In this episode of the Your Kid’s Next Read Friday First Chapters series:
Helen Edwards reads ‘The Disappearing Circus’
Helen Edwards reads from The Disappearing Circus’’, a magical, mysterious new middle-grade novel, co-authored with Kate Gordon
About Helen Edwards
Dr Helen Edwards writes diverse stories of nature, magic and history. She is also a freelance writer, mentor and speaker and has a PhD in Psychology.
Helen has type 1 diabetes, and lives with anxiety and ADHD. She likes to include characters in her stories who are neurodivergent and/or who live with physical and mental health conditions, out in the world, having adventures.
Listen to our interview with Dr Helen Edwards here in Episode 197.
About Kate Gordon
Kate Gordon grew up in a very bookish house, with two librarian parents, in a small town by the sea in Tasmania.
In 2009 she won a Varuna fellowship and hasn’t stopped writing since. Kate won the 2016 IBBY Ena Noel Award for Writing Clementine, and in 2018 was shortlisted in the Dorothy Hewett Awards for an Unpublished Manuscript.
Her YA novel Girl Running, Boy Falling (2018) is a CBCA Notable. In 2021, Aster’s Good, Right Things (published by Riveted Press) won the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, and in 2023, Xavier in the Meantime was shortlisted in the same category.
The Secret Detectives Club: The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall came out earlier this year, with a second in the series due in October.
About ‘The Disappearing Circus’
Step right up and prepare for the most magical show of all!
When Emme and Ivy—two runaway girls weighed down by grief—stumble upon a strange circus on the moors, they are flung together, as they discover a world unlike any other. Ghostly performers, mythical creatures, and a Ringmistress with dark secrets await them beneath the blood-red Big Top.
To save the fading circus from vanishing forever, Emme and Ivy must uncover their hidden talents and put on a show to end all shows. But do they even have talents? And can they discover them in time?
As the girls navigate dizzying trials of magic and mystery, they realize that the circus isn’t just disappearing—it’s somehow connected to the very threads of their pasts. As secrets are unravelled, Emme and Ivy must step into the spotlight and take a chance on themselves and each other, proving that you must always hold onto wonder and that even the smallest sparks of magic can change everything.
A breathtaking blend of magic, mythology, and heart, The Disappearing Circus reminds us that friendship and courage can be found in the most unexpected of places, that the future is ours to hold—and that some stories are too powerful to ever truly disappear.
FIND A LIST OF ALL OUR FRIDAY FIRST CHAPTERS EPISODES HERE.
You might also like
Friday First Chapters #5: Ashleigh Barton reads ‘How To Sail To Somewhere’
Friday First Chapters #9: Kate Gordon reads ‘The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hill’
First Chapters #4 (summer series): Helen Edwards reads ‘Legend Of The Lighthouse Moon’
Our books
The Mapmaker Chronicles series by A. L. Tait
The Ateban Cipher (duology) by A. L. Tait
The Maven & Reeve Mysteries by A. L. Tait
The First Summer of Callie McGee by A. L. Tait
Willow Bright’s Secret Plot by A. L. Tait
Danger Road by A. L. Tait
The Beehive by Megan Daley
Teacher, Teacher (anthology), edited by Megan Daley
Raising Readers by Megan Daley
Connect with your show hosts
Facebook | Allison Tait | Megan Daley
Twitter | Allison Tait | Megan Daley
Instagram at Allison Tait | Megan Daley
The YKNR community on Facebook here.
Meet Allison Rushby, the third member of #teamyknr. Find out about Allison and her books here.
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