The Circus Lunicus

by Marilyn Singer

Solomom Yanish uncovers his family ties to a celestial circus in this quirky middle grade novel.

Solly heard a noise coming from his closet. This time it wasn't a rattling. It was a small, spongy noise, like a balloon bobbing. Cautiously he opened the door.

The plastic lizard was standing there, its feet in the trash can, its head grazing the top shelf. It looked at Solly with yellow eyes and Freeble, freeble, freeble.

Solomon Yanish has it rough. His mother has disappeared from his life, his father is constantly away on business trips, and now Solly is stuck with two crabby stepbrothers and an evil stepmother he calls Old Staircase. What's worse, Solly can't seem to get a straight answer about his family's past. But who's keeping it from him, and why?

Enter The Circus Lunicus, and Freeble -- a fairy godmother in shrink-wrapped disguise. Suddenly things start to make sense. Until some strange transformations begin . . . Can Solly uncover the mystery behind his heritage before the circus leaves town?

This fast-paced novel is full of bizarre characters and surprising revelations. So forget what you know about the circus and grab a bucket of worms. Things are going to get weird...

Genres: Middle Grade, Juvenile, Fantasy, Childrens

168 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.

In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.

Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.

Reviews

[splishsplash84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The circus lunicus is about a boy who lives with step mothere a nd two step brothers who are always mean to him while his dad is in anothere country. his mom died when he was very young. What he remebers most about her is going to the circus every year togothere but after she dies it no longer comes. one day one of his brotheres give him the news of the circus returning, but since he gave away a toy his stepmother gae him he gets grounded and can't go. That night he decides to write a letter to his dad, but he doesnt want to put it in the mailbox closest to him so he goes to the one by the fairgrounds. When he arrived he saw that the circus also arrived. he wanted to get a closer view of the circus so he hid behind a cart when he got there he got caught and got to meet the ringmaster who told to fill up a bucket of worms to the top he didn't understand why but he obbeyed. when he gave the ringmaster the bucket he returned home then went to bed.the next day he put his toy which was a toy that you put in water and it starts to grow, in water. when he got home it was so big it didn't fit in the cup so he put it in the bucke then it got so big he had to put it in a trash can. One day he heard a noise from his closet when he oppened it it was his toy that came alive. he learned that his toy was a very god mother. She had to teach him to be an alligator (what she is. This is because the people aat the circus lunicus are actually alligators and he finds out his mother is the daughter of the ringmaster at the end of the book he goes back tho the planet that they're from which his mom is living on so they can reunite.

[Erin Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read but a bit on the bizarre side. I am sure that any older elementary school kid (4th-6th grade) would love it. It is along the lines of the Goosebump series.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Nikku · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me quite a bit of Daniel Pinkwater for its confabulation of the mundane and the otherworldy wacky. Me as a 10 year old would have loved this book.

[ERNESTO FIGUEROA · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was good