Anything But Ordinary Addie: The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic

by Mara Rockliff, Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763668419
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,041,848
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/25/2016
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.)

Publishers Weekly

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’s creating scandal by proposing to a man or donning risqué costumes...Pure magic.
—Booklist (starred review)

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...Picture book biographies about groundbreaking women are always welcome, and this one is sure to please readers, young and old.
—School Library Journal (starred 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...This charming and visually dramatic read gives children a front-row seat for the story of an ahead-of-her-time entertainer.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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.
—Kirkus Reviews

This is the true story of Adelaide Herrmann, born Adele Scarsez in London, 1853. Not much has been published about the woman who practiced magic for 65 years, yet her story comes to life in this bold and brilliantly illustrated biography...The combination of illuminating text paired with magnificent illustrations ensures that this will be a popular book in every collection.
—School Library Connection

Playful borders—velvet curtains, circus tent flaps, ship rigging—frame each spread, and thick white outlines create the look of paper-doll cutouts. It’s a memorable and, yes, I’ll say it, magical picture-book biography that will captivate audiences, young and old.
—Horn Book

Rockliff's spare, but exuberant narrative and Bruno's lavish illustrations speed through the story of the girl who began as a ballerina, moved on to bicycle tricks, met and married world-famous magician Alexander Hermann and joined his magic act.
—The Buffalo News

A fascinating true story of the fearless magician, Adelaide Herrmann, this choice oozes with courage and determination.
—Books to Borrow...Books to Buy (Kendal A. Rautzhan column)

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2016
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

School Library Journal

2016-01-20
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)

Kirkus Reviews