If you’re looking to read something a little different, try this novel. The main character is Tessa Riley, a 12 year old girl living on a farm in Kansas. She just can’t seem to fit in. She is unusually petite, which makes her farm chores more difficult. Her family has very little use for her, she is ridiculed by her classmates and has no friends. She does love to read and discovers the new librarian at the small town library. Mary Finn is a strikingly beautiful woman with an ethereal quality and a hint of sadness. She befriends Tessa and regales her with stories of the beautiful village she grew up in and her experience as a trapeze artist in the circus.  She teaches her the art of the trapeze and encourages her to maintain her uniqueness. Following an experience of unspeakable cruelty and an horrific tragedy, Tessa leaves home to join the circus. Tessa’s journey comes to life with the author’s beautiful imagery and a prose that is almost as magical and mystical as the characters themselves.