Long Road to the Circus
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
The story of a girl who rides an ostrich straight to her dreams from the award-winning writer and librarian Betsy Bird, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist David Small.
"[A] charming, wacky novel." —The New York Times
Twelve-year-old Suzy Bowles is tired of summers filled with chores on her family farm in Burr Oak, Michigan, and desperate to see the world. When her wayward uncle moves back home to the farm, only to skip his chores every morning for mysterious reasons, Suzy decides to find out what he's up to once and for all. And that's when she meets legendary former circus queen Madame Marantette and her ostriches. Before long, Suzy finds herself caught-up in the fast-paced, hilarious world of ostrich riding, a rollicking adventure that just might be her ticket out of Burr Oak.
“Beautifully told by one of our best librarians.” —Jon Scieszka, First National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this spirited historical adventure set in 1920, tenacious 12-year-old narrator Suzy Bowles longs for a life beyond her farm in small-town Burr Oak, Mich., and finds purpose under the tutelage of a former circus queen. Using a colloquial first-person narration, Bird (The Great Santa Stakeout) effectively portrays Suzy's longing for a larger life, and her curiosity as she follows her recently returned, purportedly "deadbeat" uncle Fred to his secret job with the nearby Madame Marantette, a former circus performer who is attempting to train her ostrich Gaucho to pull a carriage alongside a horse. Tension and comedy escalate as Suzy volunteers to ride cantankerous Gaucho, and Madame invites Suzy to weekly teas for lessons in comportment. Caldecott Medalist Small's expressive, humorous b&w illustrations infuse the narrative with further personality. All characters cue as white, and an author's note chronicles the life of the actual Madame Marantette who inspired the novel. Ages 10–up. Author's agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.
