Chasing Vermeer

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Mysteries ask the reader to participate in the action by racing the characters to solve a puzzle. What are some techniques that authors use to get readers interested in a puzzle faced by fictional characters? What mystery have you read or watched in which the author did a good job of making you care about the characters and the mystery right away? What was interesting and relatable about the characters and the conflict they faced?

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to think about how mystery writers create initial engagement with a story—creating empathy for the protagonist(s), offering a clear conflict with stakes that matter to the protagonist, and so on. Even if students answer the first part of this question in writing, they may enjoy sharing examples of mysteries they have read and watched. If you decide to have students discuss examples aloud, this offers a good opportunity to talk about audience, because students are likely to disagree about what makes characters and conflicts interesting and relatable.

• This 3-minute video from author K.M. Weiland uses the film Toy Story to explain how effective conflicts are structured.
• This article from AV Film School discusses ways that writers can create relatable characters.

2. What are some techniques that mystery authors use to make their puzzles enjoyable and challenging to solve? What are some of the mistakes a mystery author might make that would cause a puzzle to be boring or frustrating?

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to think about how mystery writers structure an effective puzzle as well as how a mystery author can go wrong—for instance, by creating a plot that is too complex or too simple, or by hiding important information until very late in the story or giving it away too early. As students work on this question, you might wish to introduce or review terms like “suspense,” “tension,” “foreshadowing,” “clue,” ”inference gap,” and “red herring.”

• This 4-minute video by storyteller Joe Webb clearly explains how mystery writers use the “controlled release of information” to create suspense and keep the reader guessing.
• This entry on the term “red herring” from LiteraryTerms.net defines the term and gives clear examples.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

In the novel you are about to read, the main characters get very interested in the work of painter Jan Vermeer as they try to solve a related mystery. What kinds of visual art—painting, photography, sculpture, architecture, decorative art, mixed media, etc.—do you like the most? Do you have a favorite artist? What do you especially enjoy about this type of art or this particular artist?

Teaching Suggestion: Many students may not have a favorite “fine” art form or artist. It may be helpful to emphasize that this question asks about visual art in broad terms, including fields like anime, AI art, weaving, graffiti, and interior design. Students whose prior exposure to visual art is especially narrow may be interested in exploring one or both of the linked resources below or other sources before answering this question. If time permits, you might consider allowing students to share favorite works with the class. Exposing students to a wider variety of art may help pique their interest in the world of Chasing Vermeer. It also introduces another opportunity to talk about the importance of understanding audience when evaluating the appeal of a work of art.

• This article from Art in Context gives an overview of various types of visual art.
• This article from Artland magazine profiles 30 popular contemporary visual artists.