My students have been fighting over this fantasy fiction novel! This is a circus that you WANT to root for and attend, very unlike the sad acts that travel from town to town in real life. The heartbreaking quest Micah goes on to protect his grandfather's legacy was one that kept me engaged and made me keep turning the page.

I really found the pacing of this novel to be quite dull. I felt like I was meandering through the story with no real drive. Otherwise, Circus Mirandus was OK. I gave it 3/5 stars. :)

This book is an absolute delight and I’m so in love with the story and characters. Micah Tuttle’s grandfather, Ephraim, is dying, but Micah has hope because his grandfather has told him wonderous stories about the magic of Circus Mirandus and specifically of the Man Who Bends Light – a man who has promised Grandfather Ephraim a miracle. Micah is convinced that if he can just find the elusive Circus Mirandus and convince the Man Who Bends Light to visit his grandfather, everything will be ok. Full of heart and hope, of love and magic, and of mystery and adventure, this book captivated me from the very first page and I can wait to read the sequel.

Circus Mirandus is a great adventure for any young reader looking to explore a magical world and partake in a mystical adventure. This story by Cassie Beasley is filled with diverse characters and is a great middle age book. Great for children who enjoy books that can help stretch their imagination!

Micah Tuttle lives with his grandfather, a whimsical man filled with tales of a mysterious and magical circus. When his grandfather gets sick, and his Great-Aunt Gertrudis comes to take charge, Micah fears that his life will irrevocably change.

And it does. Aunt Gertrudis won’t let him visit Grandpa Ephraim whenever he wants to. She gets angry at any mention of the magical Circus Mirandus, and she makes horrible tea. With everything on his mind, Micah doesn’t have time to spend doing his part on the history project he’s doing with Jenny Mendoza, the new girl at school.

Fortunately, Jenny has plans and brains and doesn’t act like Aunt Gertrudis. She doesn’t believe in magic, but Micah doesn’t hold it against her.

As Grandpa Ephraim’s health worsens, he writes a letter to the Lightbender, the best magician of all at Circus Mirandus. The Lightbender owes Grandpa Ephraim a miracle, and he’s ready to collect. Micah has his doubts, after all, flying women, incredible magic, butterflies that turn into fairies, and miracles don’t really exist. Or do they?

Micah goes on a rollicking yet poignant journey to convince the Lightbender to fulfill his promise of a miracle for Grandpa Ephraim. Along the way, he meets an endearing cast of characters from Circus Mirandus and discovers the joy of friendship.

Beasley’s lyrical prose will sweep you into this story on the first page. A beautiful example of magical realism, the author paints word pictures that make me laugh, giggle, and sigh. It’s not often that I feel like underlining things in a middle-grade novel, but I couldn’t resist.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.
Circus Mirandus is an imaginative and beautiful middle grade story of family, grief, and the power of a child's belief in magic. After Grandpa Ephraim becomes too ill to care for himself and his grandson MIcah, his sister Gertrudis moves in to help. Her intolerance of children makes Micah's home life unbearable and after discovering that Ephraim has shared his childhood stories of the magical Circus Mirandus with Micah, she goes out of her way to keep the two apart, no matter how little time they have left together. It's through the stories of Circus Mirandus that helped bond the two together after the death of Micah's parents and was a special part of their relationship. When Ephraim calls in his wish granted to him by the Circus's Lightbender, MIcah's life, and that of his new best friend, becomes far more magical.
Gently written, Circus Mirandus is a beautiful story of coping with family illness and loss and will bring hope and reassurance to young readers dealing with these issues.

I had forgotten what sort of story I was getting into for this beyond a magical circus and a miracle being reclaimed, and I think that only made it better. There is a magical whimsicalness about Circus Mirandus that leaves you feeling good to your very heart and bones, brings out the inner child in you who believes magic is possible, and all it takes to see it is to believe it. Simply a beautiful story full of the magic and wonder of childhood, even when there are difficult times at hand. And the illustrations really bring an extra magic to the experience, they are so lovely. I hadn’t even finished reading this book before I picked up the second book to read!

This was a lovely book and it will be fun to read it’s next part. I guess I was expecting a more traditional children’s story, but it definitely is not. It is exceedingly thought provoking and truly magical! It is the story of Micah, a young boy who is living with his much beloved grandfather after the death of his parents. Unfortunately, Grandfather Ephraim is dying and needs Micah’s help . Ephraim had been promised a wish by the Lightbender of the Circus Mirandus as a child and Micah must find the circus and seek help. He has many adventures with lots of twists and turns until he finally figures out what he is really searching for. This is a wonderful concept with great originality and beauty. Truly a special book!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

As a young boy Ephraim stumbled onto a magical circus and his grandson Micah has been growing up with these tales.
The book is hopeful and passionate and I loved it so much!

