TITLE: THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS
AUTHOR: Jane George
IMPRINT: Red Willow Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: 15 April 2011
PREVIOUS TITLES IN SERIES: None
When the enigmatic Ringmaster asks 15-year-old Evanja (Evan) Leane to run away and join the circus, she says yes. Anywhere’s got to be better than foster home Number Eight. Evan learns that this ragtag circus, a haven for throwaway teens, relies on more than spectacle and illusion. This circus is built on magic. Each of the teens possesses a donvrai, a true gift, that manifests only in the presence of the Ringmaster’s mysterious Ju-Ju. Unlike many of the other teens who must wait for their donvrai to emerge, Evan’s gift surfaces on her first night: she can read horses’ minds. This would be totally awesome except she has been deathly afraid of horses since foster home Number Three. But circus is a dying art. If Evan wants to save her beloved new-found home, she must concoct a brilliant horse act that will bring in the crowds. And she’d better get over herself and get on with it fast; there’s a traitor close to the Ringmaster who will stop at nothing to make sure she doesn’t succeed.
AUTHOR: Jane George
IMPRINT: Red Willow Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: 15 April 2011
PREVIOUS TITLES IN SERIES: None
When the enigmatic Ringmaster asks 15-year-old Evanja (Evan) Leane to run away and join the circus, she says yes. Anywhere’s got to be better than foster home Number Eight. Evan learns that this ragtag circus, a haven for throwaway teens, relies on more than spectacle and illusion. This circus is built on magic. Each of the teens possesses a donvrai, a true gift, that manifests only in the presence of the Ringmaster’s mysterious Ju-Ju. Unlike many of the other teens who must wait for their donvrai to emerge, Evan’s gift surfaces on her first night: she can read horses’ minds. This would be totally awesome except she has been deathly afraid of horses since foster home Number Three. But circus is a dying art. If Evan wants to save her beloved new-found home, she must concoct a brilliant horse act that will bring in the crowds. And she’d better get over herself and get on with it fast; there’s a traitor close to the Ringmaster who will stop at nothing to make sure she doesn’t succeed.
THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS description and cover art courtesy of GOODREADS.
I received an electronic copy of THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS as part of a blog tour arranged by TEEN BOOK SCENE
THE TWEET
THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS: an imaginative story of a magical circus, a teen girl w/a special ability & her journey to find a place to belong.
WHAT WORKED
I requested to be part of this tour because the book synopsis said it was about a teen girl who joins a magical circus to get away from an abusive life. Really, what could be better than a circus and a magical one at that? Nothing apparently! THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS was an adventurous novel that gave readers an inside look at circus life. And the magical aspect of the story really drew me into the plot and characters.
Evanje, a.k.a. Evan, is a wonderfully developed character. I was immediately drawn into her story and could empathize with her feelings of wanted to escape her abusive foster home and find a place where she would not only belong, but where she would be truly loved. And she found this at the circus. I especially liked the development of the unconventional family the circus members represented. Even though they were not all related by blood, they stood up for their fellow circus folk and were willing to do anything to help each other. This was a great contrast to the "family" situation that Evan escaped, where she was treated completely opposite.
THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS also contained black and white illustrations that made the story come alive for me. They made the imaginative and magical story seem more real because I would actually see an artist's rendition of the world and people existing in it.
OVERALL
I loved the circus atmosphere described in THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS. The individual characters and their special abilities, or donrovai, were interesting to read about and made THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS an exceptional story.
MY RATING IS
For more information on THE MUMBO JUMBO CIRCUS and author Jane George, visit
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