A masterpiece is “a painting that can be seen in a hundred different ways.”

A boy, a beetle, and a masterpiece all come together for a story that is part art history lesson, part art heist, and all about the power of an unexpected friendship.

Marvin is the beetle. He lives with his family in the Pompaday’s apartment in New York City. Marvin and his family are wise and observant and ever vigilant in protecting themselves from the fate that befalls those who succumb to beetle wanderlust. Marvin manages to slip away and strike up a relationship with the human boy, James Pompaday. Marvin also turns out to be a talented artist and this discovery leads to the layered plot of Masterpiece.

Elise Broach is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including board books, picture books, early readers, middle-grade mysteries, and young adult novels. Her picture book, My Pet Wants a Pet, was named Parents Magazine’s Best Picture Book of 2018. Another picture book, When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, won the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and was Time Magazine’s #1 Children’s Book of the Year. Her middle-grade novel, Masterpiece, was a New York Times bestseller and also won the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award. Elise’s books have appeared on more than a dozen state reading lists. She lives in Connecticut and teaches creative writing at Yale University. 

Check out her website to learn more about the author! https://www.elisebroach.com/