Chasing Vermeer: Chapters 1–4

by Blue Balliett
In this mystery, middle-schoolers Calder and Petra get caught up in the search for a stolen painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–11, Chapters 12–16, Chapters 17–20, Chapters 21–24
15 words 797 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. discriminating
    showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment
    I have chosen you because of your discriminating eye, your intelligence, and your ability to think outside of convention.
  2. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
    It was printed on expensive stationery, the kind you buy if you want to be impressive. Or pretentious.
  3. coincidence
    an accidental event that seems to have been arranged
    The more she thought, the more agitated she became. She was not amused. Could this be a coincidence, or was it a clever warning? What exactly did this person know about her past?
  4. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
    And was she just being gullible, thinking this person was really writing to her?
  5. intriguing
    capable of arousing interest or curiosity
    Fake or not, the letter was intriguing....A centuries-old crime.
  6. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    Dewey believed in doing, in working on relevant projects in order to learn how to think.
  7. papyrus
    paper made from a plant by cutting it and pressing it flat
    They found out about cave art in France, about papyrus scrolls in Egypt, about Mayan petroglyphs in Mexico, and about stone tablets from the Middle East.
  8. mediocre
    lacking exceptional quality or ability
    He and Tommy had decided back in July that they weren’t going to be mediocre kids.
  9. labyrinth
    complex system of paths in which it is easy to get lost
    Although Petra had been inside many times, it always felt like a labyrinth: One dimly lit area led to the next, and suddenly you were back where you started without knowing how you got there.
  10. pathetic
    deserving or inciting pity
    Petra had wanted to murder her on the spot, but only came out with a pathetic “Don’t you wish you knew!”
  11. sophisticated
    complex or intricate
    She also knew that Petra was the name of an ancient stone city in Jordan, a sophisticated and graceful city that had risen out of the desert more than two thousand years ago.
  12. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    How could he ever write Ms. Hussey an unforgettable letter? And where was he going to find a stupendous letter now that Grandma Ranjana was gone?
  13. distorted
    so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly
    The illustrations were done in black and white — distorted, rubbery figures clutched each other or screamed.
  14. frenzied
    excessively agitated
    FRENZIED SPRINGBOKS, CAPERING THEIR EXASPERATIONS AGAINST FROGS THAT WERE TICKLING THEM.
  15. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    FRENZIED SPRINGBOKS, CAPERING THEIR EXASPERATIONS AGAINST FROGS THAT WERE TICKLING THEM.
Created on Wed Aug 22 20:19:40 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Jul 29 13:12:33 EDT 2025)

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