Mirette on the High Wire

McCully, E.A. (1992). Mirette on the high wire. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Caldecott Medal Winner, 1993 

Exposition (the beginning of the story, establishment of setting and characters):  Mirette on the High Wire is set in Paris, France one hundred years ago at the widow Gateau’s boardinghouse on English Street, which housed various types of entertainers; the widow and her daughter Mirette worked hard to make their guests comfortable.

Conflict (the problem(s) faced by the characters):   Mirette struggles to teach herself to walk on a tight rope, and she must help Bellini to conquer his fear on the wire.

Rising Action (events in the story leading up to the climax):  A retired high-wire walker named Bellini came to stay at the boardinghouse, and Mirette watches him cross the courtyard on a tight rope every day and after he told her he would not help her learn, she eventually teaches herself how to walk on the wire, after a week of many falls and failed attempts; Bellini begins to train Mirette, and when an agent from Astley’s Hippodrome in London rents a room at the boardinghouse, he informs them that Bellini is the man who crossed Niagara Falls on a wire in ten minutes, who crossed the Alps with baskets tied to his feet, who fired a cannon over the bullring in Barcelona, and who walked a flaming wire blindfolded in Naples, but when Mirette questions Bellini about it, she learns he now has a fear of the high-wire.

Climax (the culmination of events in the story, point of highest reader interest):  Bellini comes up with a plan to conquer his fear so that he does not disappoint Mirette, and with the help of the agent, he walks onto a high-wire in the city square, but when he freezes, Mirette runs to the roof, jumps on the wire, and stretches her hands to Bellini, who smiles and walks toward her.

Falling Action (events leading to the solving of the story’s problems):  Mirette and Bellini cross the sky together while the crowd cheers below them.

Resolution (how events and problems of the story are solved): The agent yells that Mirette is Bellini’s protégé, but all Mirette and Bellini can think of is the wire and crossing it to the end.

Picture books only (Was this a well illustrated book? Describe how it was or was not well-illustrated in 3 sentences.):  Author Emily Arnold McCully also illustrated the delightful watercolor paintings in this book.  The reader is transported back in time to nineteenth century Paris, France, then filled with colorful entertainers – jugglers, acrobats, actors, and the like.  McCully’s use of vivid, bold colors helps the reader imagine what an exciting time it must have been for Mirette and Bellini.