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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This was such a cute and fun read just like I predicted. I really enjoyed it and I'm so glad to have picked it up this month. This was just such a cute book and it was a nice change from what I've been reading. :)
I love the magical realism in this book. I passed it on to my stepson so he could read it because he is having a very difficult time coping with his grandfather's death. It briefly helped him see a bigger picture and cope a bit better.
Read aloud to my 9 year old son. I didn’t expect such an excellent book. It was interesting, original, creative, and magical.
From my blog at http://dickenslibrary.blogspot.ca/
"I'm not special."
"Don't you want to be?"
Micah thought about it for minute. "Doesn't everybody?"
Grandpa Ephraim chuckled. "I suppose. But some of us aren't brave enough to find our specialness, and some of us make mistakes along the way." Page 223
This is one of those holy smokes, that was a read! kind of book.
The power in magical realism is that it brings the reader into a closer awareness of the magic that bides in our everyday lives. Maybe it's not exactly the magic we read about in books, but it's there none the less.
The wonder that is Circus Mirandus, exists to help children find and believe in magic. At the same time, it might just be this belief that sustains it. When Micah's Grandpa Ephraim was young, he received an invitation to it. While he was there, the Lightbender offered him a miracle. Instead of taking it then, he asked if he could hold on to it. The Lightbender acquiesced.
If you had one miracle, what would you ask for?
Now that Grandpa Ephraim, is dying, he's written a letter requesting his miracle. It's up to Micah to make sure the Lightbender keeps his promise. The only thing is that it just might not be the miracle Micah thinks it is.
There is just so much love in this book. The love between Grandpa Ephraim and Micah is encapsulated in this conversation.
"I like to think," he (Grandpa Ephraim) said slowly, "that I could go one more time to Circus Mirandus. I like to think I have kept myself open enough to magic for that. But even if I can, I don't want to."
"Why not?"
.....
"Because when you try too hard to hold on to something, you break it." ... "Sometimes, we need to let go so that other people people can have their chance at the magic." page 221
Great Aunt Gertrudis, a stern woman, is visiting to look after Grandpa and Micah. She does her best to squelch their belief in magic. It's like she is trying to destroy the love between them at the same time.
Thankfully, Micah has a new friend, Jenny, a smart girl who manages to be there for him just when he needs her most. I love that because Micah believes, Jenny is ready to accept what Micah tells her about Circus Mirandus. Then when Micah is ready to give up, Jenny forces him to change his mind.
Micah and Grandpa Ephraim share a talent for tying knots. This capacity is what ties them together beyond a regular loving grandparent and grandchild relationship. Micah's gift, however, just might be more profound. He is able to capture the essence of an individual in his knots. When Micah gives Jenny a "friendship bracelet" with his own story and memories, we know that these two friends will be tied together across time and space no matter what.
What I liked about this book:
The writing is exquisite. From the get go I was beguiled and entranced. Look at this lead, "Four small words. That was all it took to set things in motion."
These characters are beautifully articulated. They are individuals you can believe in. They are people you can't help but love. In spite of her harshness, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Great Aunt Gertrudis. I kept wondering what happened to her and if she could be redeemed in any way.
I cried. This is what I want from a book, this kind of emotional investment that brings me to tears. The thing about this book is that I was completely caught off guard when it happened.
Diana Sudya's illustrations are the perfect foil for the story. They accentuate the glorious world that Beasley has manifested.
What I didn't like about this book:
It isn't long enough. Even at 292 pages, and a wholly satisfying ending, I wasn't ready to let go of this world and these characters. I sure hope there is a sequel or two.
"I'm not special."
"Don't you want to be?"
Micah thought about it for minute. "Doesn't everybody?"
Grandpa Ephraim chuckled. "I suppose. But some of us aren't brave enough to find our specialness, and some of us make mistakes along the way." Page 223
This is one of those holy smokes, that was a read! kind of book.
The power in magical realism is that it brings the reader into a closer awareness of the magic that bides in our everyday lives. Maybe it's not exactly the magic we read about in books, but it's there none the less.
The wonder that is Circus Mirandus, exists to help children find and believe in magic. At the same time, it might just be this belief that sustains it. When Micah's Grandpa Ephraim was young, he received an invitation to it. While he was there, the Lightbender offered him a miracle. Instead of taking it then, he asked if he could hold on to it. The Lightbender acquiesced.
If you had one miracle, what would you ask for?
Now that Grandpa Ephraim, is dying, he's written a letter requesting his miracle. It's up to Micah to make sure the Lightbender keeps his promise. The only thing is that it just might not be the miracle Micah thinks it is.
There is just so much love in this book. The love between Grandpa Ephraim and Micah is encapsulated in this conversation.
"I like to think," he (Grandpa Ephraim) said slowly, "that I could go one more time to Circus Mirandus. I like to think I have kept myself open enough to magic for that. But even if I can, I don't want to."
"Why not?"
.....
"Because when you try too hard to hold on to something, you break it." ... "Sometimes, we need to let go so that other people people can have their chance at the magic." page 221
Great Aunt Gertrudis, a stern woman, is visiting to look after Grandpa and Micah. She does her best to squelch their belief in magic. It's like she is trying to destroy the love between them at the same time.
