The Circus in the Woods [Hardcover]

William Littlefield (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Set in the heart of the Vermont woods, where on the hottest days of summer the lake seems the center of all life, this lyrical mystery follows the life of a young girl at summer camp who, one day, inexplicably stumbles upon a circus. Lured by the sounds of a calliope, she finds, in the middle of the woods, a circus filled with dancers, handsome young acrobats, a gypsy fortuneteller, lion tamers . . . and life without time or change. In his first novel for children, Bill Littlefield explores the inevitablity of change in a young girl’s life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first novel for young readers, sportswriter and NPR host Littlefield (Champions: Stories of Ten Remarkable Athletes) creates a nostalgic family story with a dreamlike mystery at its center. Now an adult, narrator Molly recollects the annual August childhood trip that she and her family made to the same Vermont lodge, with its hearty breakfast pancakes, serene lake and morning camp led by a beatific woman, Snow. One summer, Molly wakes in the night and, drawn by the sound of calliope music, discovers a circus dancer deep in the woods. Later she also discovers acrobats, a lion tamer and a gypsy fortuneteller, Nell, who returns to her nursing career when Molly's father slips into a coma due to a bee bite. The circus, familiar to Snow, turns out to be a place of suspended time for people whose journey into adulthood is too painful. With its shifts in perspective Molly alternates her perspective between that of adult and child the narrative often reads more like an elegy to childhood and simpler times than a story with the kind of immediacy that will hook children. However, sophisticated readers may well be sustained by the lyricism of the writing. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-8-Partly a fantasy but mostly a coming-of-age novel, this is the story of Molly, who vacations with her family almost every summer at the same lodge in Vermont. When she is 13, she is drawn by calliope music into the woods, where she finds a mysterious circus and its fascinating performers. When her father is stung by a bee and goes into a coma, her experiences with and acquaintances in the circus troupe help her marshal the strength to help him. This is a slow and dreamy tale, and the meditative tone of the narrative may not appeal to readers who were hoping for an action-packed fantasy. (Molly is now a college student looking back at her childhood.) The story skips around a bit in time and place, and it isn't always easy to tell how old Molly is in any given chapter. Her younger sister comes alive, as do Snow and Nell, two vivid older women who become very important to the narrator. This book won't jump off the shelves by itself, but those who read it will be rewarded by a lyrical look at childhood, growing up, and family.

Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1St Edition edition (September 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061806642X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618066421
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,966,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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