I originally purchased this book hoping that it would be a Newbery. I enjoyed it, and it is a good book, but I think the author may have been trying too hard to make it be a Newbery. ( )

This was such an AMAZING read.
Honestly, I didn't know what I was missing.

I remember seeing this when it first came out, it even made the school reading lists in my area, and while the title gave be pause, and the cover caught my eye, I never picked it up. Bad reader, BAD! Unbeknownst to me, there was a magical world inside with stories to be shared, adventures to be had, awful truths to be revealed, tears to be shed, and hearts to be mended. I almost broke down several times when Grandpa Ephraim and Micah were together. Each conversation, each revelation, I could feel what was coming, sense the pulling away, and the inevitable approaching, and yet, much like Micah, I HOPED, I crossed my fingers, I BELIEVED. The tragic histories we end up privy to are beyond measure, but also teach valuable lessons of humility, appreciation, the blessings of giving back, and the power of belief.

It's a wonderful read for the Middle Grade set and beyond, filled to the brim with promise, hope, mystery, and an underlying vein of love that will never die.


**copy received for review; opinions are my own ( )

A kind of sad story for middle school readers about a young boy, who believes in magic, with a dying grandfather. I figured out the too-obvious "miracle" about 25% into the book. And while Micah, Ephraim, Lightbender, and Jane the elephant were good characters, I did not care for Great Aunt Gertrudis or the birdwoman. Great book cover and wrapper. Read Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory instead. ( )

What an imaginative and fun adventure! Middle-grade readers (and their adults) who love magic will enjoy this story.

The story is well-paced, the characters are delightful and quirky (or in the case of Aunt Gertrudis, wonderfully, horribly drawn), This coming-of-age tale is just full of hope, love, and adventure. ( )

I was more than a little disappointed that all the women and girls were pedantic (if not altogether terrible) and generally unopen to the simple joys of magic. But the circus scenes were fun and the book had moments of the malice reminiscent of Roald Dahl novels, which I find delightful. The reader was pretty good, too. ( )