Blue Balliett is an American author. She is best known for her award-winning children’s novel, ''

Chasing Vermeer ''Chasing Vermeer'' is a 2004 children's art mystery novel written by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist. Set in Hyde Park, Chicago near the University of Chicago, the novel follows two children, Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee. A ...

''. ''Chasing Vermeer'', released by

Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

in 2004, is her best-known and most highly praised book. Illustrated by Brett Helquist, it concerns the fictitious theft of a painting by 17th-century

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

artist

Jan Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; #Pronunciation of name, see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of ...

. The book was a bestseller and won a number of accolades and awards, including the 2005

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

in the Best Juvenile category. In addition, she was awarded the

Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...

in 2004 in the category Best Children's or Young Adult. A sequel, '' The Wright 3'', was released in April, 2006, and a third, '' The Calder Game'', was published two years later, in April 2008. ''The Danger Box'' was published in August 2010. Her next book, '' Hold Fast'' was published in 2013. Soon after, in 2015, Balliett published ''Pieces and Players''. ''Out of the Wild Night'' was published in 2018. Balliett has also published two oral histories involving Nantucket ghost stories in the 1980s, which have been consolidated into one book, "Nantucket Ghosts" released by Down East Books in 2006.

Personal life

Balliett was born to Elizabeth Platt and Whitney Balliett. She was born Elizabeth Balliett, but her mother started calling her Blue shortly after her birth. Before releasing ''Chasing Vermeer'', she taught third grade at the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (also known as Lab, Lab Schools, or U-High, abbreviated UCLS) is a private, co-educational, day pre-school and K-12 school affiliated with the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Almost half ...

. During her tenure, she coordinated with NASA astronaut and

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

alumnus John M. Grunsfeld (S.M., '84, Ph.D., '88) to send her pupils' literature and creative artwork into space during a routine

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

mission on the Columbia space shuttle. Balliett lives with her husband, three children, a grandson, and a cat.

Bibliography

* ''Chasing Vermeer'' (2004) * ''The Wright 3'' (2006) * ''The Calder Game'' (2008) * ''The Danger Box'' (2010) * ''Hold Fast'' (2013) * ''Pieces and Players'' (2015) * ''Out of the Wild Night'' (2018)

References

External links

Official Web Site
Scholastic {{DEFAULTSORT:Balliett, Blue Living people American children's writers Edgar Award winners Writers from Chicago Agatha Award winners American women children's writers American women novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Illinois Year of birth missing (living people)