Author: Emma Carroll
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Release Date: August 7th 2014
Blurb (from Goodreads): Abandoned as a baby at Chipchase's Travelling Circus, Louie dreams of becoming a "Showstopper". Yet Mr Chipcase only lets her sell tickets. No Death - Defying stunts for her. So in secret, Louie practices her act - the tightrope - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked On Air. All she needs is to be given the chance to shine.
One night a terrible accident occurs. Now the circus needs Louie's help, and with rival show Wellbeloved's stealing their crowds, Mr Chipchase needs a showstopper - fast.
Against his better judgement, he lets Louie perform. She is a sensation and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform in America. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus ...
Fans of Frost Hollow will love this epic adventure, where courage takes many different forms.
What I thought: I enjoyed reading this. I haven't read a book set in the Victorian times in a long while, so it was nice to go back there again.
It took me a while to warm up to the main character, thirteen - year - old - Louie, but she grew on me and I enjoyed reading the story from her narrative. Certain aspects of her personality, such as her bravery and her attitude, reminded be of Jacqueline Wilson's Tracy Beaker, who I liked reading about when I was younger. I really enjoyed reading about Louie's friendship with Gabriel. I thought that it was sweet and true.
The plotline of this book is good, with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I was always wondering what would happen next and I was eager to learn more about Louie's past.
As much as we've all wondered what it would be like to drop everything and run away with the circus, this book shows us that it's not all fun and games, and that there is a darker side to it which I never really thought about that much before reading this book.
One negative thing that I would have to say about this book is that I don't think that it dealt with some sensitive issues, such as loss, that well as I don't think it showed the effect that these issues had on the characters.
Overall, it was a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone between the ages of 9 - 12.
Rating: 7.5/10
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