Life at Gryllum House Orphanage is all that Marlon Foundling has ever known. At nearly 14 he feels he has never had a full stomach, and he
knows nothing of life outside the Orphanage walls.
When he is chosen by a Circus Scout, he can’t believe his luck. He’s survived a disaster at the Orphanage and the Scout believes he might do amazing things at the Circus of Light.
Beatrice is mourning the loss of her father but with his dying words, and with his diary in her hands, she sets off for his childhood home – The Circus of Light, or as the occupants know it, The Circus of Lost Children.
When they reach their destination, they along with another new recruit are in total awe of a circus run entirely by children. The children sleep in hammocks high off the ground, practise death defying feats with fire, and show Marlon more kindness than he’s ever had in his life.
This Circus of Lost Children is organised, well-fed, and incredibly skilled, but they have a nemesis in a rival circus. Marlon & Beatrice along with their new friends are soon caught up in a plot to destroy this magical circus with age-old magic.
Can a boy who has never known friendship, kindness, heard music or ever danced, summon enough courage to save his new home?
Can a girl still mourning her father become someone else long enough to unravel an evil plot against them all?
This is the 1st in a brand new series by the best selling author of Dragon Defenders and Children of the Rush. This time James Russell takes readers into the lives of a circus with children running every aspect of it.
The settings are richly portrayed, the characters engaging, dealing with past troubles or keen to prove themselves, and the plot sears with ever increasing tensity.
James Russell’s writing effortlessly grabs the reader early and completely. I read into the night, keen to know the fates of the characters.
I think Marlon Foundling and the Circus of Lost Children is his best yet!
Author – James Russell
Age – 10+
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(2026, Dragon Brothers Books, Circus, Orphans, Friendship, Stallion, Horse training, Big top, Rival circus, Earthquake, France, England, Conflict, Family, Award Winning Author, Aotearoa New Zealand Author, Series, Magic, Fantasy)