With a judder and a jolt the tent was propelled high above the treetops. The tassels blistered their hands and the wind flung their small bodies from side to side like kites, but the children clung on like death, so determined were they not to be left behind. The tent burst through cloud, dampening them so that they shivered all over. They closed their eyes and tried to remain calm as they followed Federico Lampo and his Travelling Circus on their furthest journey yet…into the sky.
Milli and Ernest think they have seen the last of power-hungry Lord Aldor, and life in Drabville is wonderful. Until a circus comes to town. Everyone is raving about the wonderful circus acts, but Milli’s mother won’t let her go, and loyal Ernest decides not to go either. When they are finally allowed to attend, on the last day the circus is on town, they quickly discover there is something sinister about this circus. With the rest of the town’s children, they are soon whisked away to the Conjuror’s Realm.
In this new and frightening place Milli and Ernset soon discover that Lord Aldor is up to his old tricks. This time he wants to use the children to conquer the province of Mirth. Milli and Ernest set off to warn the Queen of Mirth, in an attempt to thwart Aldor’s plans and to get the children back to Drabville.
The Lampo Circus is the second in young author Alexandra Adornetto’s Strangest Adventures series. Like the first, this offering is told in an entertaining first person voice – with an intrusive narrator at times commenting on events rather than simply narrating them. This adds a humorous touch of familiarity which young readers will enjoy. The adventure itself is exciting, again with many humorous moments, with a touch of Lemony Snickett or Alice in Wonderland, as Milli and Ernest come up against seemingly ever-worsening odds and a series of bumbling, yet scary, adversaries.
This is a magical offering for 9 to 12 year old readers.
The Lampo Circus, by Alexandra Adornetto
Harper Collins, 2008
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