Mrs.
Cirino's HomepageMirette
on the High Wire
by Emily Arnold McCully
Think Sheet #1
1. Why is Monsieur Bellini impressed by Mirette?
2. How does Bellini help Mirette?
3. Mirette thinks that walking in the air on a wire is "magical." What do you think she means by that?
4. What do you think it takes for Mirette to learn to walk on the wire?
5. How does Mirette respond when she hears about Bellini's great tricks and learns he is afraid to perform?
6. Why does Bellini decide to face his fear?
7. How do you think Mirette and Bellini are alike? How do you think they are different?
8. How did Mirette help Bellini get back his nerve?
9. Why do you think Bellini thought he would be letting Mirette down if he didn't perform?
10. What do you think Mirette and Bellini learned from each other?
Challenge:
Think about what happened in the story that led up to Mirette joining the Great Bellini on the high wire. Pretend you are a newspaper reporter who watched them cross the sky that night. Write a headline for a newspaper article describing the event. Follow the headline with a paragraph explaining how Mirette came to be Bellini's apprentice.
Imagine that you are the Great Bellini's agent. Prepare an introduction for Bellini at his next performance. Be sure to mention the amazing tricks from Bellini's past.
Both Mirette and Bellini grew from the friendship they shared. In your group, make a chart showing how they changed from the beginning to the end of the story. Label the columns Before Meeting and After Meeting, and then fill the chart with your observations. Discuss in your group what each character learned from the other.