Sleight

A Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Book for Kids & Teens, Fall 2018
An Ontario Library Association Best Bets Honorable Mention Book for Young Adults, 2019
 
A Vivid Tale of Ancient Lore, Dangerous Magic, and Complicated Love Set against the Backdrop of Circus Life
Growing up in the Cinzio Traveling Players circus, Genevieve Flannery is accustomed to a life most teenagers could never imagine: daily workouts of extravagant acrobatics; an extended family of clowns; wild animals for pets; and her mother Delia, whose mind has always been tortured by visions—but whose love for Geni is unwavering. In a world of performers who mystify and amaze on a daily basis, even Delia’s ghostly visions never seemed all that strange . . . until the evening Geni and her mother are performing an aerial routine they’ve done hundreds of times before, and Delia falls to her death.
That night, everything changes.
Already reeling from the tragedy, the Cinzio Traveling Players have even more to adjust to when the circus falls under new ownership. Though the new benefactor seems incredibly generous, Geni suspects his motives are much darker. And when the owner’s son, Henry, starts taking an interest in her, is it actual attraction, or an attempt to get her to lower her guard so his father can secure what he's really after?
Suddenly swept with the terrifying visions that plagued her mother, Geni’s no longer sure who she should trust or love. And, worst of all, she’s starting to question whether she can trust her own mind.
Sommersby blends teenage drama, sizzling romance, ancient lore, and dangerous magic, against the bewitching backdrop of the circus in this atmospheric, lushly-written tale.