I really enjoyed this book. I kind of wish the circus was a bit more fleshed out, but I enjoyed Micah and Jenny and Grandpa Ephraim. It kept me reading to find out what would happen next and was satisfying on many levels.

I'm ready to pick up the sequel to find out what happens next.

Life as we know it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows but sometimes life is as good as one can make it. This is Ephraim Tuttle’s belief in life. His father was in the middle of the war and Ephraim missed him terribly. When Ephraim was a little boy he played hooky from school more times than he could explain mostly because he didn’t want to live life while his father was off to war. One day while playing hooky at his usual hiding place- the beach. he hears pipes and drums and goes out to seek where they were coming from. When Ephraim finally arrived at the music he found a circus. Not an ordinary circus. A circus that changes Ephraim’s life forever.

Micah Tuttle is Ephraim’s grandson. His whole life Micah has been told stories of the circus that his grandfather had visited as a child. He was told about the magic, the beauty, the man who could bend light. Micah dreamed of visiting the circus just as his grandfather did, only he needed to fix his grandfather who was dying first.

Circus Mirandus is not only a story of magic, mystery and wonders it’s a story about relationships, fulfilling dreams and understanding that not everyone can, will, or wants to understand the faith it takes to believe in miracles.

Miracles can come when you least expect it. Answers can be found at the saddest times and imagination can soar even when you don’t want it. This is the story of Circus Mirandus.

Author Cassie Beasley creates a world that blends together the feel of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and the movie Little Boy written by Alejandro Monteverde and Pepe Portillo. It is endearing, it is imaginative and it is also heartbreaking in an oddly not your typical cry-your-eyes-out sort of way. The characters are delivered masterfully, built to a height that as a middle-grade reader you could be friends with each person except for maybe Grand Aunt Gertrudis whom you would run away from as fast as you could. This book is full of adventure and yet brings a reality to its readers that help children deal with grief and faith.

“It’s important, when you first see magic, to recognize it. You don’t often get a second chance.” This book shows that sometimes if your lucky and have enough faith that you might just get that second chance… A wonderful, adventure-filled book.

There's something magical about the circus, but Circus Mirandus actually IS magic. Mirandus Head's traveling circus has it all: an Amazonian bird woman, an invisible tiger, and the Man Who Bends Light. When Ephraim visits the circus while his father is away at war, the Man Who Bends Light offers Ephraim a miracle. Micah has grown up on stories Grandpa Ephraim has told him about Circus Mirandus. When Grandpa Ephraim falls ill, he contacts the Lightbender to cash in that miracle.

This book is enchanting. I don't read a lot of middle grade books, but when I read the premise of Cassie Beasley's debut novel, I was excited for the chance to read it. I did get this book free in exchange for an honest review, and I honestly adored it. I can't wait to share this world with the kids in my life!

What child has not been mesmerized by the charms of the circus? Ephraim Tuttle was no exception. But Circus Mirandus was no ordinary circus. And Ephraim fell under its spell when he met the Lightbender. But that was years ago and Ephraim is now an old man with failing health. And he needs to call in a favor so that his grandson, Micah, won't be left alone.

Gertrudis, Ephraim's sister, is staying with the man and boy, but she is a bitter old spinster who lacks imagination or warmth. She rules the roost with an iron fist and Micah has to sneak around just to visit his ailing grandfather.

When a mysterious (talking!) bird arrives and seems to have business with Ephraim, Micah's world turns upside down He's heard all about Circus Mirandus from his granddad but he'd assumed it was all just fantasy. Suddenly, Micah realizes that it's going to be up to him to find the Lightbender in the hopes that he'll miraculously save his grandfather.

Helping Micah navigate that journey is a friend from school. Thrust together on a school project, Micah soon discovers that Jenny is a tried and true friend. And while she may not believe all of Ephraim's stories, she does believe in Micah and sometimes that's all that is necessary to make dreams come true.

Circus Mirandus is one of the most delightful flights of fancy a child can experience. Woven throughout the story readers will find mystery and friendship, and the loyalty of a grandchild who would move heaven and earth to save his grandfather. Delight and wonder fill every page--I highly recommend reading as a family to share the wonder!

Disclaimer: A free digital copy of Circus Mirandus was made available through NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Sometimes there are books that are more than just the plot or the characters. They're about something deeper. This might be about a magical circus, but it's also about hope, grief, and miracles coming when you least expect them.

