Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Circus Mirandus (Dial Books, 2015) by Cassie Beasley is a wonderful story of a grandson’s love for his grandfather and their stories, separately and together, in search for magic. It’s also a story of friendship.
Micah Tuttle’s Grandpa Ephraim, who has raised him, is dying. Great-Aunt Gertrudis is keeping Micah away from her brother. She talks about the “silliness” that Micah doesn’t need “stuffed between his ears,” which references Circus Mirandus. It’s just stories. But Grandpa has told Micah the stories are all true and that the Lightbender owes him a miracle. Micah is sure the miracle will save his grandfather’s life.
This amazing story is the author’s first book. Read more here.
The book has also been published in England. About that version, Cassie Beasley says she’s been “Anglicized.”
Tag: magical middle grade
Switch
Switch (Dial, 2015) by Ingrid Law is the third book in her series that started with Savvy*. Like the two other books, it grabbed me and was hard to put down.
Gypsy Beaumont gets her savvy like her siblings on her 13th birthday, but the excitement is spoiled with the news that mean Grandma Pat is going to move in with them because she has Alzheimers. But then something very strange happens. Gypsy’s savvy switches to something different and so do the savvies of the other family members at home. Is the switch permanent? And will the disaster her first savvy predicted come true?
On her website, Ingrid answers this question:
If you had a savvy what would it be?
If I could have any power, I’d want the ability to teleport. Then I could go anywhere I wanted, anytime! (I’m always changing my answer to this question… maybe I really want to have a different power every day!)
Read more on her FAQ.
*Savvy was a 2009 Newbery honor book. The sequel is Scumble. Switch just came out in September.