Summary: Do you believe in magic?
Micah Tuttle does.
Even
though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes
in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus
Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying
birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who
Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real.
And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny
Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he
believes will save his grandfather.
The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for. (picture and synopsis from goodreads.com)
My Review: I like to pick children's books when it comes to hosting book club,
because I feel there is a lot to be gained from literature for young
readers. I'm not saying that all books written for kids are stellar,
but in general, the standards are fairly high. If you know me, I rarely
read books for grown ups and tend to stick with kids' fare, and here might be
why.
MAGIC!
Books for young readers often have magical elements, and not just just
the wand waving kind. Kids are much more in tune with their
imaginations and innocence, so even a children's book about every day
life still has that sense of wonder and awe that I feel is often missing
in books for adults.
Circus Mirandus was a lot of fun. But it
also deals with serious issues. That's another thing I love about
kids' books--they are not afraid to tackle pretty harsh topics. In the
case of this book, Micah's grandfather Ephraim is very ill, verging on
death. When Micah's great aunt comes to watch over them both, she is
particularly cruel to him. But Micah's belief in the stories of his
grandfather's visit to the legendary Circus Mirandus keep him going, and
that is what I love so much. That the stories and magic help them both
to survive.
The book often flashes back to when Grandpa Ephraim was a young boy and
first discovered the Circus Mirandus. It was during the war, in which
his father was fighting. By going to the circus, by taking part in the
fantasies the Lightbender crafted for him, Ephraim was better able to
cope with his current circumstances, even though those didn't change.
Some people (i.e. Aunt Gertrudis in this book) look down on magic and
stories as false lies that hinder us. When, in reality, stories and
magic are the things that help us live. They might not be true, but the
things we learn from them are.
The big part of magic in this book deals with finding the magic within
oneself, and how you use that magic, whether selfish or selfless, of
which we see both sides and the implications that follow. There's also
the fact that not everyone has the same access/belief in magic. One of
the quotes in the book touches on the fact that you need to let people
go to find magic on their own. Micah's friend Jenny has a very
analytical, scientific mind, so magic is a foreign thing, hard for her
to grasp or understand, and at first, Micah fights to make her believe
what he does. But he comes to terms that she sees the world
differently, and he allows her to see magic in her scientific way, which
works for her. Likewise, Jenny is willing to believe in Micah even
when they're looking at the same magical thing but seeing it
differently. I think that's very powerful, we cannot force others to
see/believe what they cannot yet grasp.
While on the surface a tale about a magical circus and a boy's fight to save
his grandfather, this story is much deeper, hinging on how magic and
stories can mold and shape us, and help us become.
My rating: 3.5 stars
For the sensitive reader: A great majority of this book deals with Micah
coming to terms with his grandfather's coming death. This could be a
trigger point for some.
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