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day23dreamer's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Child death
book_gal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
avam22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
year62022's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sienna G
chrissireads's review against another edition
5.0
I was thoroughly looking forward to reading The Girl Who Walked On Air after being really impressed with Emma Carroll’s debut novel Frost Hollow Hall last year. I’m happy to say that this book totally exceeded my already high expectations. Emma Carroll’s writing is absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was in the book, watching the scenes unfold before my eyes. It was fantastic!
The Girl Who Walked On Air centres around Louie, a young girl who has grown up with Mr Chipchase’s circus after being abandoned by her mother and taken in by the circus. Louie’s role in the circus is to be a ticket-seller and costume mender. She dreams of being a show-stopper and in her spare time she’s been practising walking the tightrope. Louie really wants to impress Mr Chipchase so she can fulfil her dreams. After a terrible accident Louie wants to step up to the mark, but Mr Chipchase is having none of it. Louie meets some people who begin to change her life in a way that she didn’t expect…
Louie is an absolutely fantastic main character. I immediately warmed to her and was rooting for her to get what she wanted. Louie is determined to get what she wants and really fights to succeed. There are such strong secondary characters in this story as well. They’re all so well developed. There are even characters I delighted in disliking. It was Louie that stood out for me and her interactions with Gabriel, a performer from another circus.
Emma Carroll has written about a Victorian circus so well. It’s incredibly detailed, and as I mentioned before, so well detailed that I felt like I was IN the story, watching it all unfold. We’ve all heard about how every act needed to be so dangerous in order to be entertaining. Louie was so sure she wanted to take those risks for other people’s entertainment even though she had experienced watching a terrible accident. It didn’t matter to Louie, she knew the business was tricky. The element of danger really made the book exciting!
This book had me gripped from the start. I couldn’t put it down. I was absolutely engrossed by the world and the characters. It’s exciting, well-written and definitely one of my favourite books this year.
The Girl Who Walked On Air centres around Louie, a young girl who has grown up with Mr Chipchase’s circus after being abandoned by her mother and taken in by the circus. Louie’s role in the circus is to be a ticket-seller and costume mender. She dreams of being a show-stopper and in her spare time she’s been practising walking the tightrope. Louie really wants to impress Mr Chipchase so she can fulfil her dreams. After a terrible accident Louie wants to step up to the mark, but Mr Chipchase is having none of it. Louie meets some people who begin to change her life in a way that she didn’t expect…
Louie is an absolutely fantastic main character. I immediately warmed to her and was rooting for her to get what she wanted. Louie is determined to get what she wants and really fights to succeed. There are such strong secondary characters in this story as well. They’re all so well developed. There are even characters I delighted in disliking. It was Louie that stood out for me and her interactions with Gabriel, a performer from another circus.
Emma Carroll has written about a Victorian circus so well. It’s incredibly detailed, and as I mentioned before, so well detailed that I felt like I was IN the story, watching it all unfold. We’ve all heard about how every act needed to be so dangerous in order to be entertaining. Louie was so sure she wanted to take those risks for other people’s entertainment even though she had experienced watching a terrible accident. It didn’t matter to Louie, she knew the business was tricky. The element of danger really made the book exciting!
This book had me gripped from the start. I couldn’t put it down. I was absolutely engrossed by the world and the characters. It’s exciting, well-written and definitely one of my favourite books this year.
writingwwolves's review against another edition
4.0
Books set in a circus (or carnival) environment are stories that I just cannot resist; & thankfully Emma Carroll's The Girl Who Walked On Air was fabulous. I loved main character Louie & the plot flowed really well, with great timing & an addictive finale. I'll definitely be reading this book again one day, so I'm ordering a print copy immediately!
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2yK
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2yK
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
5.0
The Girl Who Walked On Air is the wonderfully talented Emma Carroll's second novel for children, aimed around the middle grade reading age but... (and this is a big BUT), I truly believe that her books can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, especially those adults who love an imaginative plot and beautifully drawn characters like Louie Reynolds, our heroine for the story.
I first came across Emma's writing with her fantastic debut, Frost Hollow Hall which completely captured my heart and I can't recommend highly enough. Well, if she hasn't gone and done it again with The Girl Who Walked On Air! Set in the grounds of a Victorian circus it features a young girl called Louie who was abandoned by her mother at Mr Chipchase's circus and is looked after by the kindly Jasper, a trapeze artist and her guardian angel. She has big dreams of being a performer, or to be exact - a "showstopper," on the tightrope wire. She practices constantly, watched over by her loyal little dog Pip, but Mr Chipchase is determined that she is only good enough to sell tickets and mend costumes.
This sends her and new arrival at the circus Gabriel, straight into the clutches of Mr Wellbeloved, who manages a rival circus and insists on only the most death defying stunts to bring in the punters. As Louie learns more about who she is as a person, where her heart lies and just what lengths she will go to in becoming a star, she also discovers a lot about friendship and just who can be trusted in a fickle world where money and pure greed is, sadly, the only yardstick by which success is measured.
