It is 1932 and we are in Racine, Wisconsin. Our protagonist is twelve-year-old Emma Monroe who is intelligent and courageous and will stop at nothing to find out more about the absent father that her mother absolutely refuses to talk about. As Emma digs around and investigates, she begins to believe that her father is none other than the famous Filippo—an aerialist at the circus that has just arrived in town. She makes up her mind to go to the circus and confront her father, but that is not so easy! And so, she enlists the help of her cousins, weaves a web of lies to deceive her mother, and disguising herself as a boy, sets out to get a job at the circus. Emma’s quest to connect to her father will take her through an exciting adventure and reveal to her (and to the readers!) the mystery of her own origins.
This novel written for middle graders has all the right elements in it – a spunky heroine, a couple of male cousins who act as sidekicks, an adorable dog and a fabulous circus replete with acrobats, clowns, tigers and elephants. However, younger readers might still find it difficult to enjoy the story as the pacing is uneven and there are parts of it that come across as implausible. For the persistent reader though, the book has its rewards – vivid descriptions, a charming adventure and valuable insights into how families in the Midwest coped with the Great Depression. —Tuesday Knight