We Walked the Sky

May 1, 2019
In a story told in two voices, several generations of women in VanDrexel's Family Circus learn how and when to be solo acts--and when to trust the net. When the circus comes to Brooksvale, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1965, a wealthy 16-year-old seizes the chance to escape her abusive father. Renaming herself Victoria, she joins the circus, planning to leave once she's far enough away to build a stable, independent life for herself. She doesn't plan to become a tightrope walker, and she certainly doesn't plan to fall in love....Half a century later, 16-year-old high-wire star Callie and her mother, Quinn, leave the circus after Callie's secretive grandmother Victoria dies. Quinn's new job at an animal sanctuary in Florida puts Callie's career on hold, and she reluctantly enrolls at the local high school. Against Victoria's captivating and emotional narrative, Callie's resistance to a settled life reads as less sympathetic and her conflict as lower stakes, even after the discovery of an old box of keepsakes from Victoria's transformative and tragic young adulthood changes Callie's life. Victoria, Callie, Quinn, and those closest to them are assumed white; nonwhite characters are extremely marginal. While Victoria briefly mentions the "ugly din" of "riots" in Harlem and Birmingham, specific social and political movements go unaddressed; Callie's voice is similarly disconnected from current events. A compelling story of identity and family that resonates most powerfully in its historical voice. (Fiction. 12-18)

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May 20, 2019
Fiedler (the Mouseheart series) offers a well-executed intergenerational story told in dual narratives. In 1965, 16-year-old Victoria escapes her abusive father to join the circus and discovers a talent and love for tightrope walking. Her granddaughter Callie, 15, who has grown up in the circus and was trained by Victoria, carries the same passion for walking the high wire. Callie’s mother, Quinn, also born and raised in the circus, has devoted her life to caring for its animals. When the animals are moved to a sanctuary in Florida, Quinn is hired as its executive director, uprooting—and devastating—Callie. Victoria narrates in a courageous first-person, present-tense voice, while Callie’s third-person, past-tense story reflects the powerlessness she feels in her forced removal. Fiedler explores the bond between grandmother and granddaughter with moving details; handwritten notes that Victoria wrote to herself during key moments of her life, for example, serve as sustenance and inspiration for the girl. The theme of displacement unites the two stories, but Callie’s difficulties adjusting to her new environment are far less compelling than Victoria’s suspenseful situation, which has a momentum and emotional heft that stands on its own. Ages 12–up. Agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House.

June 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Calliope VanDrexel is a 16-year-old circus performer who loves her grandmother Victoria and the tightrope that allows her to walk the sky. Her days as an aerialist come to an abrupt halt when her grandmother dies and her mother, Quinn, moves their small family to an animal sanctuary. Callie is forced to live with a mother she doesn't understand and learn to navigate the social hierarchy in high school. Her only comforts are the cryptic notes found in her grandmother's old jewelry box and the new unexpected friendships she makes. These notes and her friends help Callie begin to find the balance between loving what was lost and embracing what can be. The dual narratives of Victoria's and Callie's experiences is well paced and operates as a time line tying the past to the future. The characters under the big top are larger-than-life, and the relationship between Victoria and the circus family shines. Both Callie's relationship with her mother and her lack of social awareness are believably depicted. Teens who have ever felt out of place will relate to this character. Unfortunately, the ending of the story remains unresolved. VERDICT Good historical fiction with a solid narrative, this title is perfect for school and public libraries.-Desiree Thomas, Worthington Library, OH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2019
Grades 8-11 In 1965, Victoria Hastings runs away from an abusive home and joins the circus. As she adapts to her new life, she finds love and family in a world entirely different from the one she knew. Fifty years later, Victoria's granddaughter Callie flourishes in another circus as a tightrope walker?that is, until her mother takes a job in an animal sanctuary, turning Callie's world upside down as she is forced to leave the circus. Using mementos from her grandmother's similar experience, Callie tries to adapt to life outside of the circus as she searches for her place in this new world. Chapters alternate between '65 and present day, playing out the changing lives of both young women in parallel. Eventually, the two story lines converge, completing a beautiful tapestry that speaks to the bond between mothers and daughters. Fiedler (Mouseheart, 2014) makes a welcome return to young adult literature with this heartrending, transgenerational tale of learning how to start over and carry on through hard times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)