by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Bloomsbury USA / Macmillan
ISBN-13 978-1-59990-185-5
$15.99 Hardcover
Children’s Fiction / Middle Grades
Circus Life / U.S. History in 1852 / Mississippi River and Midwest
MBA Bookseller Information
Visit Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s website at www.tracievaughnzimmer.com. Order from your Macmillan sales rep or your preferred wholesaler.
To inquire about events, book clubs, or phoners with Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, please contact Deb Shapiro, Director of Publicity, Bloomsbury USA, 646-438-6070 (direct line), deb.shapiro@bloomsburyusa.com.
Downloads
- Midwest Connections Rebate Form (PDF)
- Full-color sign/flyer (PDF)
- Teacher’s and reading group guide (PDF)
- Black & white print ad (PDF)
- Author photo (JPG)
- Book photo (JPG)
- Midwest Connections Generic Display Materials
About the Book
“A circus boat in the 1850s is the offbeat setting for Zimmer’s (Reaching for Sun) lively historical novel. Readers will be hooked from the start by the voice of the narrator, Owen, first met in a Pittsburgh orphanage as he describes the difference between him and his younger brother, Zach: ‘Right follows Zach like a shadow, but wrong wears me like a skin.’ Wanting the best for Zach, Owen runs away when, just before the two are put aboard an orphan train, Owen learns that Zach will have a much better chance of being adopted without a brother; from this chaotic beginning, Owen stumbles upon Solomon, a former slave, who brings him aboard the circus boat and gets him a job. As the boat travels south, Owen’s awareness of slavery grows in a way that feels organic to the story. Historical details, such as the workings of a printing press, give readers a deeper taste of the era, and animal lovers will especially enjoy Zimmer’s portrayal of the circus elephant that Owen comes to know. Bittersweet and satisfying. Ages 8 – 12.”
- Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Inspired by the riverboat circuses of the 19th century, this memorable tale of prejudice, race, and the relationships that transcend them brings little-known historical facts to life.
Twelve-year-old Owen forgoes an orphan train that’s headed west only to find himself falling in with a completely unexpected group of misfits-circus performers on the River Palace. As this floating circus makes its way down the Mississippi, Owen slowly discovers that his fellow workers aren’t freaks, but loners, like he is. A brush with yellow-fever in New Orleans and a devastating storm threaten the boat and its passengers. But it’s the menace of slave catchers that poses the greatest danger of all, and will put Owen’s loyalty to a freed black man to the test.
TRACIE VAUGHN ZIMMER has worked as a special education teacher and reading specialist. She is also the creator of more than 80 teacher’s guides for numerous publishers (including Bloomsbury), and has published a book of poetry, Sketches from a Spy Tree, a NYPL Best Book.
