ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Broach, Elise

Duet

304 pp. | Little/Ottaviano | May, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-0-316-31135-9 $16.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-31631-155-7 $9.99
(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ziyue Chen. Mirabelle, a goldfinch with a sparkling personality, narrates this engaging music-focused mystery con brio. She attributes her excellent taste in music to listening through the window to a world-renowned pianist, and she's intrigued by his unappreciative, sulky new student, Michael. When Michael finally tries out the piano, she can't resist singing along with him to Chopin's Minute Waltz: "It's as if the song is singing me... m I still made of bones and skin and feathers? No. I am only song." Mirabelle's singing inspires Michael, and the two continue their duets as Michael prepares for a Chopin contest. Broach skillfully incorporates bits of bird lore and information about both Chopin (including the macabre story of his heart) and his life partner, George Sand. As in Broach's previous books Masterpiece (rev. 11/08) and Shakespeare's Secret, a historic object is missing--this time, Chopin's piano. The pace is brisk, and Mirabelle faces multiple dilemmas (beyond her secret duets), involving newly hatched siblings, a dangerous cat, and a desperately ill man. Broach gives her heroine true self-determination and emotional growth, as the little bird ponders her situation: "What's the difference between a secret and a lie? A secret probably feels like a lie to someone who loves you." A final note sorts out historical fact from fiction.
Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?