Children's Book Review: Circus Mirandus (Ages 9-12)
Cassie Beasley
Micah Tuttle is about to lose his best friend and guardian, Grandpa Ephraim, to lung cancer. To make matters worse, his cantankerous Great-Aunt Gertrudis has come to town to tend her brother and she makes Micah miserable. The only bright spot in such a bleak situation is the assurance that Grandpa Ephraim’s stories about a magical circus are true and the circus’s most talented magician owes him a favor. With no time to waste, Micah and his friend Jenny have to locate the Circus Mirandus and make the magician cure his grandfather. Things are never as simple as they seem and setting out to conquer death even more so. Micah and Jenny marvel at the circus’s wonders while they learn that with miracles and magic, you don’t always get what you ask for.
This is a wonderful middle grade reader full of adventure, whimsy, and heart. It’s likely to appeal to both boys and girls, especially those that enjoy a bit of magic. The plot is exciting, if a little sad, and full of longing. While the bulk of the story deals with the reality of loss and death, it balances it nicely with the hope.
Mollie McFarland
Springville Road Regional Branch Library
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