Synopses & Reviews
Smalls the sun bear and his friends are an unusual bunch. That's why they're known as the Misfit Menagerie. The four oddball animals live on Mr. Mumford's farm, where they play games and do tricks for neighborhood children. It's an idyllic existence--until a cruel circus owner named Claude Magnificence comes to town, and life as they know it ends. The Menagerie is snatched away to a traveling circus, where Claude and his buffoonish sidekicks force them to perform death-defying tricks.
At the circus, Smalls and his friends only have slop to eat. They live in filthy, cramped cages. And they're bullied by a rough band of trained animals called the Lifers. It's worse than awful--it's despicable! But then young Bertie Magnificence comes along, and he and Smalls form the kind of friendship that inspires hope. They decide that something needs to change...and fast. With the help of an acrobat named Susan, Smalls and Bertie set in motion a heroic plan.
Can a lonely boy and a misfit bear hoodwink cruel Claude and save an entire circus of captive animals?
Review
Praise for Maile Meloy’s enchanting E. B. White Award-winning novel,
THE APOTHECARY: “Inventive, smart and fun, an absolute delight.”—
Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of
When You Reach Me STARRED REVIEW from
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “[A] thoroughly enjoyable adventure, filled with magic, humor, memorable characters, and just a bit of sweet romance. With evocative, confident prose and equally atmospheric spot art from Schoenherr, adult author Meloy’s first book for young readers is an auspicious one.”
From THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK
Review
“[Meloy] brings to her first book for young readers the same emotional resonance that has won acclaim for her adult fiction, grounding her story in the intricacies of family love, friendship and loyalty blended here with the complicated fluctuations of adolescence.”
From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “Maile Meloy’s sly commingling of the real and the imaginary make this a witty and entertaining Cold War romp—with a touch of age-appropriate romance.” From USA TODAY: “The title of Maile Meloy’s smartly written, page-turning adventure/fantasy refers to a magical druggist in London in 1952. . . . It’s for curious readers who, like Meloy’s characters, can make room in their imaginations and ‘allow for the possibilities.’”
Review
“Resnicks warmhearted debut . . . sets a lively pace and draws tender characterizations.” --
PW "The distinctive and engaging animal characters will draw readers in and have them rooting for a succesful escape from the awful circus." --Booklist
"Appeal[s] to readers who enjoy their protagonists on the furry side." --School Library Journal
"A good old-fashioned story." --Kirkus Reviews
"A wild and wonderful circus ride." --Tor Seidler, author of The Wainscott Weasel, an ALA Notable Book; Mean Margaret, a finalist for the National Book award; and more
"I forgot about the real world when I got caught up in the charming world of the Most Magnificent Circus." --Dan Gutman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius Files
"With a cruel guardian worthy of Rowling, Snicket, or Dahl, and animal friends as endearing as E.B. White's, Resnick's debut melted my heart." --Suzanne LaFleur, author of Eight Keys and Love, Aubrey
Review
“Resnicks warmhearted debut . . . sets a lively pace and draws tender characterizations.” --
PW
"Appeal[s] to readers who enjoy their protagonists on the furry side." --School Library Journal
"A good old-fashioned story." --Kirkus Reviews
"A wild and wonderful circus ride." --Tor Seidler, author of The Wainscott Weasel, an ALA Notable Book; Mean Margaret, a finalist for the National Book award; and more
"I forgot about the real world when I got caught up in the charming world of the Most Magnificent Circus." --Dan Gutman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius Files
"With a cruel guardian worthy of Rowling, Snicket, or Dahl, and animal friends as endearing as E.B. White's, Resnick's debut melted my heart." --Suzanne LaFleur, author of Eight Keys and Love, Aubrey
Review
Praise for Maile Meloys THE APOTHECARY:
A New York Times Bestseller
E.B. White Read-Aloud Book Award Winner
2011 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
2011 Wall Street Journal Best of the Year
2011 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Reading List
“Inventive, smart and fun, an absolute delight.”
—REBECCA STEAD, Newbery Award-winning author of WHEN YOU REACH ME
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK
Review
“[Meloy] brings to her first book for young readers the same emotional resonance that has won acclaim for her adult fiction, grounding her story in the intricacies of family love, friendship and loyalty blended here with the complicated fluctuations of adolescence.”
FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:
“Maile Meloys sly commingling of the real and the imaginary make this a witty and entertaining Cold War romp—with a touch of age-appropriate romance.”
FROM USA TODAY:
“The title of Maile Meloys smartly written, page-turning adventure/fantasy refers to a magical druggist in London in 1952. . . . Its for curious readers who, like Meloys characters, can make room in their imaginations and ‘allow for the possibilities.”
STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:
“[A] thoroughly enjoyable adventure, filled with magic, humor, memorable characters, and just a bit of sweet romance. With evocative, confident prose and equally atmospheric spot art from Schoenherr, adult author Meloys first book for young readers is an auspicious one.”
FROM BOOKLIST:
“Those who know little about blacklisting, the Cold War, and European life after WWII will just have to dive into the fantasy-adventure pool, which runs long and deep. Magic elixirs, transformational disguises, and everyday cunning help Janie, Benjamin, and several scientists elude capture.”
FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
“[I]ts blend of history, culture and the anxiety of the time with magical “science” will keep readers just as spellbound as the characters.”
FROM VOYA:
“[G]ood, strong historical fiction spiced with intrigue, magical realism, mystery, suspense, and science…the spies and historical twist give it a lot of flavor. The illustrations are fluid and delightful.”
Synopsis
The Tale of Despereaux meets
Water for Elephants in this heartfelt adventure story!
Smalls the sun bear and his friends Tilda (an angora rabbit), Rigby (a komondor dog), and Wombat (a wombat) happily while away their days under Mr. Mumford's doting guardianship. That is, until one fateful evening when Mumford, loopy from elderberry wine, loses his prized animals in a bet against Claudius Magnificence in Texas Hold 'Em. The dastardly "Grand Master Claude" seizes Smalls and the others, forcing them to join his traveling circus. In the circus caravan, they're crammed into a tiny slop car and forced to perform ridiculous tricks for money. Bertie, Claude's young nephew, is the only bright spot in the animals' otherwise miserable lives. When Bertie uncovers a dark secret about Claude, he and Smalls set in motion a heroic plot to help the animals escape their tyrant and find their way home.
Synopsis
It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.
Together with Ian Schoenherr's breathtaking illustrations, this is a truly stunning package from cover to cover.
Synopsis
Four animals must find their ticket out of the circus.
Smalls the sun bear, Tilda the Angora rabbit, Rigby the Komondor dog, and Wombat the wombat are the four animals that make up "the misfit menagerie."
Together theyve always lived a happy life on Mr. Mumfords farm. That is, until one fateful evening when Mumford, loopy from elderberry wine, accidentally loses them to the dastardly circus owner Grande Master Claude. Suddenly, these animals are forced to perform death-defying tricks and live in filthy, cramped cages as members of Claudes traveling circus. But all hope is not lost! Claudes nephew Bertie and his friend Susan, a circus acrobat, are equally fed up with Claudes evil ways, and together they might just have what it takes to find their ticket out of the circus.
About the Author
Maile Meloy is the author of the story collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It, one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2009, and the novels Liars and Saints, shortlisted for the 2005 Orange Prize, and A Family Daughter. Meloy's stories have been published in The New Yorker, and she has received The Paris Review's Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award, the Rosenthal Foundation Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2007, she was chosen as one of Granta's Best American Novelists under 35. She lives in California.