Long Road to the Circus
1920. Twelve-year-old Suzy Bowles lives on a farm in Burr Oak, Michigan, with her large family including her grumpy granny, annoying slightly older brother, and lovesick older sister. She doesn’t understand why so many of her friends and family are content to spend their lives in the same no-where place; Suzy wants to travel the world. When her “lazy” uncle, who managed to get out of town, moves home with a wife and baby, she is dumbfounded—but he wakes early every morning to go somewhere and doesn’t get home until lunchtime. Why? Suzy follows him and learns that he is training an ostrich to pull a cart next to a horse. The ostrich, named Gaucho, is one of a flock of ostriches owned by the remarkable Madame Marantette who, as a younger woman, raced horses and traveled with a circus. Eventually, Suzy weasels her way into this experiment and learns to ride Gaucho. But will they be able to get the rascally Gaucho to trot beside a horse by the time of the county fair parade? and will Suzy ever get out of Burr Oak?
Suzy’s narration is strong and colorful, using time-appropriate phrases like “hunky-dory” and “crew of biddies.” She is a tough, strong-willed character that readers will cheer for, and her quirky family, friends (and animals!) make for a great cast. I was surprised to discover in the end material that Madame Marantette was based on a real person of the same name who did ride in the circus and (spoiler alert!) train an ostrich to pull a cart next to a horse. A delightful read. Ages 8-12.
