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Summary
Summary
Be astonished and dazzled by the true story of Adelaide Herrmann, the Queen of Magic!
Some girls are perfectly happy never doing anything out of the ordinary. But Addie was anything but ordinary. She longed for thrills and excitement! At a time when a young lady appearing onstage was considered most unusual, Addie defied convention and became a dancer. And when she married the world-famous magician Herrmann the Great, she knew she had to be part of his show. Addie wanted to shock and dazzle ! She would do anything to draw the crowds, even agree to be shot out of a cannon. But when Herrmann the Great died, Addie couldn't disappoint her loyal fans -- the show had to go on. What could she do? She would perform the show all by herself! From the creators of Mesmerized, this rollicking romp tells the true story of one fearless magician's rise to glory, featuring exquisitely lavish illustrations by Iacopo Bruno. Extensive back matter, including instructions for performing one of Addie's original tricks, makes this a dazzling celebration of one of the first female conjurers in show business.
Author Notes
Mara Rockliff is the author of many books for children, including Mesmerized, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno, and the Golden Kite Award winner Me and Momma and Big John, illustrated by William Low. Mara Rockliff lives in eastern Pennsylvania.
Iacopo Bruno is a graphic designer and the illustrator of Mesmerized. He lives in Milan, Italy.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rockliff and Bruno (Mesmerized) reunite for another spectacular book about the often illusory world of human showmanship. Standout illustrations lend a magical aura as they spotlight the life of female magician Adelaide Herrmann. Bold as their protagonist, Bruno's stylish visuals create a show-within-a-show effect, complete with paper-doll-style cutouts framing each spread. Images of hands performing magic tricks border a scene of Addie dining aboard an ocean liner with her future husband, magician Alexander Herrmann, who causes plates and flowers to levitate above the dining table. The brief narrative often becomes part of the illustrations, with the text styled to appear on a banner, as newspaper headlines, or down the length of stage curtains. Following Alexander's untimely death, Adelaide daringly moved forward with what was typically a man's vocation during the latter half of the 19th century, creating "dazzling, astonishing tricks of her own." This charming and visually dramatic read gives children a front-row seat for the story of an ahead-of-her-time entertainer. Author notes detail the scope of Adelaide's influence, as well as the search for elusive sources about the groundbreaking performer. Ages 6-9. Author's agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Rockliff and Bruno (Mesmerized, rev. 1/15) bring the now-all-but-forgotten female magician Adelaide Herrmann back to center stage. Bold and spunky, Addie, in Rockliffs strikingly vivid depiction, was always eager to stand out from the crowd, to ASTONISH, SHOCK, and DAZZLE. These three verbs pop up repeatedly in the eye-catchingly arranged text, where words slant and curve and grab attention thanks to larger type, decorative fonts, or placement (say, on the front of a drum). After stints as a ballet dancer and a bicycle-tricks performer, Addie met magician Alexander Herrmann. Addie proposed, they married, and she became his assistant: He set fire to Addie. He chopped off her head. He made her vanish -- (poof!) into thin air. The two of them got along splendidly. After Alexanders untimely death, Addie continued performing for more than thirty years, well into the early twentieth century. Rendered in pencil and colored digitally, Brunos illustrations are rich and dramatic and theatrically staged. Playful borders -- velvet curtains, circus tent flaps, ship rigging -- frame each spread, and thick white outlines create the look of paper-doll cutouts. Its a memorable and, yes, Ill say it, magical picture-book biography that will captivate audiences, young and old. Further biographical information and details about Addies memoir are appended. tanya d. auger (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The creators of Mesmerized (2015) join forces again to tell the incredible story of the nineteenth-century magician Adelaide Herrmann. From the very first spread, readers learn that Addie never wanted to be ordinary. She dreamed of the circus, joined a dance troupe, and delighted crowds by riding the bicycle-like boneshaker. She performed around Europe, but it was on a ship to America that her life became truly extraordinary. There, Addie met her soon-to-be husband, Alexander aka Herrmann the Great and joined his magic act, wherein he set fire to Addie. He chopped off her head. . . . The two of them got along splendidly. After tragedy strikes, Adelaide goes from assistant to starring magician, naturally with a daring trick up her sleeve. Lavish illustrations frame the story, often literally, creating a three-dimensional effect that puts the reader in every scene. Velvet stage curtains, ship's rigging, fellow audience members all overlap the featured artwork, lending excitement and immediacy to this little-known tale. The rich colors and embellished fonts, meanwhile, create a grandiose effect fitting for Adelaide's life in the spotlight. Adelaide's independent spirit is inspiring, whether she is creating scandal by proposing to a man or donning risqué costumes. An author's note provides more information on this remarkable woman as well as her most (in)famous trick. Pure magic.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-From the team responsible for Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France (Candlewick, 2015) comes another excellent picture book biography, this time about someone less well known but truly intriguing. Adelaide Herrmann (1853-1932) never wanted to be like other girls: she was determined to stand out and dazzle the world. She secretly joined a dancing troupe, scandalizing family and friends. When that got old, the young woman learned to ride a bicycle, which eventually led to her meeting and marrying Alexander Herrmann, aka Herrmann the Great, a famous magician. Addie began working as Alexander's assistant and took over the act when he died. Life was never ordinary again. Rockliff tells Addie's story with panache, the words bouncing across the page, with varying sizes and typefaces to highlight and emphasize important ideas. Bruno's pencil and digitally colored illustrations are a homage to another time, with individuals and scenes made to look like cutout paper dolls and layered onto backgrounds. A detailed author's note provides further details about Herrmann's life and story, which was lost to the world for a long time. VERDICT Picture book biographies about groundbreaking women are always welcome, and this one is sure to please readers, young and old.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Artwork and layout reminiscent of 19th-century posters and paper dolls tell the true tale of magician Adelaide Herrmann, once known as the Queen of Magic. "Addie never wanted to be ordinary," states the first double-page spread, in which a little redheaded white girl in a bright orange dress and white petticoat flaunts her hoop and stick against a background of somber, sepia-toned family members. A mustachioed man, outlined so as to look like a cutout from a piece of cardboard, is clicking his cumbersome camera at the group. The next spread shows dreamy, flame-haired Addie surrounded by circus characters, and decorative text on a marching-band-member's drum says, "Addie wanted to astonish, shock, and dazzle." As the story progresses, Addie moves from being a prima ballerina to boldly riding a "boneshaker" (bicycle) to marrying her dream man: famous magician Alexander Herrmann. The text asserts that "Alexander was no ordinary husband. He set fire to Addie. He chopped off her head.The two of them got along splendidly." The art makes the piece much more than simply a humorous biography of a spunky woman artist; readers get a taste of elite and artistic lives during Addie's lifetime. Addie's willingness to perform the feared-and-revered bullet-catching trick to retain popularity after Alex's death is a perfect way to end the entertaining, true story. An out-of-the-ordinary biography. (biographical research notes) (Picture book/biography. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
