Ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski remembers his time in the circus as a young man during the Great Depression, and his friendship with Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, and Rosie, the elephant, who gave them hope.

On a winding mountain road, Vittorio stops to help Kate, whose car has broken down. After gallantly making the repair, without a single word spoken, he speeds off. When their paths cross again, Vittorio learns that Kate has returned to join her family's traveling circus after leaving under mysterious conditions many years ago. Intrigued by her story, Vittorio stays for the show, and the next one, and little by little is integrated into the circus...

What do you feed a trapeze family to keep them up in the air? Or a lion with a gourmet palate? These whimsical poems reveal what fuels a crew of circus performers.

Welcome to the sublime circus of Mark Mayer's Michener-Copernicus-winning debut, Aerialists, a fiercely inventive collection of nine stories in which classic carnival characters become ordinary misfits seeking grandeur in a lonely world. Under the luminous tent of Mayer's prose, we see P.T. Barnum's caravan remade: A young misogynist finds a confidante in a cable-TV strongwoman. A realtor for the one percent invokes his inner murder clown. A skin-and-bones...

At school, Olivia tells about her summer vacation and how, when she went to the circus and all the performers were out sick, she saved the day, becoming Olivia the Tattooed Lady, Olivia the Lion Tamer, The Amazing Flying Olivia, and more.

Grumps is content to do his one trick in the center ring at the circus, until a new dog shows up and steals the show--temporarily.

"Mimi steps into the spotlight in this charming debut with an emotional heart. If you were to imagine an extraordinary moment of destiny, I bet you wouldn't imagine it in a kitchen on a particularly ordinary Wednesday. I bet you wouldn't imagine a plate of cheese and crackers or a replacement best friend--but this was my moment. Because when my Dad left to be a trick high diver in Mr. Morelli's Big Top Circus Extravaganza, he left his ordinary life...

A young woman becomes entranced by an aerialist and must travel through different tent worlds in Cirque du Soleil to find him after being separated.