The Boy in the Box: Book 1 Of Master Melville's Medicine Show

Eleven-year-old juggling enthusiast Sullivan’s life is turned upside down the night he glimpses a strange horse-drawn caravan outside his window and decides to follow it. He is thrilled to find an old-fashioned medicine show with performers who are his own age. But thrill quickly turns to dread when he steps onstage for the magic act ... only to wake up imprisoned inside the caravan! Should he plot his escape and return to his safe but boring existence? Or could being kidnapped actually be the best thing that has ever happened to him?

Children's Books

Fagan, Cary

Arts, Music & Photography

Puffin Canada

A humorous coming-of-age middle-grade novel set in 1960s Florida. Battling obxious siblings, sunburns, and a corporate millionaire, Norman is determined to help an old comedian save his career. It's the winter of 1965. Norman Fishbein is enduring not only a cold winter but also the usual torments and annoyances from his two older brothers. When Norman wins a thousand dollars in the "Count-the-Doozy-Dots Contest" his parents let him choose how to spend it, strongly suggesting a new car is what the family needs. But Norman decides what his family really needs is their first vacation that doesn't mean camping in a tent--a trip to Miami Beach. A snowstorm almost wrecks their plans, but in the end Norman gets his first plane ride (with both brothers air-sick on either side of him). Miami strikes him as a paradise--warm weather, palm trees, beaches, and ocean. They stay in luxury at the Royal Palm Hotel, owned by the mysterious millionaire Herbert Spitzer. One day at the pool Norman spots an old man in a black suit, who his father tells him is a once-famous comedian named Mort Ziff. (Norman's father thought that Mort Ziff had died years ago.) Holding onto the remains of his career, Mort Ziff is performing every night in the hotel dining room. A chance meeting begins an unusual friendship between Norman and the old comedian. But after hearing that Mort Ziff has been fired, to be replaced by "The Centipedes," a pop group imitating the Beatles, Norman takes matters into his own hands, resolving to save Mort's job and in the process, coming to realize an innner strength he didn't know he had.

Mort Ziff Is Not Dead

Literature & Fiction

“If you always feel fully and completely happy, my friends, then you do not need my drops and I will not sell them to you for any amount of money.” —Master Melville Eleven-year-old juggling enthusiast Sullivan Mintz helps his family run the Stardust Home for Old People. It’s not ideal: his best friend, Manny, is eighty-one years old. But life as usual turns upside down when Master Melville’s Medicine Show comes to town. Sullivan’s excitement at finding performers his own age dissolves into dread when he steps onstage for a magic act only to wake up imprisoned in the traveling show’s caravan. As his fears subside, his questions multiply. Is his family better off without him? Would life as a juggler performing with other kids be worse than living in an old folks’ home? Being kidnapped could be the best thing that ever happened to him . . . or decidedly not.

The Boy in the Box: Master Melville's Medicine Show (Master Melville's Medicine Show, 1)

Clarion Books

Step right up for a thrilling, chilling adventure full of mystery and magic! Eleven-year-old juggling enthusiast Sullivan Mintz helps his family run the Stardust Home for Old People. It's not ideal—his best friend, Manny, is eighty-one years old. But then life turns upside-down the night Sullivan glimpses a strange horse-drawn caravan outside his window and decides to follow it. He is thrilled to find an old-fashioned medicine show, with performers who are his own age. But thrill quickly turns to dread when he steps onstage for the magic act only to wake up imprisoned inside the caravan! As Sullivan meets with the other kids and his fears subside, his questions multiply. Is his family better off without him? Would life as a performing juggler be worse than living in an old folks' home? Will he plot his escape and return to his safe but boring existence? Or...could being kidnapped turn out to be the best thing that has ever happened to him?

King Mouse finds his authority in question when his subjects find crowns of their own. A gentle and humorous modern fable about imaginative play and kindness in the tradition of classics like Little Bear and Frog and Toad. A sweet, thoughtful tale of friendship, sharing and play, King Mouse begins when a mouse comes upon a tiny crown in the grass. The mouse puts the crown on his head, and when a bear subsequently comes upon him and asks if he's king, the mouse responds "Yes." This diminutive monarch settles into his new role very comfortably . . . until a snake comes upon a crown and claims she is queen. The mouse is not amused, especially when one by one the other animals find crowns and claim they are kings too. But when the bear can't find a crown, King Mouse make a most surprising decision. This inspired collaboration between an award-winning author and debut picture book illustrator Dena Seiferling is quietly profound in its simplicity and has the feeling of a modern classic.

