Micah Tuttle, 10 years old, lives with his Grandpa Ephraim. Micah loves to hear his grandpa's stories of a magical circus, Circus Mirandus. Unfortunately, Grandpa Ephraim is sick and dying. Great-aunt Gertrudis has moved in to take care of Grandpa. Micah hoped she would be as fun as Grandpa Ephraim, but Great-aunt Gertrudis does not approve of the magical stories and forbids Micah to go into Grandpa's room. She doesn't want Micah to annoy a dying man, and she doesn't want Grandpa telling silly stories to a child.
Micah and Grandpa sneak around Great-aunt Gertrudis to see each other and Grandpa continues to tell his stories about Circus Mirandus and the LightBender. Micah seeks out the magical circus and takes along his skeptical best friend, Jenny. Micah believes the LightBender can heal his grandfather and prolong his life.
Beasley, Cassie. 2015. CIRCUS MIRANDUS. Dial Books.
Review
I found myself very intrigued by the characters, especially Micah and his grandfather. Their relationship is fantastic and you fall in love with them immediately. Aunt Gertrudis is a very cruel character, such as the stepmother in Cinderella. She is over the top cruel and abusive to Micah, but the author portrays her very well. The reader will definitely be angry with her on many levels. I am still undecided about Jenny. I could almost do without her in the story. She is very skeptical and refuses to believe in magic. Her scientific reasoning for every magical event is borderline obnoxious.
This is a wonderful fantasy book and will have young readers clinging to the pages until the very end. Circus Mirandus is a place that kids and adults will want to explore.
2016 Texas BlueBonnet Nominee
No comments:
Post a Comment