Once again, Emma Carroll has given us some brilliant characters which have stayed with me long after finishing the book. Louie, just like Tilly in Frost Hollow Hall is beautifully drawn. She is impetuous, independent, brave and indeed flawed but ever so realistic as a young girl which in turn, made her infinitely more loveable as a result. I really enjoyed reading about her relationships with Jasper and her friends Ned and Gabriel and was touched by the dark side of her past and her desperation to find out where she came from and where she belonged. The setting of the circus that the author chose was just as stunning and so descriptive that I felt I could picture events scene by scene, character by character, which led to many difficulties putting it down!
As I mentioned earlier, please don't be dissuaded that the author writes for children, I do believe that this book can be enjoyed by adults just as much. The Girl Who Walked On Air took me right back to my childhood when I used to just sit in a room and read right until the book was finished (and if this went past my bedtime, it was continued under my duvet with a torch!). I didn't need the torch as an adult, but I certainly read from the beginning to the end in one sitting and loved every moment.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
I first came across Emma's writing with her fantastic debut, Frost Hollow Hall which completely captured my heart and I can't recommend highly enough. Well, if she hasn't gone and done it again with The Girl Who Walked On Air! Set in the grounds of a Victorian circus it features a young girl called Louie who was abandoned by her mother at Mr Chipchase's circus and is looked after by the kindly Jasper, a trapeze artist and her guardian angel. She has big dreams of being a performer, or to be exact - a "showstopper," on the tightrope wire. She practices constantly, watched over by her loyal little dog Pip, but Mr Chipchase is determined that she is only good enough to sell tickets and mend costumes.
This sends her and new arrival at the circus Gabriel, straight into the clutches of Mr Wellbeloved, who manages a rival circus and insists on only the most death defying stunts to bring in the punters. As Louie learns more about who she is as a person, where her heart lies and just what lengths she will go to in becoming a star, she also discovers a lot about friendship and just who can be trusted in a fickle world where money and pure greed is, sadly, the only yardstick by which success is measured.
Once again, Emma Carroll has given us some brilliant characters which have stayed with me long after finishing the book. Louie, just like Tilly in Frost Hollow Hall is beautifully drawn. She is impetuous, independent, brave and indeed flawed but ever so realistic as a young girl which in turn, made her infinitely more loveable as a result. I really enjoyed reading about her relationships with Jasper and her friends Ned and Gabriel and was touched by the dark side of her past and her desperation to find out where she came from and where she belonged. The setting of the circus that the author chose was just as stunning and so descriptive that I felt I could picture events scene by scene, character by character, which led to many difficulties putting it down!
As I mentioned earlier, please don't be dissuaded that the author writes for children, I do believe that this book can be enjoyed by adults just as much. The Girl Who Walked On Air took me right back to my childhood when I used to just sit in a room and read right until the book was finished (and if this went past my bedtime, it was continued under my duvet with a torch!). I didn't need the torch as an adult, but I certainly read from the beginning to the end in one sitting and loved every moment.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
robynmolly13's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this. I haven't read a book set in the Victorian times in a long while, so it was nice to go back there again.
It took me a while to warm up to the main character, thirteen - year - old - Louie, but she grew on me and I enjoyed reading the story from her narrative. Certain aspects of her personality, such as her bravery and her attitude, reminded be of Jacqueline Wilson's Tracy Beaker, who I liked reading about when I was younger. I really enjoyed reading about Louie's friendship with Gabriel. I thought that it was sweet and true.
The plotline of this book is good, with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I was always wondering what would happen next and I was eager to learn more about Louie's past.
As much as we've all wondered what it would be like to drop everything and run away with the circus, this book shows us that it's not all fun and games, and that there is a darker side to it which I never really thought about that much before reading this book.
One negative thing that I would have to say about this book is that I don't think that it dealt with some sensitive issues, such as loss, that well as I don't think it showed the effect that these issues had on the characters.
Overall, it was a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone between the ages of 9 - 12.
It took me a while to warm up to the main character, thirteen - year - old - Louie, but she grew on me and I enjoyed reading the story from her narrative. Certain aspects of her personality, such as her bravery and her attitude, reminded be of Jacqueline Wilson's Tracy Beaker, who I liked reading about when I was younger. I really enjoyed reading about Louie's friendship with Gabriel. I thought that it was sweet and true.
The plotline of this book is good, with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I was always wondering what would happen next and I was eager to learn more about Louie's past.
As much as we've all wondered what it would be like to drop everything and run away with the circus, this book shows us that it's not all fun and games, and that there is a darker side to it which I never really thought about that much before reading this book.
One negative thing that I would have to say about this book is that I don't think that it dealt with some sensitive issues, such as loss, that well as I don't think it showed the effect that these issues had on the characters.
Overall, it was a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone between the ages of 9 - 12.
imaginethisreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
a book directed at younger readers, but still a very good read. Inspiring, definitely one to read in a slump, or if you need a motivational speech, although the end kind of left me wanting more.
piperbunny's review against another edition
3.0
Really enjoyed this book. I love books about circuses, reminded me a bit about Mr Galliano's Circus by Enid Blyton. The main character Louie is brilliant, very strong character. The story itself is timeless, it could have been set at any time, until carriages are mentioned, but the language and settings are still relevant today.