Detroit Free Press called Traveling Circus "a fast-paced, well-designed story about believing in yourself - with a touch of magic thrown in for good measure." Kidnapped by a mysterious traveling circus! Young Flynn must find his inner courage to battle his way home. A crooked ringmaster, wielding a magic pocket watch that controls time, holds Flynn captive against his will. Escaping requires reaching out to some unusual circus performers. So, he befriends Cordelia who's cursed to become a mermaid at night and Albert the fortuneteller who has a crystal ball where he can see the future and the past. Using the power of imagination and the fortuneteller's magic, Flynn must escape the circus before the ringmaster erases Flynn's memories forever! Muskegon Tribune: "Novel by Whitehall native brings self discovery and art to young adults through the adventures of a circus boy." Norton Shores Examiner: "In Traveling Circus, Rudholm takes the character Flynn on a fantastic voyage where he gains the self-confidence to be himself." Reviews by Parents: "My son/daughter liked the book so much they wrote a book report on it for school." Reviews by Teachers: "This book has been popular with my middle-school students." Reviews by Grandparents: "Finally, a nice clean story with a positive message." Reviews by Pre-teens: "I couldn't put the book down...I read it in one morning...My new favorite book." Order your copy Today!!! https://www.facebook.com/Traveling-Circus-1451188088506459/

Charlie and his family are about to embark on another trip, to another out-of-the-way place off the beaten path. This time they are heading to an island in Croatia, a country Charlie has never even heard of. An incredibly beautiful country that lives in the shadow of war and conflict. Even for a seasoned traveler like Charlie, Croatia is a very different experience. To travel in a country where the language is completely unfamiliar and half the words have no vowels. To visit remote villages where the Internet is so slow, you might as well not have it at all. Where goats are a traffic-calming device, red cliffs loom like fortresses over an impossibly blue sea, and luggage porters are a line of women pushing wheelbarrows. Still, Charlie and his little brother, Max, manage to find adventure wherever they go. There’s cliff diving, pigs on spits, hair-raising ferry crossings and snake juice for breakfast (“Breakfast in Croatia — at your own risk!”). And there’s a sober side to their adventures this time, too. A friend who was sentenced to Croatia’s version of Alcatraz, despite committing no crime. An unsettling encounter with the Hermit of Vrgada. The sight of a half-destroyed village divided by a war that nobody won. Charlie finds out that this area of the world has a long and troubled history, that wars are complicated, and that long-time feuds can continue to divide neighbors generations later. But he also discovers that you don’t need to speak the same language to communicate with people. Not when you’re having a party in a field, surrounded by goats and dancing in the glow of car headlights with the radio blaring out Croatian music. A warm, funny and thought-provoking book that celebrates a child’s love of adventure and boundless curiosity about the world.

For many people, the circus, with its clowns, exotic beasts, and other colorful iconography, is lighthearted entertainment. Yet for Greg Renoff and other scholars, the circus and its social context also provide a richly suggestive repository of changing attitudes about race, class, religion, and consumerism. In the South during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, traveling circuses fostered social spaces where people of all classes and colors could grapple with the region’s upheavals. The Big Tent relates the circus experience from the perspectives of its diverse audiences, telling what locals might have seen and done while the show was in town. Renoff digs deeper, too. He points out, for instance, that the performances of these itinerant outfits in Jim Crow-era Georgia allowed boisterous, unrestrained interaction between blacks and whites on show lots and on city streets on Circus Day. Renoff also looks at encounters between southerners and the largely northern population of circus owners, promoters, and performers, who were frequently accused of inciting public disorder and purveying lowbrow prurience, in part due to residual anger over the Civil War. By recasting itself as a showcase of athleticism, equestrian skill, and God’s wondrous animal creations, the circus appeased community leaders, many of whose businesses prospered during circus visits. Ranging across a changing social, cultural, and economic landscape, The Big Tent tells a new history of what happened when the circus came to town, from the time it traveled by wagon and river barge through its heyday during the railroad era and into its initial decline in the age of the automobile and mass consumerism.

