Skip to main content

Circus Mirandus

By
                                           

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.
Labels:

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.
July 31, 2015 at 7:26 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

By
Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.
Post a Comment
Read more

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Review: We're All Gonna Die-Nosaur!

By
We’re All Gonna Die-nosaur! By Kon Tan  New York: Disney Hyperion, 2025. Intermediate. 157 pages.  Pterry (the “p” is silent) pterodactyl is a worry wart. Pterry is worried about flying (he doesn’t how to fly yet), dinosaurs going extinct (he had a scary dream), and how to protect his family (he has a little brother who hasn’t fully hatched from an egg yet). Even though there is a lot of feels for Pterry, this is actually quite a funny book. Pterry tries to learn how to fly with kites as his “training wheels” and his brother who is inside an egg is quite the adventurer.  This is a funny, heart-felt comic-like intermediate fiction book that will be great for many readers. If kids love dinosaurs, this book is for them. If kids like funny graphic novels, this book is for them. If kids want to read something about facing fears and doing things even though they don’t always want to, this book is for them. Plus, even though Pterry does a lot of things on his own, he still has s...
Post a Comment
Read more