When his best friend, a human boy named James, goes away on vacation, Marvin the beetle worries that their friendship may end.

Marvin the beetle is off to school with James for the very first time! Everything runs smoothly on this big adventure until the bell rings after lunch and Marvin gets separated from James. In fact, he gets accidentally thrown away! Will Marvin make i

Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays' apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. He is very much an eleven-year-old boy.After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer. But James can't go through with the plan without Marvin's help. And that's where things get really complicated (and interesting!). This fast-paced mystery will have young readers on the edge of their seats as they root for boy and beetle. In Shakespeare's Secret Elise Broach showed her keen ability to weave storytelling with history and suspense, and Masterpiece is yet another example of her talent. This time around it's an irresistible miniature world, fascinating art history, all wrapped up in a special friendship— something for everyone to enjoy. Masterpiece is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

A Trip to the Country for Marvin & James is the fifth book in New York Times bestselling author Elise Broach's Masterpiece Adventures chapter book series featuring Marvin the beetle and his best friend, James--featuring illustrations by Kelly Murphy. Marvin gets invited to spend a weekend with James visiting Karl and Christina in the country. And Marvin is bringing his cousin Elaine! Together, they partake in exciting outdoor activities. But a playful boat ride on a pond turns into an unexpected adventure. How will James and Marvin and Elaine find each other out in the wilderness? This fifth book in the Masterpiece Adventures series brings Marvin and James together in a celebration of friendship and family. Christy Ottaviano Books

In the new Masterpiece Adventure Trouble at School for Marvin & James, the third in a series for younger readers from bestselling author Elise Broach, Marvin the beetle is off to school with James for the very first time! Everything runs smoothly on this big adventure until the bell rings after lunch and Marvin gets separated from James. In fact, he gets accidentally thrown away! Will Marvin make it back home to his family? How will James find him? This young chapter book for emergent readers captures the miniature world of Marvin the Beetle and his special friend James. A Christy Ottaviano Book

In this Masterpiece Adventure, the second in a chapter book series for younger readers from Elise Broach, bestselling author of Masterpiece, Marvin the beetle is going collecting with his family. All is good and well until Uncle Albert gets hurt. Marvin needs James's help to save Uncle Albert before it's too late. James to the Rescue captures the miniature world of Marvin the beetle and his special friendship with James. Praise for The Adventures of Marvin and James: “A winsome series debut . . . a sweet story of cross-species friendship.” —Kirkus Reviews “Just right for a younger crowd. . . . Despite the simplicity of Broach's pared-down sentences, the story brims with both emotion and moments of quiet wisdom.” —Publishers Weekly “New readers will be rewarded for the effort by this page-turning adventure, which is written throughout with emotional authenticity and illustrated with lively pen-and-ink illustrations in a brown and gray palette, ending with a very satisfying conclusion.” —The Horn Book Praise for Masterpiece: “Inventive . . . Broach . . . packs this fast-moving story with perennially seductive themes: hidden lives and secret friendships, miniature worlds lost to disbelievers . . . Broach and Kelly show readers something new.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “Delightful intricacies of beetle life . . . blend seamlessly with the suspenseful caper as well as the sentimental story of a complicated-but-rewarding friendship . . . Murphy's charming pen-and-ink drawings populate the short chapters of this funny, winsome novel.” —Kirkus Reviews “This marvelous story is sure to be a hit.” —School Library Journal Read all of the Masterpiece Adventures: The Miniature World of Marvin & James James to the Rescue Trouble at School for Marvin & James