The little boy's biggest and best present, was an awesome, fold-out circus tent. He put it up and played in it all day, flatly refusing to tidy it away. In the middle of the night, when all were sleeping sweetly, music came into his dreams, although he slept so deeply. He tossed and turned and mumbled, then in his sleep he spoke, "The Circus is in town!" And with that he awoke... He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, fairylights were on his bed! On the top, down the side and along the floor they went, like softly glowing fallen stars, leading to the tent... "What initially appears to be a straightforward tale delivers a sinister twist that is certain to capture kiddy imaginations, as will the sumptuous artwork with its eye-catching detail, richly atmospheric colour palette, and excellent use of light and shade. Kids will be happily enraptured, but be warned: their mummies and daddies might feel icy fingers tickling their spines!" Mark Hodder: Science fiction author, winner of the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award. "The detailed, spectacular and vibrantly colored illustrations make this original and gifted story come to life with a special magic. Mark Watson's children's books are a must read for all children." Jackie Ferrell: Readers' Favorite. "This is what the little ones want - stunning illustrations and a magical, exciting story. Mark Watson's 'The Travelling Circus' is his best yet, and really raises the bar for children's authors. A little boy receives an unexpected present, which turns out to be much more than just a toy. What starts out as pure joy, ends up with a valuable lesson that things are not always what they seem. One of the most visually exciting books I've seen in a long time." Rick Smith: Best selling author and publisher. A delightfully funny fairy tale that also manages to be deep, dark and haunting. This macabre, multi-layered bedtime story features stunning illustrations. Including a cover by the world famous comic book artist Drew Geraci and scintillating rhyme by master storyteller, Mark Watson. The Travelling Circus is the third illustrated children's picture book by the multi award-winning, best selling children's author, Mark Watson - winner of IPPY, Moonbeam and Readers' Favorite awards. You can find out more about Mark and his brilliant illustrated children's books here: http: //www.marknpablo.com

Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel combine their writing and illustrating talents with their own family memories to produce a very unique travelogue. Family vacations are supposed to be something to look forward to. Unless, that is, your parents have a habit of turning every outing into a risky proposition -- by accident, of course. So instead of dream vacations to Disney World and motels with swimming pools, these parents are always looking for that out-of-the-way destination where other tourists don't go. Their adventures involve eating grasshoppers in Mexico, forgetting the tide schedule while collecting sand dollars off the coast of Georgia, and mistaking alligators for logs in the middle of Okefenokee Swamp. Travels with My Family is told from the point of view of a long-suffering big brother who must fulfill many roles in this eccentric family: keep little brother out of trouble, humor artist Mom, and discourage Dad from pulling out the road map to search for yet another off-the-beaten-track destination. Husband-and-wife team Marie-Louise Gay and David Homel and have combined their prodigious writing and illustrating talents with their own family memories to produce a very different travelogue. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

You threw away the kitty litter, didn¿t you. But that¿s okay, he doesn¿t need it. Don¿t bother running out for a bag of cat chow, the stuff falls right out of him. Afraid of fleas in his fur? They¿re afraid of him! He¿s dead, but he¿s back, and he¿s looking for you! Don¿t think spending a few thousand years buried in sand can keep Dead Cat down. He¿s gone through Hell to come back because he knows you can¿t live without him!Break out the surgical tape for those mummy wrap malfunctions. Fluff up the old comfy pillow, find a nice, sunny spot by the window and settle down with Dead Cat, GAK, and sixteen twisted horror writers who enjoy playing with dead things for the finest Circus of Wonders and Miracle Medicine Show you¿ll ever experience. Dead Cat guarantees your satisfaction!Remember, Dead Cat came back from the dead for you! It¿s not wise to ignore the dead...Tim LebbonGary A BraunbeckBrian HodgeJeffrey ThomasLinda D. AddisonGerard HouarnerTrey R. BarkerJack HaringaMichael T. Huyck, Jr.Garrett PeckP.D.CacekMichelle ScaliseRobert RhineMark McLaughlinWrath James WhiteAaron WorleyWith artwork from:GAKAlan M. ClarkErik WilsonChad Savage

International Bestseller and #1 LibraryReads Pick Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in this World War II debut about a magnificent travelling circus, a star-crossed romance, and one girl’s coming-of-age during the darkest of times. “A powerful reminder that to live is not just to survive, but to be seen and known for ourselves.” —Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward? 1938. Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena—who uses a wheelchair after a childhood bout with polio—yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, her mind stronger than the limitations placed on her by society. Then her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. As World War II escalates around them, their friendship blossoms into something deeper while Alexandre trains as the illusionist’s apprentice. But when Theo and Alexandre are arrested and made to perform in a town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena is separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible—herself.