MIRETTE ON THE HIGH WIRE

Emily Arnold McCully narrates her own Caldecott Medal-winning book with emotion well suited to her gently dramatic story. Mirette, the daughter of a boarding house owner, has met many traveling circus performers. But when she sees a new guest, the famous high-wire artist Bellini, walking across a wire strung in the backyard, she is desperate to try it herself. McCully lowers her voice and unevenly affects a slight accent to give Bellini a worldly air, distinguishing him from the other guests. Her accents are not as accomplished as a professional narrator's, but McCully's reading is no less endearing for that. Listeners will feel wonder and excitement as Mirette steps onto the wire in the satisfying conclusion. S.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2019]