The Circus at the End of the Sea dazzles and delights with imagination and heartfelt feeling. It takes us on a journey that dares us to marvel at the magic that lies beneath the surface of the world, and more importantly the magic within our own hearts.”
"This gorgeous story and its denizens are funny, wise, and a bit feral in the best way, showing us the beauty in embracing every part of ourselves. Maddy’s adventures and her search for belonging tugs at your heartstrings and never lets go. I found The Circus at the End of the Sea glimmering with love and magic through and through.”
"Sometimes the book your heart needs is a sparkly dream circus, in which shadow and light are all part of a joyful dance. How lucky the world is to have a book like that now, Lori Snyder's light-footed and light-filled The Circus at the End of the Sea."
"Snyder’s debut is a truly weird and wonderful ride, full of breathtaking imagery and inventive settings.... There is an earnest, uplifting tone that sustains the story. A love letter to a unique neighborhood, and a tender reminder to embrace both the light and the dark in life and in oneself."
"Snyder’s debut is a truly weird and wonderful ride, full of breathtaking imagery and inventive settings.... There is an earnest, uplifting tone that sustains the story. A love letter to a unique neighborhood, and a tender reminder to embrace both the light and the dark in life and in oneself."
10/11/2021
Parentless, brown-skinned, black-haired Maddy Adriana, 12, has been shuttled from one group home to another nearly all her life. Perpetually known as “the weird new kid,” Maddy sees magic in the world, always feeling a tug to follow it. En route to a new group home for sick children on Venice Beach, Calif., Maddy spies an uncanny cat and feels a pull so strong she pursues it through a mysterious white fog, arriving at a magical seaside circus. In the aftermath of the Ringmaster’s sudden disappearance, however, acts have grown stale. Maddy, urged by her newfound friend—blonde, pale Vanessa the Muse—embarks on a mission to recover the Ringmaster. Along the way, she encounters wondrous, sometimes frightening experiences: murals and statues brought to life, a roller coaster race through the clouds, and a dangerous bridge, where she confronts an intense manifestation of all her fears and sorrows. Inspired by actual landmarks detailed in an author’s note, Snyder crafts a bittersweet, boundlessly imaginative story that emphasizes the bright and dark sides of life. Classic motifs help this enticing debut conjure its own special blend of magic. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Oct.)
"Akin to [the adventures] of Alice in Wonderland and Dorothy in Oz. There are also intriguing existential adventures. The work is action-packed." — Kirkus Reviews
"Snyder crafts a bittersweet, boundlessly imaginative story that emphasizes the bright and dark sides of life. Classic motifs help this enticing debut conjure its own special blend of magic."
— Publishers Weekly
"Snyder’s debut is a truly weird and wonderful ride, full of breathtaking imagery and inventive settings.... There is an earnest, uplifting tone that sustains the story. A love letter to a unique neighborhood, and a tender reminder to embrace both the light and the dark in life and in oneself." — Booklist
"Full of action and page-turning excitement. Readers will be engaged by her hair-raising adventures. a worthwhile read with positive messages included about perseverance, friendship, and following your own path."
— School Library Journal
"Sometimes the book your heart needs is a sparkly dream circus, in which shadow and light are all part of a joyful dance. How lucky the world is to have a book like that now, Lori Snyder's light-footed and light-filled The Circus at the End of the Sea." — Anne Nesbet, award-winning author of Cloud and Wallfish
"This gorgeous story and its denizens are funny, wise, and a bit feral in the best way, showing us the beauty in embracing every part of ourselves. Maddy’s adventures and her search for belonging tugs at your heartstrings and never lets go. I found The Circus at the End of the Sea glimmering with love and magic through and through.”
— Cindy Lin, author of The Twelve and Treasures of the Twelve
“The Circus at the End of the Sea dazzles and delights with imagination and heartfelt feeling. It takes us on a journey that dares us to marvel at the magic that lies beneath the surface of the world, and more importantly the magic within our own hearts.”
— Armand Baltazar, author of Timeless Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic
"Lori Snyder's debut novel is endlessly inventive – rich with both sly humor and deep truths. As a fabulous bonus, Ophelia, the heroine's delightful octopus companion, is one of the best sidekicks ever! Adventure, mystery, heartbreak, and laughter abound in this wondrous first novel. Kids are going to love it.” — Bruce Coville, author of The Thief of Worlds
12/01/2021
Gr 5 Up—Madeline Adriana has always felt drawn to magic, and she's able to perceive magical things that others cannot see. She has spent her life moving from one group home to another, never knowing her real parents. En route to yet another new home, Maddy feels herself led to a pier where she begins a journey through a magical but defunct circus intertwined with the bohemian community of Venice Beach, CA. The motley circus folk enlist Maddy's help to find the ringmaster and restore the show. The book is full of action and page-turning excitement. Maddy's quest keeps her on the move, and readers will be engaged by her hair-raising adventures. However, some of the scene descriptions are a bit lengthy, which breaks the flow of the story at times. There are also conceptual elements which may go over the heads of the target audience. The circus is never portrayed in the conventional sense as a contained show under a big top, so readers may find it difficult to envision a circus mingling with the community around it. Nevertheless, the book is a worthwhile read with positive messages included about perseverance, friendship, and following your own path. Maddy is described as having thick, wavy hair. VERDICT A worthy addition to middle grade fantasy collections.—Kelly Jahng, South Park Elem. Sch., IL
2021-09-01
Does a young girl have the power to save the magical circus of Venice Beach?
Maddy Adriana has always felt the pull of something magical, but now at 12 she knows not to tell anyone about these feelings. On the way to a new group home for sick kids who need Extra Attention, Maddy follows a tug of magic that leads her to discover Il Circo delle Strade, a wondrous circus fading away due to the absence of their beloved Ringmaster. Encouraged by the Muse of Venice, Maddy and her new octopus companion embark on a quest to find the Ringmaster and revitalize the circus. Maddy’s adventures in Venice Beach, akin to those of Alice in Wonderland and Dorothy in Oz, are a string of surreal episodes populated with bizarre and unusual characters. There are also intriguing existential adventures into body parts, although the writing sometimes veers into rhapsodies of schmaltz. Echoes of the cult classic film Xanadu can be found in this love letter to Venice Beach, supported by the author’s note detailing the actual public art landmarks featured in the story. The work is action-packed, if a bit heavy-handed with its heartfelt message of accepting both the light and dark and happy and sad parts of the world and the self. Maddy has brown skin and wavy black hair.
Amusement-park thrills somewhat chilled by sentimental storytelling. (Fantasy. 9-13)
