The Circus at the End of the Sea
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
A vibrant and enchanting debut novel about an orphan girl who discovers a magical circus, perfect for fans of Kelly Barnhill and Rebecca Stead!
Maddy Adriana knows that magic is real. All her life, her heart has pulled her towards things too perfect to be ordinary. One day, that tug leads her to a magical street circus, hidden in plain sight among the canals and boardwalks of Venice Beach.
For the first time in Maddy’s life, she finally feels like she belongs. But the circus is in grave danger. Maddy will need to confront the frightening side of magic, as well as her own deepest fears, if she’s to have any hope of saving the place she dreams of calling home.
This unforgettable debut shows readers the magic of following your heart and finding where you belong.
But to save her new home, she’ll have to embrace the adventure. What happens when the circus’s last hope is a girl who has never belonged anywhere?
A Magical Circus: Discover Il Circo delle Strade, a breathtaking world of sand dancers and winged lions hidden among the boardwalks and canals of Venice Beach.An Unlikely Heroine: Twelve-year-old Maddy has always been an outsider, but the very magic that made her different might be the only thing that can save the circus.Unlikely Friendships: From a fast-talking skater boy to a loyal shape-shifting octopus, Maddy learns that the best friends are the ones you least expect.Facing Your Fears: To find the missing Ringmaster and restore the circus’s magic, Maddy must journey across a bridge of sighs and face the one thing she’s been running from her whole life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Parentless, brown-skinned, black-haired Maddy Adriana, 12, has been shuttled from one group home to another nearly all her life. Perpetually known as "the weird new kid," Maddy sees magic in the world, always feeling a tug to follow it. En route to a new group home for sick children on Venice Beach, Calif., Maddy spies an uncanny cat and feels a pull so strong she pursues it through a mysterious white fog, arriving at a magical seaside circus. In the aftermath of the Ringmaster's sudden disappearance, however, acts have grown stale. Maddy, urged by her newfound friend—blonde, pale Vanessa the Muse—embarks on a mission to recover the Ringmaster. Along the way, she encounters wondrous, sometimes frightening experiences: murals and statues brought to life, a roller coaster race through the clouds, and a dangerous bridge, where she confronts an intense manifestation of all her fears and sorrows. Inspired by actual landmarks detailed in an author's note, Snyder crafts a bittersweet, boundlessly imaginative story that emphasizes the bright and dark sides of life. Classic motifs help this enticing debut conjure its own special blend of magic. Ages 8–12.