King Mouse

Animals

Tundra Books

Who is Gretchen Oyster? The discovery of a series of mysterious handmade postcards distracts Hartley from trouble at home. A poignant novel for fans of Rebecca Stead and Holly Goldberg Sloan. Hartley Staples, near-graduate of middle school, is grappling with the fact that his older brother has run away from home, when he finds a handmade postcard that fascinates him. And soon he spots another. Despite his losing interest in pretty much everything since Jackson ran away, Hartley finds himself searching for cards in his small town at every opportunity, ignoring other responsibilities, namely choosing a topic for his final project. Who is G.O. and why are they scattering cards about the town?

The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster

Humor

Hartley Staples, near-graduate of middle school, is grappling with the fact that his older brother has run away from home, when he finds a handmade postcard that fascinates him. And soon he spots another. Despite his losing interest in pretty much everything since Jackson ran away, Hartley finds himself searching for cards in his small town at every opportunity, ignoring other responsibilities, namely choosing a topic for his final project. Who is G.O. and why are they scattering cards about the town?

Bear wants to sing his song, but the other animals won't give him a chance to perform his masterwork in this delightful picture book companion to the critically acclaimed King Mouse.\nA bear finds a ukulele in the woods. It makes a nice sound -- PLINK! -- and inspires him to write his own song. His friend Mouse would love to hear it. But Bear isn't the only animal in the forest to find musical inspiration that day, and Snake, Crow and Tortoise keep taking his turn to perform. When they finally give him the opportunity and meet his song with less enthusiasm than he'd like, the discouraged bear shelves his music career forever . . . but the kindness, empathy and appreciation of his best friend will prove that his art deserves recognition and can even inspire others.\nThis dryly humorous and sweetly profound collaboration between two critically acclaimed children's book creators, a follow-up to the masterful King Mouse, has the makings of a modern classic.

Bear Wants to Sing

Water, Water

One morning Rafe wakes up to discover his bedroom is floating in a vast sea of water. An unforgettable middle-grade novel with elements of James and the Giant Peach meets Waterworld and The Road.\nOne morning Rafe wakes up to discover his bedroom is floating in a vast sea of water. Alone with only his dog for company, Rafe adapts to this strange new world by fishing cans of food out of the water and keeping watch. Boxes float by, as does a woman, playing her cello. Then, one day, Rafe fishes out a young girl, who joins him in his room -- they don't speak the same language, but together they will face this uncertain future together.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 3-6-When 12-year-old Rafe wakes up to find his bedroom floating on a sea of water with only his dog Buddy present, he is understandably upset. Neither his parents nor any other living creatures are anywhere to be seen. As time passes, Rafe becomes resourceful, using what he can find in his room (lacrosse stick) and floating in the sea (cans of mystery food). Rafe eventually encounters other survivors of whatever has befallen the world: a cello-playing woman, pirates who attempt to pilfer his belongings, and a young girl named Dao with a cat. Dao and her cat join Rafe, and they attempt to survive while dealing with language differences and the grief of losing their families. In the midst of it all, reluctant reader Rafe is surprised when even his last homework assignment begins to look appealing. He opens the one book left in his possession, and overcomes his fears of reading by sharing it with Dao. The single-color, woodcut-style illustrations complement the plot well in their vastness and simplicity. While the story may hold reader interest, many gaps exist that could leave curious tweens unsatisfied. Not knowing what happened or why Rafe has no memory of it may leave young readers concerned about their futures. VERDICT While the topics of grief, friendship, and perseverance are touched upon, this brief text will likely have a limited audience.-Michele Shawα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Action & Adventure

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Books by Fagan, Cary

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fagan, Cary. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Boy in the Box: Book 1 Of Master Melville's Medicine Show

Mort Ziff Is Not Dead

Mort Ziff Is Not Dead

The Boy in the Box: Master Melville's Medicine Show (Master Melville's Medicine Show, 1)

The Boy in the Box: Book 1 Of Master Melville's Medicine Show

King Mouse

The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster

The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster

Bear Wants to Sing

Water, Water