Masterpiece

Our school is starting the One School - One Book program.  We are currently vetting some books to use and this is one of them.  This is the one I will be presenting as my favorite!  What great conversations this will start!  A beetle discovers a jar of ink in the room of the human boy where he lives.  He draws an amazing picture for which the lonely boy named James gets credit.  The two become friends and get caught up in a plan to forger a masterpiece to catch an art theif.  If was an exciting mystery, but the works of art - Fortitude, Justice, Temperance and Prudence - are such wonderful conversation starters- especially given our school's code of honor.  The boy's guilt over taking credit for something he didn't do will resonate with kids as well.  And I will also love the ability to have a discussion about forgeries and plagiarism!  (FIC BRO)