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Emily Arnold McCully

Mirette on the High Wire Paperback – Picture Book, April 14, 1997

by Emily Arnold McCully (Author)

175 ratings

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One day, a mysterious stranger arrives at a boardinghouse of the widow Gateau—a sad-faced stranger, who keeps to himself. When the widow’s daughter, Mirette, discovers him crossing the courtyard on air, she begs him to teach her how he does it.

But Mirette doesn’t know that the stranger was once the Great Bellini—master wire-walker. Or that Bellini has been stopped by a terrible fear. And it is she who must teach him courage once again.

Emily Arnold McCully’s sweeping watercolor paintings carry the reader over the rooftops of nineteenth-century Paris and into an elegant, beautiful world of acrobats, jugglers, mimes, actors, and one gallant, resourceful little girl.

Reading age

4 - 8 years
Print length

32 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Preschool - 3
Lexile measure

660L
Dimensions

8 x 0.14 x 10.25 inches
Publisher

Puffin Books
Publication date

April 14, 1997
ISBN-10

0698114434
ISBN-13

978-0698114432
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Editorial Reviews

Review

★"Mirette makes an enviable and plucky heroine; young readers will want to pull on their own high-button boots and join her as she dances between the rooftops." --BCCB, starred review

★"A bravura performance." --Horn Book, starred review

★"A satisfying, high-spirited adventure." --School Library Journal, starred review

"An exotic, suspenseful story." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Emily Arnold McCully was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and grew up "a daredevil child," always climbing trees or buildings. She made it to college intact, however, and received her B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. in art history from Columbia University.

Emily McCully's artwork has been included in the International Biennale at Bratislava, and she has won a Christopher Award for Picnic, one of the many picture books that she has both written and illustrated.

Writing also for adults, Ms. McCully has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts. Her book, A Craving was nominated for an American Book Award.

The idea for Mirette on the High Wire began as a biography of real-life daredevil Blondin. But the author changed her mind to accomodate the tree-climbing child and risk-taking adult she was and is.

Start reading Mirette on the High Wire (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK) on your Kindle in under a minute.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Puffin Books; Illustrated edition (April 14, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0698114434
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0698114432
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 660L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.99 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.14 x 10.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #48,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #233 in Children's Performing Arts Books (Books)
- #305 in Children's Sports & Outdoors Books (Books)
- #822 in Children's Classics

Customer Reviews:
175 ratings

About the author

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Emily Arnold McCully

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Emily Arnold McCully was born in Galesburg, Illinois. She was a dare-devil tree-climber and ball-player who loved to write stories and illustrate them. Her family moved to New York City and then to a suburb, where she attended school. After college at Brown University, she earned a Master's degree at Columbia University in art history. She worked as a freelance illustrator for magazines, advertisements and book publishers until a radio station commissioned a series of posters showing children playing. The first appeared in subway cars, where it was seen by a children's book editor. It launched a long career, first as an illustrator, then as author/illustrator of picture books. McCully won a Caldecott Medal in 1993. She has two grown sons, one grandson and lives in New York City and Columbia County, N.Y., where she grows flowers and vegetables.

Customer reviews

5 star		85%
4 star		10%
3 star		3%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		2%

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NK

good story, great female character

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2004

Verified Purchase

I would give this book 3.5 stars for plot. The story's above average but not great, yet definitely worth reading. It is definitely 5 stars for having a very positive female role model - she is hard-working, helpful, extremely responsible (she helps here widowed mother run the guesthouse and when she wants to learn to walk a tightrope, she gets up 2 hours early so she can still finish her chores and have the rest of the day to practice), diligent, and pursues and sticks to her own dreams- teaching herself even when initially rebuffed by Bellini. The book is also one of the few I've seen with a very positive image of a single mother who is very hard-working, conscientious and doing her best to provide for her and her daughter. The book definitely earns 5+ stars for its admirable portrayal of female characters! The book also does a good job of presenting more diverse occupations (the performers) that are not necessarily glamourous or prestigious for their time. (On other diversity measures such as race and heterosexism, the book is not so good but that may be more a reflection of the historical setting of the book and does not necessarily come across as a flaw.) The values modeled by the main character, Mirette, are admirable for anyone to experience - female or male, child or adult. The atypical setting - a turn of the century guest house in Paris for traveling performers - provides a not frequently encountered historical slice of life in picture books. This book is a great transition book from read-aloud picture books to read-aloud chapter books for older preschoolers/kindergardeners or precocious toddlers/young preschoolers. There is a large picture on every page to help maintain interest but the text is longer and more complex than simpler picture books. Also because there are other books in the series, reading one after the other also helps in the transition to chapter books.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ohioan

Enjoyable and Touching Story

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2012

Verified Purchase

This is the story of Mirette, a young Parisian girl who works hard in her mother's boarding house. One day the great Bellini appears: he is a tightrope walker and he practices on the clothesline in the enclosed space behind the boarding house. Mirette wants Bellini to teach her how to walk a tightrope, but he won't because, he says, if she learns to walk in the air, her feet will never be happy on the ground. So Mirette teaches herself enough to walk from one end of the clothesline to the other. Bellini then sees that she is serious and he teaches her more.

Then an agent finds Bellini and asks him to perform a great feat in public: but Bellini confesses to Mirette that he is now afraid of the tightrope, which is why he has been hiding in her mother's boarding house. Still, he doesn't want to disappoint the young girl, and so he takes a step toward returning to life in the air. As it turns out, he cannot accomplish this without Mirette's help. A nice story about talent, ambition, fear, and extending a helping hand.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

M. Lilliquist

Beloved by my daughter

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2002

Verified Purchase

My precocious (precious!) 4-year-old daughter just loved this book - so much so that we have enjoyed playing "Mirette & Bellini" together many times, acting out the story and embellishing the details. Strong plot; excellent characterization. What greater recommendation than success with the target audience, kids?

This book is great as a read aloud for younger kids, and a good early reader for those slightly older. To the author's great credit, the vocabulary is NOT simplified -- your child may actually learn something while enjoying the story.

The 2nd sequel, in which the wire-walking duo cross the Niagara Falls, is OK, but not as magical. Seems a bit forced. We have not read the other sequel yet.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kat in the Desert

My daughter really enjoys this book!

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2013

Verified Purchase

My 2-year-old picks this book again and again. I often scale down the words the first time I read through a book like this, explaining more of the images than just reading the text so she understands fully what is going on. Once we did that and she got it, we read it word for word now and she is quite taken with the story. We even make washi tape "high wires" on our floor and pretend to walk on them!

Helpful

Tracey Canada

Book was torn when received.

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

When I received this product it came in a package with 2 other books I needed to use in my classroom. When I opened this one to read to my students, I noticed the bad condition of the book. Several pages were torn in the muddle of the book. Not the “new” book I paid for.

Helpful

Liz M.

This is one of my favorite books for the interesting

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is one of my favorite books for the interesting, unique story and beautiful illustrations and the feminist message it gives that girls can do anything they put their minds to! Being a redhead myself, I know redheaded kids will appreciate the positive portrayal of a good role model.

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

Wonderful book, about passion and dedication. Highly recommend.

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2021

Verified Purchase

I was super excited about finding this book as it was one I loved when I was young. I purchased this for my son to be able to talk more about making mistakes and perseverance. Unfortunately, the binding was coming undone and totally misprinted. I am incredibly disappointed and definitely do not recommend.