Harley in the Sky

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.

Ali Ahn thoughtfully narrates this introspective coming-of-age story about the value and cost of chasing your dreams. Harley, the daughter of circus owners, wants nothing more than to become a trapeze artist. When her parents push her to attend college instead, she runs away to train with the star aerialist of a rival circus. Ahn sensitively portrays Harley's struggles with both manic phases and depression, letting the listener know through subtle changes in tone and expression how Harley is coping from day to day. Disreputable circus owner Simon Tarbottle is appropriately creepy, while mysterious love interest Vas has the perfect Russian-by-way-of-London accent. Listeners will be swept up into the detailed descriptions of circus life and have no trouble understanding Harley's bone-deep need to be there. N.M. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine