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Summary
Summary
Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.
A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake--and facing a terrible tragedy--Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi's mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.
When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn't there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus's fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.
But then Lexi's ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it's Lexi's own future that's thrown into question.
With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.
Author Notes
J. J. Howard is wearing headphones right now, most likely. She graduated from Dickinson College with a BA in English and Tiffin University with an MH in Humanities. She lives in Florida, and has been some of her students' favorite English teacher for a quite a few years (she even has a mug somewhere to prove it). THAT TIME I JOINED THE CIRCUS is her first young adult novel. Contact her at www.jjhowardbooks.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Lexi's dad just died, leaving her alone and penniless in New York City. His lawyer tells her where to find her mother: if Lexi hurries, she can still catch up with the circus her mom was traveling with. Unfortunately, when Lexi arrives in Florida, the circus is still there-but her mother is not. With no other leads and nowhere else to go, Lexi joins the circus crew and starts building a new family and a new life. She's getting over her past-but then her past appears right in front of her. This is a fairly predictable story of a girl dealing with grief and loss on several fronts, and escaping it all in an unlikely place. That's not to imply it is completely formulaic; it's engaging, with likable characters and a bit of humor. Lexi's all-encompassing musical knowledge is a constant part of her story while never becoming her story. Some elements drag a little bit and several of the teen characters sound closer to early 20s than 17, but these are minor concerns for a debut novel.-Brandy Danner, Perkins School for the Blind, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Howard's well-paced debut is a contemporary twist on the old-fashioned notion of running away from home to join a circus-17-year-old Lexi would much rather still be living with her musician-father, Gavin, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, hanging out with best friends Eli and Bailey, downloading songs, and making music mixes. In this case, it's Lexi's long-absent mother who has apparently joined the circus. When Gavin dies unexpectedly, leaving his daughter penniless, her only option is to track down her mother in Florida. Failing to find her, Lexi gratefully accepts work with the Circus Europa. Howard effectively builds suspense by alternating chapters between Lexi's gradual adaption to an itinerant life with the circus and the earlier days in New York leading to Gavin's death; the author creates persuasive portraits of both cultures and includes the requisite romantic possibilities. Lexi's credible voice, tumultuous emotions, and passion for music are authentically adolescent, while her growing resilience adds a tough yet appealing streak to her character and keeps her future in doubt to the very last pages. Ages 12-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary + Media. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When NYC prep school senior Lexi's father dies, leaving her broke, she heads to Florida in search of her circus-employee mother. Though her mom isn't there, Lexi finds an unexpected new home. The novel's structure--chapters that alternate between Lexi's previous life in New York and her time in the circus--is compelling but information is not always smoothly integrated. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
After high school senior Lexi's dad dies, she's forced to head for Florida, where her long-absent mother might be working for a circus. Another compelling reason for leaving New York City--besides being evicted from her apartment and kicked out of her private school because she now lacks a parent to sign her in--is that the night of her father's accident, she slept with her best friend Eli, even though he was dating her other best friend, Bailey. Since Eli didn't come to her desperately needed rescue after her life started to crumble, she's pretty certain he's chosen to stay with Bailey. In Florida, she's quickly hired by the circus and finds devoted friends among the cast and crew. This makes it easier to ignore the mess her life is now in: no school, her still-missing mother and unresolved issues with Eli. Moving smoothly between chapters set in Florida and flashbacks to the days before her father's death, debut author Howard effectively depicts an attractive heroine with a notably sarcastic but nonetheless charming attitude. If things fall apart a bit too fast in the beginning and are resolved a little too facilely at the end, Lexi's narration is entertaining enough to forgive those minor shortcomings. Since Lexi says her "life has a soundtrack," each chapter begins with pertinent and pithy lyrics with band attributions. For any reader who ever has felt like running away to join the circus. (Fiction. 12-18)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
From That Time I Joined the Circus : So here I am saying goodbye to my neighborhood, alone, with no plan beyond the bus station and a really crummy song about love stuck in my head. And of course my mother to go and find. What kind of father sends all his money to his crazy ex-wife and leaves his daughter completely broke? And what kind of mother runs away and joins the circus? Excerpted from That Time I Joined the Circus by J. J. Howard All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
