She earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. About the Author: Cassie Beasley is from rural Georgia, where, when she's not writing, she helps out on the family pecan farm. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for. The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. (Aug.A New York Times bestseller! A beguiling first novel-Gregory Maguire in the New York Times Takes readers to a marvelous place.' - The Wall Street JournalĮven though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn't approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other-the Man Who Bends Light. Manifestations of belief and unbelief run through Cassie Beasley's charming debut, which takes readers to a marvelous place. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Circus Mirandus is a New York Times Book Review EDITOR'S CHOICE A beguiling first novel-Gregory Maguire, author of Egg and Spoon, in the New York Times. A tender message about sacrifice-for loved ones and the greater good-underlies this magical story of fate and family. Granny Eve is particularly noteworthy her dedication to her family leaves a lasting mark on Blue, whose father is distracted at best and absent at worst. I always gravitated toward fantasy novels, she explains. The latter has been part of Beasley’s mental makeup from an early age. Blue’s extended family, many of whom have also traveled to Murky Branch for a chance to change their own fates, creates a vibrant ensemble. Circus Mirandus is an engaging, innovative tale that balances fantastical goings-on with an exploration of love, loss, friendship and the value of being open to the unexplainable. Interludes from the wise and intimidating Munch keep the supernatural aspects of the novel at the forefront of readers’ minds, while Tumble and Blue muddle through issues of abandonment, failure, grief, and loss. In their quest to alter Blue’s fate, he and Tumble learn that their families are inextricably linked, and that the line between a gift and a curse is easily blurred. Eleven-year-old Tumble Wilson, new to Murky Branch and obsessed with being a hero, is immediately drawn to Blue and his bad luck, and she makes it her mission to help him. After his father leaves him at his grandmother’s house in Murky Branch, Ga., for the summer, Blue is determined to break the curse, even if it means venturing into the Okefenokee Swamp to find a fabled golden alligator named Munch. Blue Montgomery fits into the latter category: his fate is that he is cursed to always lose, no matter the situation.

For generations, members of the Montgomery family have received supernatural “fates” that rule their lives some are wonderful, such as a powerful affinity for animals, while others are not, such as one’s husbands always dying.

Cassie beasley books