Masterpiece by Elise Broach

Boy Meets Beetle
Review by Deya
Special Program Coordinator
Assistant Librarian

        
I picked up this book at a Barnes and Noble in Georgetown, DC. Before I get into the book, I need to explain the experience.

It was the first book store I'd been in since starting back to work in the library. It's a bit frustrating when you realize that the book store shopping experience has been turned into the "What does the library need that I'd like to buy, read, and donate" experience.

It used to be that I could just pick out whatever I wanted but now I work in a place with over 20,000 books and my conscience won't let me get just any ol' book. The 20,000 books part is where the iPhone browsing capabilities come in handy- I can be in a book store in DC, browsing the shelves and also browsing the library catalog to see what we do and do not already have in our collection.

I am in charge of the Summer Reading Program so when I go to a book store my first stop is Juvenile Fiction. I also love reading these books period. They help me reconnect with my childhood, pull me away from the fact that I have to pay for my own visits to the dentist and are a welcome break from the real world of life as a "grown up". They can be angsty, like I was in high school, or calming, which I get from Laura Wilder. They can be about many things- farm life, family, training horses and, in the case of Elise Broach's "Masterpiece", friendship and art. 

Reminiscent of the "Redwall" series and countless other books with sentient animals, the main character is a beetle named Marvin who lives with his family under the sink of a New York City apartment. The family that lives there is...nuts for the most part. However, the son from another marriage is a quiet, kind boy named James who anyone would want to be friends with, including a beetle.

Marvin uses James' pen and ink set to draw the boy a birthday present, a tiny Albrecht Durer-esque rendering of the view from James' bedroom window. This tiny gesture of friendship and love is the match that ignites a chain reaction, leading the two "boys" to The Met and the apprehension of the Durer art thief. 

Anything ART has always fascinated me and the idea of a beetle meticulously copying a Durer, both for himself and for friendship, pulled me into the story. There's enough mystery to keep you reading to the last page and if that's not enough there are fabulous illustrations by Kelly Murphy. And if THAT's not enough there are questions and answers with the author and illustrator in the back of the book, right after discussion questions to use if reading the book with folks it is ostensibly for, that is, 9-12 year olds.

This book can fulfill a ton of reading needs:
Just for Fun
Reading with your son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchildren
Escape back into preadolescence
Book discussion group (pre-teen or teen)
Or if you really love art and therefore like anything remotely related