Duet

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

★ “Exceptional…. Rich with facts around goldfinches and music, vivid descriptions, unique characters, and carefully crafted suspense.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Perfect for readers who, like Mirabelle, are sometimes spellbound by music.” —Booklist­, starred review

A musically gifted bird, a piano-playing boy, and a real-life mystery involving three artistic geniuses

Welcome to the world of Mirabelle, a young goldfinch who loves to sing and dreams of becoming a musical star. She lives with her family in the backyard of a piano teacher, and she is quickly intrigued by Mr. Starek's newest pupil. Michael Jin is an eleven-year-old keyboard sensation, but lesson after lesson, he refuses to play.  With the prestigious Chopin Festival looming at summer’s end, how will he be ready in time?  Mirabelle is responsible for Michael’s breakthrough—to her own astonishment, she sings the Chopin piece he is beginning to play at the piano. It is their first duet.

Thus begins a secret adventure that will take Mirabelle and Michael further than they ever imagined—in music, in friendship, and in solving the mystery of a lost piano that could be worth millions.  A house full of treasures holds the clues. There, Mirabelle, Michael, and their friend Emily will make an important discovery that links the great composer Frederic Chopin, the trailblazing author George Sand, and the French Romantic painter Eugene Delacroix.

A fast-paced, history-rich mystery will have young readers hooked as they root for boy and bird in this beautifully told novel, full of emotion and suspense.

A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

About the Author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for children and young adults, including Masterpiece, Shakespeare’s Secret, The Wolf Keepers, Desert Crossing, the Superstition Mountain trilogy, and the Masterpiece Adventures chapter book series. She lives in Connecticut. Elise invites you to visit her at elisebroach.com