This would be a great book for kids, I think from an adults perspective it just really fell flat for me. I didn't really care much for the characters, the writing also fell a little flat for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

To be honest, I only requested this book because I liked The Night Circus so much and thought possibly this one might compare. I luckily received a digital copy but, even then, was in no hurry to start reading it. I am so glad I gave it a try! I found this book to be so entertaining and easy to read. I am an elementary school librarian and I found myself marking chapters to share with my students and wondering how many copies I should purchase. What a fun, creative story of magic that also shows a touching lesson about friendship and grief when a loved one passes. I had a lot of fun reading this story and look forward to sharing it with my students.

I reread Circus Mirandus in preparation for The Bootlace Magician, which was released last month. Once again, I loved the story of Micah, who is trying to convince The Lightbender at Circus Mirandus, to fulfill the miracle he promised to his grandfather. Micah's tender heart, filled with hope and belief in the power of magic, is touching and heartwarming. The story of the magic circus is unique, and besides Aunt Gertrudis, I enjoy all the colorful characters and their part in this story.

Circus Mirandus follows young Micah Tuttle into the final days of his Grandpa Ephraim‘s life. The backstory is interspersed throughout the story, sharing Ephraim’s grand childhood adventure at Circus Mirandus and the miracle he was promised by the Man Who Bends Light. Now that Ephraim is in his last days, he must cash in his one miracle. However, he is so sick that he cannot leave his home — especially with bitter Aunt Gertrudis guarding his room like a hawk. So young Micah teams up with his new friend, Jenny Mendoza, to hopefully save the day. But will Micah find the magical circus before time runs out? For no one can see the circus if they do not truly believe in it.

This is a beautiful story of friendship, of sacrifice, and especially of the boundless love between a grandfather and grandson. It’s also the story of painful choices and the hope of redemption. For half of the story, I had a painful lump wedged in my throat and I knew tears were inevitable. But oh the love… What a very special “must read” middle grade book! I missed this book back in 2015, so I’m in catch-up mode. I must thank Netgalley and Dial Books for re-releasing this ARC and approving it for my reading enjoyment, this month. Did you know that book #2 to this series, The Bootlace Magician, was just published last month?

AWARDS: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children’s Literature (2016), Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee (2017), Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee for Grades 3-6 (2017), Keystone to Reading Book Award Nominee for Middle School (2017), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2017), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Debut Goodreads Author (2015), NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Nominee (2016)

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley is a book that's been on my to read list forever. I was excited when I showed up on NetGalley, so that I could finally check it out. The circus is something that always mesmerizes me, and I was thrilled to check out this take on it. Micah's dying grandpa tells him about an amazing circus he attended as a kid. Now he wants Micah to have this experience to reconnect with the Man Who Bends Light. Micah sets out on a quest not knowing how he's ever going to find the circus and perhaps a cure for his grandpa with this man. The story is wonderfully told, and it tapped right into my imagination as I visualized the circus in my head! This is a story built on believing in magic and how that is something that can leave us and/or stay with us. I really liked how it was a quest grounded in commentary of how we choose to see the world.

Micah always believed in the stories his dying grandfather Ephraim had told him about the Circus Mirandus. It was full of magic and amazing acts, and his great aunt Gertrudis believes it's all nonsense to distract Micah from what is real. Ephraim wrote to the Man Who Bends Light, who still owes him a miracle, and Micah is determined to find the circus with his friend Jenny Mendoza to get that miracle for his grandfather.

We have the thread of Ephraim as a boy encountering the circus, then Micah in the present worrying over his grandfather's failing health. This is distracting him from his school project, and Jenny is eager to do research and rely on book knowledge. The pair of them see the talking parrot that is the Man Who Bends Light's messenger, and Jenny needs to invent various stories to make it a less magical event than it seems. She's almost too practical and scientific-minded for an eleven-year-old, but that makes her the perfect foil for Micah's unwavering belief in magic and the stories that Ephraim had told him. He sees his grandfather's gifts are amazing, as well as those at the circus, but Micah doesn't see that he has some talents of his own. As a result, he puts all of his hopes into the circus. The Man Who Bends Light is careful to promise only a miracle within his power, and the last section of the book deals with the consequences of that promise in a very realistic way. There are limits and costs to magic, and it doesn't solve every problem.

Gertrudis is unnecessarily cruel to Micah, and it's uncomfortable to read. She separates him from her brother when he clearly wants to visit with Ephraim, calls the things he believes in all sorts of names, and when they have a huge argument, essentially throws him out. At no point did she take the words back or soften the blow, and watched as he packed a bag, food and sleeping bag to stay in the treehouse in the yard. I know kids in fantasy stories need to have someone to push against to move them into action, I can't forgive this kind of behavior. There's an explanation for why she is so vehemently opposed to magic and the circus, but that's still no call for her to behave in that way.

I really enjoyed the ending to the novel, and that there is hope for the future after all. Because of that hope, there could possibly be more novels in this world, which I would really enjoy reading.