Skip to main content

Circus Mirandus

                                           

Circus Mirandus
by Cassie Beasley, illustrated by Diana Sudyka
Dial, 2015. 292 pgs. Fantasy

     Micah's grandfather is dying, and Micah's great aunt Gertrudis is caring for them both, after her fashion, which is mean-spirited if not downright wicked. But before he passes on, Ephraim Tuttle is going to call in a favor from the Man Who Bends Light, of the Circus Mirandus. When Ephraim was a small boy he played alone on a lone and dreary beach, where one day the skirl of pipes and the thrum of drums called him over the hill to the Circus Mirandus. Luckily he found what passed for a ticket in his boot, and stayed as long as his ticket allowed to learn and to feel the Magic of the circus. Messages pass back and forth between Ephraim and the Circus, carried by Chintzy the Parrot and though Micah thinks his grandfather will be saved, Ephraim has something greater and more lasting in mind. Can't reveal much more without compromising the luster of this beautiful book, but Circus Mirandus is many, many times worth the price of admission. It is a bit early in the year to be talking Newbery, but if this book doesn't win, the American Library Association should be burned to the ground. Just kidding. Sort of.

Comments

Ms. Yingling said…
I got two ARCs and could not give them away to my students (the target demographic). Such a sad book, and rather slow. But you're right about the Newbery. Lots of money spent publicizing this one.

Popular posts from this blog

From Story Time: The Letter "V"

  Preschool Time Harold Finds a Voice By Courtney Dicmas Auburn, ME: Child's Play Inc., 2013. Picture Book. Harold is an amazing mimic, and can imitate the sound of everything in his home. Tired of repeating the same old noises, he yearns to find out what other voices there are in the big, wide world. But what happens when he suddenly realizes that he doesn't yet have a voice of his own? --Editor Preschool Time Don't Blow Your Top! Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Abhi Alwar New York: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2023. Picture Book. Big Volcano and Little Volcano live side by side in paradise, but when a silly bird drops a coconut (or two) on Little Volcano's crater he blows his top. --Editor Toddler Time Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire By Flavia Z. Drago Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Vlad is a vampire with the misfortune of having rosy cheeks that--gasp!--make him look abysmally alive. But being the fabulous vampire t

Review: The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn By Shawn Harris New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Picture book. Do not be fooled into thinking this is like other unicorn books you have read, this one is much better. The teeny-weeny unicorn is truly teeny-weeny -- far and away the smallest member of his unicorn family. His older (much bigger) siblings, Fancy Annie and Prince Butterscotch, pick on him constantly. They use him as a pawn when they play chess, they refuse to let him jump into their castle's moat, and they warn him he'll get lost in the lawn. Fed up with being picked on, he runs away and does, indeed, get lost in the lawn. He quickly learns about perspective when an even teenier-weenier gnome chastises the teeny-weeny unicorn for stepping on and crushing his car. Eager to make this right, and also a little proud of his size, the unicorn and gnome gallop back to the castle to make amends. In the end, the teeny-weeny unicorn stands a little bit taller with his new perspective. A wholly origina

From Story Time: The Letter "T"

  Preschool Time  Never Show a T-Rex a Book Written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande Illustrated by Diane Ewen Tulsa: Kane Miller, a division of EDC Publishing, 2021. Picture Book. Never ever show a T-Rex a book! Can you imagine what might happen if you did? A laugh-out-loud story that's brimming with imagination, mayhem, and a celebration of the power of books. --Editor Preschool Time Turtle in a Tree By Neesha Hudson New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book. Two dogs learn the importance of listening to others when they disagree over what they see in a tree. --Editor Toddler Time The Fastest Tortoise in Town Written by Howard Calvert Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise, has entered a road race, but what was she thinking? With only a week to go before the big day, she worries that she doesn't stand a chance against the other animals competing. Barbara's friend and owner, Lorra