Circus Mirandus

By: Cassie Beasley

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Fans of Big Fish, Peter Pan, and Roald Dahl will fall in love with Circus Mirandus, which celebrates the power of seeing magic in the world.

Do you believe in magic?

Micah Tuttle does.

Even though his awful great-aunt Gertrudis doesn't approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other - the Man Who Bends Light. Finally Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The circus is real. And the lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

The only problem is the lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.

©2015 Cassie Beasley (P)2015 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Bronson Pinchot performs with the wise air of a storyteller, an appropriate style for a novel built on the tales that Micah's Grandpa Ephraim tells about the magical circus he visited as a boy.... A solid fantasy particularly good for family listening." ( AudioFile)

You Still Owe Me a Miracle

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.

Good story

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You never need an invitation to go home!

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.

Awesome book for a listen with kids

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!

A magical circus any child would love!

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.

Great storyline!

I very much enjoyed this book! It kept my attention and had a wonderful plot!

The different voices he gave the characters

I liked the story line overall and the flashbacks to from his grandfather and to him and all of the different point of views

Loved the story

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

I'm a Sucker for a Circus

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.

This book IS magic!

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.