Age 11-14

The Spangle sisters have an equestrian act in their father’s Victorian circus. Fourteen-year-old Lucy is flashy, egocentric and loves the applause and the limelight, but 16-year-old Ellen is thoughtful and studious, and longs for a life outside the ring. Ellen’s sequinned glamour earns her an admirer above her station, while Lucy pursues her dreams of acclaim by any means that suit her, including a flirtation with the son of a rival circus dynasty. This tale, in which Ellen learns how to be true to herself and her heart, is a romance enriched by a persuasive evocation of the colour and squalor of London’s East End, of the manners and mores of different classes of Victorian society, and of the routines and superstitions of the big top in the days when trained animals were its main attraction. Other characters learn, too, including the girls’ father, whose philosophy is, “I don’t listen. I run a circus.” This lively and skilful novel explores and explodes delusions about love, learning, wealth, family duty and the nature of performance in a way that can resonate for modern readers, without being untrue to its historical setting. Roll up and be entertained.

(Simon & Schuster £12.99)

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