Thankfully, Micah has a new friend, Jenny, a smart girl who manages to be there for him just when he needs her most. I love that because Micah believes, Jenny is ready to accept what Micah tells her about Circus Mirandus. Then when Micah is ready to give up, Jenny forces him to change his mind.
Micah and Grandpa Ephraim share a talent for tying knots. This capacity is what ties them together beyond a regular loving grandparent and grandchild relationship. Micah's gift, however, just might be more profound. He is able to capture the essence of an individual in his knots. When Micah gives Jenny a "friendship bracelet" with his own story and memories, we know that these two friends will be tied together across time and space no matter what.
What I liked about this book:
The writing is exquisite. From the get go I was beguiled and entranced. Look at this lead, "Four small words. That was all it took to set things in motion."
These characters are beautifully articulated. They are individuals you can believe in. They are people you can't help but love. In spite of her harshness, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Great Aunt Gertrudis. I kept wondering what happened to her and if she could be redeemed in any way.
I cried. This is what I want from a book, this kind of emotional investment that brings me to tears. The thing about this book is that I was completely caught off guard when it happened.
Diana Sudya's illustrations are the perfect foil for the story. They accentuate the glorious world that Beasley has manifested.
What I didn't like about this book:
It isn't long enough. Even at 292 pages, and a wholly satisfying ending, I wasn't ready to let go of this world and these characters. I sure hope there is a sequel or two.
I missed this book back in 2015, so I'm in catch-up mode. I must thank Netgalley and Dial Books for re-releasing this ARC and approving it for my reading enjoyment, this month. Circus Mirandus follows young Micah Tuttle into the final days of his Grandpa Ephraim's life. The backstory is interspersed throughout the story, sharing Ephraim's grand childhood adventure at Circus Mirandus and the miracle he was promised by the Man Who Bends Light. Now that Ephraim is in his final days of life, he must cash in his one miracle. However, he is so sick that he cannot leave his home -- especially with bitter Aunt Gertrudis guarding his room like a hawk. So young Micah teams up with his new friend, Jenny Mendoza, to hopefully save the day. But will Micah find the magical circus before time runs out? For no one can see the circus if they do not truly believe in it.
This is a beautiful story of friendship, of sacrifice, and especially of the boundless love between a grandfather and grandson. It's also the story of painful choices and the hope of redemption. For half of the story, I had a painful lump wedged in my throat and I knew tears were inevitable. But oh the love... What a very special "must read" book! Did you know that book #2 to this series, The Bootlace Magician, was just published last month?
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
This is a beautiful story of friendship, of sacrifice, and especially of the boundless love between a grandfather and grandson. It's also the story of painful choices and the hope of redemption. For half of the story, I had a painful lump wedged in my throat and I knew tears were inevitable. But oh the love... What a very special "must read" book! Did you know that book #2 to this series, The Bootlace Magician, was just published last month?
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
I've loved all the circus-themed books I've read over the past year - The Night Circus, Caraval, Daughter of the Burning City... So when I came across this one, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I'm so glad I found it! It's like a middlegrade mixture of The Night Circus and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and it centers Micah having to deal with his grandfather's upcoming death. On top of that, there's the developing of an amazing friendship between two children who accept each other the way they are, regardless of their differences of character. I love these hints in books about magic being real if you only believe in it, especially in middlegrade, and this read like a modern fairytale. Plus, the setting of a mysterious circus makes any book more appealing to me!
Read aloud to 9yo James. A little slow but ultimately sweet. I also appreciated that the main character's brainy galpal was named Jenny Mendoza, and she was able to be a fully realized character, not "the Latina friend."
I read this with my son for his fourth/fifth grade book club at school. I really enjoyed reading about the circus. It was a fun little escape. All of the kids in our group really liked the book. I would definitely recommend it.
I'd rather this be 3.5 stars, but I'll round up for the sake of the book. I tend to be generous on that point. This is a great book recommended for ages 9-12 that will inspire wonder and awe for those who want to believe in magic.
I would recommend it, but there are some major flaws I need to point out. Some readers will probably not be affected by it, but other readers will see right away what the solution to the main conflict is. It is one of those things where the main character is so adamantly in denial about it that the resolution was obvious from the get-go. The other major flaw was a scene that I thought was so traumatic, it just stuck out of the otherwise sentimental and Neverland-like mood of the book like a raw wound.
Other than those 2 jarring things, I loved the atmosphere of the circus, the friendship between the two children, and the flashbacks. Those were pitch perfect.
I would recommend it, but there are some major flaws I need to point out. Some readers will probably not be affected by it, but other readers will see right away what the solution to the main conflict is. It is one of those things where the main character is so adamantly in denial about it that the resolution was obvious from the get-go. The other major flaw was a scene that I thought was so traumatic, it just stuck out of the otherwise sentimental and Neverland-like mood of the book like a raw wound.
Other than those 2 jarring things, I loved the atmosphere of the circus, the friendship between the two children, and the flashbacks. Those were pitch perfect.