Circus Mirandus

This is a story that should please children of all ages -- including those (older) among us who loved Ray Bradbury. In some ways, Beasley's circus is the opposite of Pandemonium: it aims to bring miracles and joy to children. As opposed to Mr. Darque, Circus Mirandus' main attraction is The Man Who Bends Light, or the Lightbender. The story itself centers on family and friendship, and carries a weight of emotion that is punctuated by Pinchot's incredible reading.

The story centers around Micah and his grandfather, and the ties that knot them together -- their belief in Circus Mirandus. Grandpa Ephraim went to Circus Mirandus as a young boy, and it changed his life. Now, Micah is hoping to find Circus Mirandus and the Lightbender again, in hopes of saving his Grandpa's life.

I'm a little uncomfortable with one of the themes in the story being that only children can see and accept magic, and that performing it for them is what keeps magic in the world. It seems disingenuous and hopeless, since all children grow up. (And presuming, of course, that the adults running Circus Mirandus were once children themselves.)

But despite not buying some of the sentimentality, I can still get behind the charm of this story, and am excited to share it with my kids. It's a very fun and enjoyable book with an excellent narration, and its magic will leave both children and adults smiling.

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What does Bronson Pinchot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Sometimes, I forgot that Bronson Pinchot was reading! He did a fantastic job of breathing life into the characters through his use of voice inflections although I thought he made Jenny sound a little annoying lol.

Any additional comments?

I fell in love with this magical story! Micah is raised by his grandfather, Ephraim, who tells him tales about the magical circus, Circus Mirandus. Unfortunately, Micah's grandfather becomes ill and his Aunt Gertrude has to come stay with them to take care of him and his grandfather. Aunt Gertie is mean and doesn't believe in magic. Micah makes a new friend, Jenny, and spills everything to her. They work together to get to Circus Mirandus and save Grandpa Ephraim.

I LOVED it!!!!!
It is now my favorite book, I hope more of Cassie Beasley's books are like it! I love the last sentence, "you never need an invitation to go home". My favorite character was Jenny because I can really relate to her I had a best friend leave me to go really far away, he is still there I miss him. I loved Circus Mirandus, it is my favorite book ever in my entire life.

Excellent and entertaining book we enjoyed on our morning drives to school and kept us all wanting more. The narrator was hilarious and spot on, reminded me of a funny and spunky grandpa, so well done!

My children wished the ending were longer and explained more of what happened to the main character.

I'm a sucker for the circus so my interest was already high when I came across this book. I was looking for a book that my 9-year old daughter and I would both enjoy since we listen to audiobooks all of the time in the car. Before I get into some of my other comments, I will say that we both enjoyed the book and I thought it was fine. I thought the narration was good. I gave the story only 3 stars because I felt like there were a bunch of gaps or areas where things didn't come together in the story. At least not in my mind.

I loved that Circus Mirandus was a magical circus. It reminds me of the Night Circus. I liked the message on how Ephraim saved his miracle, although that aspect of the story became a little overly drawn out for my tastes. I liked the interaction with The Man Who Bends Light, but I would have preferred more details as to how he makes his magic/illusions happen. I also thought that there should have been more of a connection back to the Micah's grandmother, rather than building up the story only to have it fade into the background. I had a few issues with the ending, but overall, I was ok with it.

Circus Mirandus touches on all the myriad feelings a reader can feel-- amusement, warmth, regret, indignation, gratitude, love, and mostly hope. This beautiful story of the meaning of magic and its power in our lives is one that captivates. Readers will love Micah, Grandpa Ephraim, and The Man Who Bends Light, and the experience will be even further enhanced by Pinchot's masterful narration.

I absolutely adore this book! The reading was phenomenal and the lessons throughout were deep and essential.

I think that we need more books that discuss the importance of embracing the concept of death acceptance to our children because we hide from it in our culture. This book does a beautiful job of approaching the subject with such love and peacefulness and it’s an important lesson for kids.

Almost gave up on this book. The story really didn't take off until I was about half way through.