by Erika Swyler
Reviewed by Janet:
On the verge of losing both his home (perched on a cliff) and his job as a reference librarian (budget cuts), Simon’s life is shaken even further when he receives an old circus log book that mentions the name of his grandmother, a circus performer who died on July 24. Just like his mother. And it’s July again, and his sister is behaving strangely. Alternating between the present and the late 1700s, this is an engaging and entrancing novel about the power of books, the love of family, and the magic of magic.