Girl on a Wire

Jules Maroni is a talented 16-year-old tightrope walker in a family of legendary circus performers—her retired grandmother, Nan, was famous not only for her trapeze work but also for the bad magic she supposedly used on other performers. By threatening to run away, Jules persuades her family to join the Cirque American, despite longstanding bad blood between her family and an acclaimed clan of trapeze artists, the Flying Garcias. But someone is leaving bad luck charms around in what look like attempts to get Jules to fall from the high wire, and perhaps even die. Jules teams up with an unlikely ally, handsome Remy Garcia, to find out who is targeting her family. The circus and its theatrical characters provide a fresh, vibrant backdrop as author and PW contributor Bond (Blackwood) impressively describes a range of circus performances, while threading enticing slivers of magic and romance into her story. It’s a fascinating and enjoyable foray into circus life as seen through the eyes of an ambitious and talented performer. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Oct.)