Kirkus Reviews

A boy attends circus school to learn enough to save his family's circus. Twelve-year-old Sebastian Kostantinov, only son of ringmaster Dragan Kostantinov, seemingly has no circus talent at all—he can't juggle, ride unicycles, do acrobatics, or swing on a trapeze. He can't even manage to be a clown. He cares for the circus animals while they tour Eastern Europe until business falls off and the animals must be sold. Animals are old-school; newer circuses don't have them. Despite his lack of talent, Seb worms his way into an exclusive Montreal circus school in hopes that he can learn enough to put the family back in the black. He makes friends with two other misfits, Frankie, an Italian parkour specialist, and Banjo, a rustic slackliner. But the circus school itself is in financial straits and seems likely to close—so Seb and his friends plot to save it. Delaney writes smoothly, but her plot has some gaping holes. If the prestigious school carries a waitlist, why not admit more pupils who can pay full tuition? Instead they admit Seb on full scholarship with the odd hope that his presumably wealthy father will become a big donor. The boarding school scenes tread very familiar ground, and the circus acts never quite come alive. The principal cast appears to be white, and the school is not a notably diverse one. It's a fine friendship story but not a great one. (Fiction. 8-12)

ALA Booklist (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Twelve-year-old Sebastian ("Seb") has grown up in a traveling circus founded by his father, ringmaster Dragan Konstantinov. Everyone assumed that Seb would inherit Dragan's incredible aerial abilities, but it has become increasingly evident that Seb has no circus talent at all. Even so, he loves the life, but dwindling crowds may spell the end of the Konstantinov Family Circus. In desperation, Seb applies to Montreal circus school Bonaventure Academy in hopes of learning how to revitalize his father's failing show. Delaney takes a realistic approach to the circus magic or curiosities here oving it's quite enthralling in its own right. At the story's heart is Seb's personal journey to find his true talent, something made possible with the help of a kind teacher and new friends Banjo (a slackline performer) and Frankie (parkour aficionado). Delaney deftly juggles themes of friendship, personal growth, and tradition versus modernization within a well-paced narrative. The friends' adventures around the school located in an old cathedral and suspicions that Bonaventure might be in trouble make for a captivating read.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Twelve-year-old Sebastian Kostantinov, the untalented son of a traveling circus's ringmaster, plans to save his family's livelihood by attending the prestigious Bonaventure Circus School in Montreal. But Seb and his new friends discover that the school, like his family's circus, is near financial ruin. The circus plot is appealing, but the story never quite soars, despite likable characters.