The Traveling Circus - (Travels with My Family) by Marie-Louise Gay & David Homel (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Charlie and his family are about to embark on another trip, to another out-of-the-way place off the beaten path. This time they are heading to an island in Croatia--an incredibly beautiful country that lives in the shadow of war and conflict. Even for a seasoned traveler like Charlie, Croatia is a very different experience: the language is unfamiliar and half the words have no vowels, goats are a traffic-calming device, and red cliffs loom like fortresses over an impossibly blue sea. Still, Charlie and his little brother, Max, manage to find adventure wherever they go."--Amazon.com.

Book Synopsis

Charlie and his family are about to embark on another trip, to another out-of-the-way place off the beaten path. This time they are heading to an island in Croatia, a country Charlie has never even heard of. An incredibly beautiful country that lives in the shadow of war and conflict.

Even for a seasoned traveler like Charlie, Croatia is a very different experience. To travel in a country where the language is completely unfamiliar and half the words have no vowels. To visit remote villages where the Internet is so slow, you might as well not have it at all. Where goats are a traffic-calming device, red cliffs loom like fortresses over an impossibly blue sea, and luggage porters are a line of women pushing wheelbarrows.

Still, Charlie and his little brother, Max, manage to find adventure wherever they go. There's cliff diving, pigs on spits, hair-raising ferry crossings and snake juice for breakfast ("Breakfast in Croatia -- at your own risk!"). And there's a sober side to their adventures this time, too. A friend who was sentenced to Croatia's version of Alcatraz, despite committing no crime. An unsettling encounter with the Hermit of Vrgada. The sight of a half-destroyed village divided by a war that nobody won.

Charlie finds out that this area of the world has a long and troubled history, that wars are complicated, and that long-time feuds can continue to divide neighbors generations later. But he also discovers that you don't need to speak the same language to communicate with people. Not when you're having a party in a field, surrounded by goats and dancing in the glow of car headlights with the radio blaring out Croatian music.

A warm, funny and thought-provoking book that celebrates a child's love of adventure and boundless curiosity about the world.

Review Quotes

"A warm and amusing book that celebrates the enthusiasm of children to explore the unfamiliar world around them." -- Resource Links

"An enjoyable read that could also trigger discussions of culture, history, ethics and politics." -- CM Magazine

"Charlie's voice and humor lighten even the darker moments, and his interaction with, and eventual appreciation of, even the quirkiest characters will guide young readers by example." -- School Library Journal

"Hints of gravity punctuate but do not puncture the holiday fun . . . A salutary, unusual look at part of the world rarely seen in North American children's literature, wrapped up in family fun." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The prose is spry, literate, and lively, making this, and the whole series, a must for budding world-travelers." -- Horn Book

"The wryly amusing story shows that less popular destinations can offer unexpected rewards as well as new ideas to ponder." -- Booklist

About the Author

Marie-Louise Gay is a world-renowned author and illustrator of children's books. She has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and has two Governor General's awards to her credit. She is best known for her Stella and Sam books, which have been published in more than fifteen languages.

David Homel is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, journalist and translator. He is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award for translation, and the author of ten novels, including The Speaking Cure (winner of the Hugh MacLennan Prize and the Jewish Public Library Award for fiction) and, most recently, The Fledglings.