Ellen-Jane Potts, alias Diamond the Acrobatic Child Wonder, is the latest acquisition for Tanglefield's Travelling Circus. Sold by her father for a few guineas within a working-class village, she must endure ongoing rigorous training and performances under the bullying whip of the trainer.
We meet her fellow sufferers, both human and animal alike, and young and old; and witness her attempts to flee. Diamond is the latest in the Hetty Feather series. It will appeal primarily to girls as life is viewed through Diamond's eyes.
Children will delight with Diamond in the sequined costumes, sparkles and excitement, and be horrified by the menacing Mister, who performs as Beppo the Clown, as the reader sees the dark side of circus life.
They will empathise with the ageing Madame Adeline, and laugh at the trickster Mr Marvel and his monkeys. Most of all, though, readers will emerge from the world of make-believe grateful for their simple and reassuring lives.
Ages 9-12.
- Jessie Neilson is a University of Otago library assistant and mother.
