x 5 1/8 inches, Audio Run Time: 5:30
Age Range: 10 to 15
Grade Range: 5 to 10
$14.99

Unabridged Compact Disc

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Unabridged Compact Disc
Macmillan Audio
Macmillan Young Listeners
September 2008
Unabridged Compact Disc
ISBN: 9781427205148
ISBN10: 1427205140
Middle-Grade FictionAudio Run Time: 5:30
Age Range: 10 to 15
Grade Range: 5 to 10
$29.95

Unabridged Digital Audio

Learn more about this edition
Unabridged Digital Audio
Macmillan Audio
Macmillan Young Listeners
September 2008
Unabridged Digital Audio
ISBN: 9781427205155
ISBN10: 1427205159
Middle-Grade FictionAudio Run Time: 5:30
Age Range: 10 to 15
Grade Range: 5 to 10
$14.95

Hardcover

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Hardcover
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Henry Holt and Co.
September 2008
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780805082708
ISBN10: 0805082700
Middle-Grade Fiction
5.5 x 8.25 inches, 304 pages, Includes black-and-white illustrations
Age Range: 8 to 13
Grade Range: 3 to 8 Information for Librarians

Information for Librarians


Lexile: NC700L
F&P Level A-Z: U
AR Quiz Number: 125321
AR Points: 8

$16.99
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e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Henry Holt and Co.
September 2008
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429985086
ISBN10: 1429985089
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 304 pages, Includes black-and-white illustrations
Age Range: 8 to 13
Grade Range: 3 to 8 Information for Librarians

Information for Librarians


Lexile: NC700L
AR Quiz Number: 54455 EN
AR Book Level: 1.5
AR Points: 0.5

$7.99
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