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A review by catherine_the_greatest
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
4.0
Sweet, sad, & funny, Circus Mirandus successfully ties loss, friendship, and magic together in a knot every bit as wonderful as the ones tied by 11-year-old protagonist Micah Tuttle.
Micah's Grandpa Ephraim has raised Micah since his parents died when he was very young. He's a loving, if slightly permissive, guardian who tells Micah stories of a magical circus he visited as a young boy during the war. (World War II? There's a vague, timeless quality to Grandpa Ephraim's stories that initially conjured images of England, but they're apparently in New England.) Unfortuantely, Grandpa Ephraim is dying. Although it's never stated directly, his symptoms sound like emphysema.
Grandpa Ephraim's truly awful sister has come to live with them and, when the inevitable finally happens, she'll be taking Micah to live with her in Arizona, on the other side of the country. Great-aunt Gertrudis (GERTRUDIS!) is an AA (awful adult) along the lines of the Dursleys or a Roald Dahl antagonist. My 9-year-old was ready to throw down by Chapter 2. Although some of the reasons for her awfulness are explained later in the book, she remains bitter and cruel beyond explanation.
As Micah begins to realize that the stories about Circus Mirandus may actually be true, he's aided in his quest to save his grandfather by Jenny Mendoza, a new girl at his school with whom he's supposed to do a class project. Although Jenny is a bit uptight, she's smart and loyal, and pretty darn amazing -- a bit of a Hermione.
I just realized that I've referenced HP twice in this review, and that the main character is an 11-year-old orphan, and that magic is a big part of the story, but this is in no way derivative of HP. It's a cozy little story that focuses more on relationships, rather than an epic tale of good and evil.
Micah's Grandpa Ephraim has raised Micah since his parents died when he was very young. He's a loving, if slightly permissive, guardian who tells Micah stories of a magical circus he visited as a young boy during the war. (World War II? There's a vague, timeless quality to Grandpa Ephraim's stories that initially conjured images of England, but they're apparently in New England.) Unfortuantely, Grandpa Ephraim is dying. Although it's never stated directly, his symptoms sound like emphysema.
Grandpa Ephraim's truly awful sister has come to live with them and, when the inevitable finally happens, she'll be taking Micah to live with her in Arizona, on the other side of the country. Great-aunt Gertrudis (GERTRUDIS!) is an AA (awful adult) along the lines of the Dursleys or a Roald Dahl antagonist. My 9-year-old was ready to throw down by Chapter 2. Although some of the reasons for her awfulness are explained later in the book, she remains bitter and cruel beyond explanation.
As Micah begins to realize that the stories about Circus Mirandus may actually be true, he's aided in his quest to save his grandfather by Jenny Mendoza, a new girl at his school with whom he's supposed to do a class project. Although Jenny is a bit uptight, she's smart and loyal, and pretty darn amazing -- a bit of a Hermione.
I just realized that I've referenced HP twice in this review, and that the main character is an 11-year-old orphan, and that magic is a big part of the story, but this is in no way derivative of HP. It's a cozy little story that focuses more on relationships, rather than an epic tale of good and evil.