Harley in the Sky

January 1, 2020
When her parents insist on college, Harley runs away from home to join a circus. Harley Milano grew up in her parents' circus, watching rehearsals and performances and seeing all the work her parents put into managing and creating new acts. And she's put in time herself, practicing as much as she can on the trapeze. She wants to perform, and she's ready to be an apprentice, but her parents refuse to entertain her plans. Angry and heartbroken, Harley takes a chance opportunity to join a rival circus, betraying her family in the process. But she believes her dream is worth it, no matter how worried her best friend or her parents might be. Harley throws herself into proving her aerial talents, forging tenuous new friendships and grappling with her constantly shifting, intense emotions. Bowman (Summer Bird Blue, 2018, etc.) explores the costs and rewards of pursuing a dream while also incorporating discussion of mental health and its effects on relationships through generations. Harley is biracial, her mother being Chinese and Irish and her father Japanese and Italian, and she frequently reflects on the influence her mixed heritage has had on her identity. As Harley is torn between familial expectations and her own aspirations, this novel will appeal to those searching for their own places in the world.Mental health, family and friendship, and the circus: all told in a raw, engaging voice. (Fiction. 14-18)

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January 27, 2020
Harley Yoshi Milano, 18, has never felt like she belongs. The Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Irish mixed-race teen questions her cultural identity and role as daughter of parents who run Teatro della Notte, a Las Vegas circus. When her parents tell her she must attend college instead of training as a trapeze artist, Harley lands an internship with a well-known aerialist at a competing circus, but only in exchange for betraying those she loves. While most of the performers refuse to help the new addition, hard work and determination secure her admirers, friends, and a love interest as her dreams start to become reality. Dark clouds loom as Harley struggles to maintain healthy relationships and keep her depression at bay, and she struggles with suicidal ideation. Bowman (Starfish) creates an
emotionally driven novel brimming with exuberant details of circus life and aerial routines. Quick chapters culminate with riveting cliffhangers that keep readers hooked to the story. Elongated interior monologues occur throughout, but touching scenes between Harley and her parents are sensitively written alongside a thoughtful, unresolved exploration of mental health. Ages 12–up. Agent: Penny Moore, FinePrint Literary.

February 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up-Harley Hoshi Milano is proud of her biracial heritage, and she dreams big: She wants to be an aerialist-a trapeze artist, the circus's final act and its biggest star. Her parents, operators of the Teatre della Notte bigtop in Las Vegas, NV, know stardust is illusory, and push Harley toward college instead. Harley rebels, joining Maison du Mystère, a traveling circus. She steals her father's original musical score and trades it for a mentorship with Mystère's Maggie, a renowned aerialist. Overwhelmed by her own chutzpah, she channels scenes from "Harry Potter" novels and Star Wars to stay calm. Harley realizes that, like her, most of the members of this troupe feel like they're on the fringe, and she uses that to befriend a few clowns, jugglers, and knife-throwers, who encourage her talent as she blends into their community. Belonging doesn't erase Harley's problems as a runaway, however; she must try to make amends, or grow up knowing that she betrayed her parents, without ever having asked their forgiveness. Running away with the circus is a metaphor for coming of age that comes off a bit strained here, although it may interest readers who actually want to know how circus performers live and work together. VERDICT A teenager breaks from her parents and joins a traveling circus, in an otherwise predictable story about running away from home.-Georgia Christgau, LaGuardia Community College, Long Island City, NY

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December 1, 2019
Grades 8-11 Harley has loved the circus for as long as she can remember, which is not so strange, as her parents own the Las Vegas circus Teatro della Notte. What is unusual, however, is that Harley has to run away from the circus in order to join one. Desperately wanting to train as a trapeze artist?something her parents refuse to discuss, since it would mean putting college on hold?Harley takes an apprenticeship with shady rival Maison du Myst�re. Bowman (Summer Bird Blue, 2018) constructs?and, in a way, deconstructs?deeply complex motivations over the course of Harley's journey, which is not as straightforward or enjoyable as she envisioned. Harley grapples with manic-depressive episodes, during which she frequently throws loved ones under the bus, and she yearns to figure out where she fits as the daughter of biracial parents. Readers hoping for extensive circus scenes may be disappointed, as Harley's inner journey is the focus here, but those who go for earnest, poetic character studies will adore this trip to the Big Top.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)