Anything but ordinary Addie : the true story of Adelaide Herrmann, queen of magic / Mara Rockliff ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780763668419
- ISBN: 0763668419
- ISBN: 9780763668419 : SAL
- ISBN: 0763668419 : SAL
- ISBN: 9780763668419
- ISBN: 0763668419
- Physical Description: 42 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 31 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2016.
- Copyright: ©2016
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Summary, etc.: | Traces the story of dancer-turned-magician's assistant Adelaide Herrmann, placing her achievements against a backdrop of period conventions about women in the arts and her determination to continue her work after the death of her husband. |
Study Program Information Note: | Accelerated Reader 4.2. Reading Counts! 1.8. |
Language Note: | Text in English. |
Awards Note: | A Junior Library Guild selection. Nutmeg Award Nominee, Elementary, 2020. |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Biographies. |
Available copies
- 69 of 69 copies available at Bibliomation.
- 4 of 4 copies available at Bethel Public Library. (Show preferred library)
Holds
- 0 current holds with 69 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bethel Public Library | JE B HERRMANN (Text) | 34030141529690 | Juvenile Easy Reader Nonfiction | Available | - |
Bethel Public Library | JE B HERRMANN (Text) | 34030141529807 | Juvenile Easy Reader Nonfiction | Available | - |
Bethel Public Library | JE B HERRMANN (Text) | 34030141529856 | Juvenile Easy Reader Nonfiction | Available | - |
Bethel Public Library | JE B HERRMANN (Text) | 34030141529864 | Juvenile Easy Reader Nonfiction | Available | - |
Babcock Library - Ashford | E Roc (Text) | 33110143347589 | Juvenile Nutmeg | Available | - |
Beardsley & Memorial Library - Winsted | J ROCKLIF (Text) | 33750000072870 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
Beardsley Branch - Bridgeport | jB HERRMANN ADELAIDE (Text) | 34000090055963 | Juvenile Biography | Available | - |
Beekley Community Library - New Hartford | E ROCKLIFF, M. (Text) | 32544072411084 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
Black Rock Branch - Bridgeport | jB HERRMANN ADELAIDE (Nutmeg Nominee 2020) (Text) | 34000090057118 | Juvenile Biography | Available | - |
Brookfield Library | J 921/HERRMANN (Text) | 34029137439559 | Juvenile Nonfiction | Available | - |
The Horn Book Review
Anything but Ordinary Addie : The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic
The Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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.
Kirkus Review
Anything but Ordinary Addie : The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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.
BookList Review
Anything but Ordinary Addie : The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
*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
Publishers Weekly Review
Anything but Ordinary Addie : The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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.
School Library Journal Review
Anything but Ordinary Addie : The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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.